The girl in the glass tower

Elizabeth Fremantle's The Girl in the Glass Tower is a stunning historical thriller set in the chaos leading up to the death of Elizabeth I. Tap. Tap. Tap on the window. Something, someone wanting to be heard. Waiting to be free. Tudor England. The word treason is on everyone's lips. Arbella Stuart, niece to Mary, Queen of Scots and presumed successor to Elizabeth I, has spent her youth behind the towering windows of Hardwick Hall.

As presumed successor to the throne, her isolation should mean protection - but those close to the crown are never safe.

Aemilia Lanyer - writer and poet - enjoys an independence denied to Arbella.

Their paths should never cross. But when Arbella enlists Aemilia's help in a bid for freedom, she risks more than her own future. Ensnared in another woman's desperate schemes, Aemilia must tread carefully or share her terrible fate . . . The Girl in the Glass Tower brilliantly explores what it means to be born a woman in a man's world, where destiny is strictly controlled and the smallest choices may save - or destroy - us. Praise for Elizabeth Fremantle:'If you read one Tudor tome this summer, make it this one.

Fascinating and vividly drawn, the ending is heartbreaking' The Times 'Book of the Month''A top-notch literary thriller.

Shots are fired, troths are plighted, sea voyages taken, escapes dared and mysteries solved' Daily Telegraph'A glamourous tale peopled by warrior poets, flamboyant courtiers and shameless loves, it is also sharp, perceptive and dramatic' Sunday Express'Arbella Stuart was a pawn, at the mercy of the powerful people around her.

Hers is a sad and moving tale, and Fremantle tells it beautifully' History Girls'Beautifully written, completely engrossing and a book that stays with you after the pages are closed.

Highly recommended' Historia'Fremantle shows how dangerous it was being closely related to Elizabeth I.

A cracking read' Prima