I don’t know much about Mary Queen of Scots, but this book filled most of the blanks in my head.

The book was good.

A Tudor Reader

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend! I love the Tudor period and I know some about Mary Queen of Scot's. This was a great read and highly recommend!

NetGalley, Heather Michael

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed getting to know William Maitland as I really didn't know anything about him. Really well done book.

NetGalley, Kay McLeer

Having always been fascinated by the Tudors, this book is essential reading for me - it's as good as a Philippa Gregory, and tells you so much more about Mary Queen of Scots and the people with whom she surrounded herself...

Books Monthly

Mary Queen of Scots' Secretary is a book about Maitland, Queen Mary of Scotland's secretary. It was an interesting part of history to learn about. The book tells of the struggle of Queen Mary's quest to keep the throne and to continue the succession line for Scotland and Maitland's role that he played in the rollercoaster ride (keeping Mary on the throne and her being arrested) of her reign. This would be a perfect read for Royal History buffs.

NetGalley, Leslie Hartman

This book is a new and enlightening glimpse into Maitland, Mary Queen of Scots's personal secretary. In it, the author argues that it was Maitland who was principally responsbile for the sequence of events that led to Mary''s deposition as Queen of Scotland. I enjoyed learning more about this era and the actors in it, and getting more insight into this.

NetGalley, Rebecca Mee

Overall, Mary Queen of Scots’ Secretary is a modern, convincing - I must also use that popular buzzword “game-changing” - biography that combines page-turning narrative with convincing, sophisticated, scholarly argument. It will, and should, find favour with professional historians and lovers of good history well told.

Steven Veerapen, Professor of History at Strathclyde University

So many monographs have been published about Mary Stuart and her reign over the last 20 years that it is simply wonderful when a detailed & overdue biography of William Maitland of Lethington is finally out! A key player within the strenuous and often difficult Anglo-Scottish relations during the second half of the 16th century. Robert Stedall give us a masterful portrait of a diplomat, courtier & political conspirator deeply involved in the never ending tug of war between his sovereign and Queen Elizabeth. I particularly enjoyed the conspiratorial manoeuvres involved around Mary Stuart. This splendid biography should definitely please all the readers enthralled by the period.

NetGalley, jean luc estrella

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am absolutely obsessed with this period of time in history. Why is it that it is so easy to romanticise a cruel and hard time period in history- I don't know. This book was fascinating with thorough detail of her secretary's intense loyalty to a woman who did not make that an easy thing to give. William's end is particularly unfitting as he fought by and with Mary for so many years.

NetGalley, Kirsten Clark

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A truly interesting account of Mary Queen of Scots' Secretary William Maitland. Perfect for the serious history enthusiast - extraordinarily well researched, it's quite an academic book, not a light and breezy read - but an in-depth account of the politics, religious turmoil and plotting that shaped Scotlands history.

NetGalley, Shar Daws

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars


I was thrilled to be able to read this and I absolutely loved this
Well written, so well researched - I learned so much about an era I have long been fascinated by

I cannot recommend this highly enough

NetGalley, Maria Martignetti

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Incredibly well-written and researched. A very in-depth look at Mary Queen of Scots' Secretary William Maitland. I found it fascinating and very interesting. I highly recommend it to any history buffs.

NetGalley, Steph Elias