On the morning of September 8, 1560, at the isolated manor of Cunmor place, the body of a young woman was found at the bottom of a staircase, her neck broken. But, this was no ordinary death. Amy Robsart was the wife of Elizabeth I's great favorite, Robert Dudley, the man who many believed she would marry, were he free. Immediately people suspected foul play and Elizabeth's own reputation was in danger of serious damage. Many felt she might even lose her throne. An inquest was begun, witnesses called, and ultimately a verdict of death by accident was reached. But, the mystery refused to die and cast a long shadow over Elizabeth's reign.
Using recently discovered forensic evidence from the original investigation, Skidmore is able to put an end to centuries of speculation as to the true causes of Robsart's death. This is the story of a treacherous period in Elizabeth's life: a tale of love, death, and tragedy, exploring the dramatic early life of England's Virgin Queen.
"As Skidmore mines Robert's correspondence, the coroner's report on Amy, and ambassadors' dispatches, Tudor England in all its rich complexity springs to vivid life in a tantalizing, authoritative, and in-depth analysis of a centuries-old mystery that continues to stir imaginations."
Publishers Weekly
"It was a scandal that makes Showtime's "Tudors" look tame: Queen Elizabeth I and the married Earl of Leicester were so close that tongues were wagging across Europe. When the earl's wife was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in 1560, speculation that the earl had killed his wife and would marry the queen nearly toppled the monarchy. Skidmore, a sitting member of the British Parliament and the author of Edward VI: The Lost King of England, attempts to solve the mystery using a long-lost coroner's report."
New York Post
"A valuable and interesting book . . . I must thank Chris Skidmore for a fascinating read, and the chance to look again at one of the darkest crimes on one of the most innocent victims of the Tudor world."
Philippa Gregory, bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl
