Bloody Mary's Martyrs: The Story of England's Terror, by Jasper Ridley (Constable, £18.99)

DAMNED if you did, damned if you didn't. Somehow, these words seem particularly apt when considering the nature of religious dissent in Tudor England.

The 16th Century was an eventful and momentous period that saw this country emerge from the dark of the Middle Ages into the dawn of modern times. But there was often a high price to pay in an era when there was no such notion as a free exchange of ideas.

Mary, daughter of Henry VIII, was crowned queen in 1553. Always sickly, she died in 1558 - but her short reign was entirely devoted to restoring Catholicism to England by whatever means were necessary.

The brutality of her methods earned her the name she has carried ever since - "Bloody Mary".

The recurring theme of this moving, if at times gruelling narrative, is of the Protestant martyrs' courage in defence of their beliefs.

Throughout the Tudor age, the opposing sides of the theological fence destroyed each other with boundless zeal in the name of a vengeful God. It just depended who was on the throne at the time.

For these were truly dangerous times, when the wrong words overheard by the wrong person could spell disaster. The head of state decided how the individual would worship - and that situation could easily change with a new monarch on the throne. This was political correctness, Tudor style.

But Mary escalated the persecution to new horrific levels. More than 300 people, from lowly artisans to bishops such as Ridley, Cranmer and Latimer, died unspeakable, agonising deaths. Burned alive at the stake, the end could come quickly or slowly. It all depended on the wind direction or whether the faggots were wet or dry.

This absorbing - and at times harrowing book - is another milestone in the career of an established historical author. Jasper Ridley's book deserves every success.

John Phillpott.