Thomas Cromwell is 'fashionable' now. On the back of the Tudor obsession and the stunning novels of Hilary Mantel come this book about the early years of Cromwell. Everett based the book on his doctoral thesis and has chosen to focus on the career of Cromwell during the time he worked for Wolsey and then joined the Royal Council. Meticulously researched and looking at rare and obscure documents the book does not try to add any personality to the figure but tried to interpret motive from actions.

My biggest issue with this book is that I read the introduction first and didn't warm to the attitude of the author. Everett is at pains to point out that his is the first book for many years that is actually based on first hand research of the archives, not cobbled together from other sources. He is almost dismissive of other historians and authors. This rather put my back up, it smacked of someone who has been working hard but has come a little late to the party and therefore wants to ensure that he is given pride of place. I could be wrong but I didn't like the tenor of this introduction.

However the book itself is fascinating and is expertly researched. Everett doesn't place motives on Cromwell but examines the theories and offers evidence to support or discredit. As with all biographies of this subject, there is little on record for the first thirty-odd years of his life but plenty from then on and Everett has chosen, wisely, to focus on the less well-known part. ( )