Lady Elizabeth, Paperback/Alison Weir

Alison Weir was already one of Britain's most popular historians when she turned to historical fiction, which is proving to be a similar success. Here she goes to the heart of Tudor England at its most dangerous and faction-riven, to tell the story of Elizabeth I before she became queen. 'Weir employs contemporary gossip to intriguing effect. With a style that casts even Philippa Gregory's stately gavottes in a dashing new light, Weir convinces with her scholarly grasp' }Independent{