The Watchers

'An enthralling account of the murky shadow-world of Elizabethan espionage' Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves

'Alford has brought a dash of le Carré to the 16th century' The Times

Elizabeth I's reign is known as a golden age, yet to much of Europe she was a 'Jezebel' and heretic who had to be destroyed. The Watchers is a thrilling portrayal of the secret state that sought to protect the Queen; a shadow world of spies, codebreakers, agent provocateurs and confidence-men who would stop at nothing to defend the realm.

'Absorbing and closely documented . . . Alford vividly evokes this murky world of codes, ciphers, invisible ink, intercepted letters, aliases, disguises, forgeries and instructions to burn after reading . . . flowing narrative and crisp judments . . . engrossing' Guardian