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""Sewell is extremely acute himself in emphasizing how Downing's provisional loyalties emerged in the very particular socio-political circumstances of mid-17th-century England.""--Marcus Nevitt ""The Spectator"" ""What we get from this well-researched book is a fascinating insight into one of the most violent and troubled eras of Britain's past and a survival manual for how to get by without losing your head.""--Kathryn Hughes ""The Mail on Sunday"" ""Sewell follows Sir George Downing from being in the first class to graduate Harvard to rising through the British aristocracy--working for Oliver Cromwell as a spy, and then in the same capacity for Charles II after the Restoration. Downing's trade was torture, bribery, and thuggery, including a kidnapping the author suggests was the first recorded case of extraordinary rendition. Readers are given a flavor of the mayhem, when reminded that under Cromwell, 'Aston, commander of the Royalist troops, was beaten to death with his own wooden leg.' A capable history of a sketchy rogue.""-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Praise for Dennis Sewell ""Sewell scores well in his command of history, better in his turn of phrase, and best of all in his delightful vignettes.""-- ""The Independent"" ""Richly entertaining. Excellent.""-- ""A.N. Wilson, Literary Review""

Praise for Dennis Sewell ""Sewell scores well in his command of history, better in his turn of phrase, and best of all in his delightful vignettes.""-- ""The Independent"" ""Richly entertaining. Excellent.""-- ""A.N. Wilson, Literary Review""

Author Information

Dennis Sewell is a writer, broadcaster and a contributing editor of the Spectator. He spent twenty-two years on the staff of BBC News, where he worked as a reporter for Newsnight. His previous books include Catholics and The Political Gene.

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