In Scotland's Religious War - 16th Century: The Return of Mary Queen of Scots Stephen McDowall gives a thorough and meticulous account of the period during a key part of the Scottish Reformation's aftermath - the return of the Catholic Mary to Scotland from France after the death of her French husband, King Francis. Presented in detail, depth and in chronological order, the chapters conclude with endnotes referenced in the text, and the sources cited are numerous and beneficial. The author successfully encapsulates the complex political milieus in Scotland, France, England and Europe and their impact on the nucleus of Scottish history. This was an incredibly turbulent period; one into which Mary somewhat naively stumbled. The Reformation had turned Scotland mostly Protestant and Mary was a devout Catholic with a claim to the Scottish and English thrones Mary is the centrepiece of this important historical record, from her arrival to the death of her second husband, to her interaction with the Catholic church and its desire to return Scotland to Catholicism, to her eventual abdication and escape from Scotland, this is a comprehensive balanced story of a person, a period and a country, and there is never a feeling that one focus is sacrificed for another. This meticulously researched work is presented with great detail, accuracy and historical insight and is sure to appeal to a wide audience.