George Downing came of age as a Puritan pioneer in colonial Massachusetts, before crossing the Atlantic to join the English Civil War. He quickly became Oliver Cromwell's chief of military intelligence and was later a diplomat and Member of Parliament. However, Downing famously switched sides, shamelessly betraying his friends. He prospered under Charles II, yet he remains one of the most elusive figures of his era.

In Turncoat, he is portrayed as the extraordinary - if troubling - anti-hero of his own life story. Judged by his contemporaries to be 'a fearful gentleman' and a 'perfidious rogue', Downing was a double-dealer who bribed and blackmailed his way to diplomatic success across Europe; and, when it suited his interests, betrayed friends to horrific violent deaths. He pioneered the practice of judicial kidnapping now known as 'extraordinary rendition', was an advocate of the Atlantic slave trade, and played a role in initiating two major wars.

Always at the center of events, Downing interacted with the most illustrious men and women of his time. His patrons included Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II. Samuel Pepys was his clerk; John Milton prepared his letters and dispatches. William of Orange was godfather to his son; his neighbor was Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia; and when Downing finally built his street, his surveyor was Sir Christopher Wren.

Turncoat traces George Downing from the austerity of Puritan New England, across English battlefields, through courts, chanceries, and parliaments, to the hedonism of Restoration London, where he spent his final years in lavish indulgence as one of the wealthiest men in the kingdom.

Pages: 336, Dimensions: 15.6x15.6cm