内容简介
QueenElizabethIandEngland’sFirstSpymasterSirFrancisWalsingham’sofficialtitlewasprincipalsecretarytoQueenElizabethI,butinfactthispious,tight-lippedPuritanwasEngland’sfirstspymaster.Aruthless,fiercelyloyalcivilservant,WalsinghamworkedbrilliantlybehindthescenestofoilElizabeth’srivalMaryQueenofScotsandoutwitCatholicSpainandFrance,whichhadarrayedtheirforcesbehindher.ThoughhecutanincongruousfigureinElizabeth’sworldlycourt,WalsinghammanagedtowinthetrustofkeyplayerslikeWilliamCecilandtheEarlofLeicesterbeforelaunchinghisownsecretcampaignagainstthequeen’senemies.CovertoperationswereWalsingham’sgenius;hepioneeredtechniquesforexploitingdoubleagents,spreadingdisinformation,anddecipheringcodeswiththelatestcode-breakingsciencethatremainstaplesofinternationalespionage.