The Double Life Of Doctor Lopez - Hardcover

Green, Dominic

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0712615393 ISBN 13: 9780712615396

Publisher: Century, 2003

Synopsis

Born a crypto-Jew in Portugal in 1525, Roderigo Lopez studied medicine in Spain before moving to London in 1559. A talented surgeon, Lopez soon rose to prominence at court, displaying a capacity for intrigue and espionage. In the service of spy networks, he became deeply entwined in English foreign policy. When the 1st Earl of Essex was poisoned to death, Lopez numbered amongs those suspected. But in 1586, undeterred by the scandal, he was appointed personal physician to the Queen. However, Lopez was financially over-extended and became so desperate he embarked on a high-risk enterprise as freelance diplomat and spymaster, contacting the Spanish in an attempt to se up peace talks. Suspicious of Lopez, the 2nd Earl of Essex began an investigation. The case against Lopez was damning with stories of botched abortions and murder, sa houses and mail drops, double agents and triple identities. Lacking vital corroboration of his story by the Spanish, and despite the Queen's support, amidst an atmosphere of anti-Semitism stirred up by Essex, Lopez was hung drawn and quartered in 1594. He protested his loyalty and Christianity to the last, and provided the young Shakespeare with inspiration for a topical new play.

About this title

Review:

"A plot worthy of le Carre at his most labyrinthine... Green writes with colour, pace and a fine sense of drama" (The Spectator)

"As a subject for popular history, Elizabethan espionage is hard to beat ... An exciting and significant new spin on the history of the period" (Daily Telegraph)

"Dominic Green has written much more than a true-life political thriller ... The Double Life of Doctor Lopez is a brilliant book. Green handles the fiendishly complicated plot with great deftness and brings to the story an expert understanding of the Elizabethan world view. But what really stuns is the quality of Green's writing, which manages to be elegant, precise and rich at the same time. His is a major talent" (Mail on Sunday)

"Green tells [the story] with brio and with a happy gift for bringing Tudor London to life" (Sunday Times)

"[Takes its] readers beneath the familiar surface of Tudor politics into the ruthless underworld of international espionage ... skilful and scholarly" (Sunday Telegraph)

Book Description:

A sixteenth-century spy thriller tied up in the shadowy underworld of intrigue behind Elizabeth's court, and the fascinating story that inspired key elements of The Merchant of Venice

About this edition

• Publisher: Century
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0712615393
• ISBN 13: 9780712615396
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416