Short Synopsis
In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than thirty years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history's most famous women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy.

Full Synopsis
In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than thirty years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history's most famous women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading lady—achieving her ends through feminine wiles—and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I.

Through Guy's pioneering research and superbly readable prose, we come to see Mary as a skillful diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions that sought to control or dethrone her. Mary Queen of Scots is an enthralling, myth-shattering look at a complex woman and ruler and her time.

"[Rayner's] sweet voice and sweeping tones are reminiscent of an epic poem . . . A narrative masterpiece." -AudioFile

"As enthralling as a detective story." -New York Times Book Review

"Recent royal shenanigans look tame compared with what John Guy unearths." -Entertainment Weekly

"The definitive biography . . . gripping . . . a pure pleasure to read." -Washington Post Book World

"Spirited and satisfying . . . Guy's account has all the twists and turns of a good thriller-and plenty of horror, too." -Kirkus

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner