Library Journal

The reign of Henry VIII (1509?47) changed England forever. His unrelenting pursuit of a divorce from a wife whose sin was to fail to bear him a son led to the creation of an English church, no longer subject to the papacy. Administrative changes strengthened and modernized government. In both arenas these changes were effected?even usually devised?by one man, Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell was the ideal administrator for such a despot: energetic, efficient, and ruthless, driven by greed, free of conscience. Ultimately, Cromwell displeased his sovereign: Henry had him beheaded. Hutchinson (Elizabeth's Spymaster: Francis Walsingham and the Secret War That Saved England) is level in judgment and writes exceptionally well. The best kind of popular history, this will appeal to many readers.