It is almost twenty years since the last published biography of John Hooper, and in the intervening period several articles and research projects have sought to uncover and assess his particular contribution to Reformation thought and practice. Such studies have been given new energy and importance with historians' growing understanding of the impact of the Reformed theology of Zürich on the developing Church in England under Edward vi. Yet Hooper himself remains something of a mystery and an enigma; a man about whom little is known except for the last ten years of his life, and who so zealously argued against the wearing of clerical vestments that he threatened the future of the very Church that he and other reformers were trying to create. Newcombe nicely captures and seeks to explain such apparent paradoxes, portraying Hooper as both obedient follower of, and challenger to, lawful authority, as severe yet merciful judge in the consistory court, and as stern critic and loyal friend. As such, this monograph, an adaptation of Newcombe's doctoral thesis, is to be welcomed. It is a pity however that the characterisation, together with the author's assured and detailed exposition of Hooper's theology, is marred by limited attention to the social and religious contexts. Information on whom Hooper knew, or what he did, in the two years that he spent in Zürich is sadly lacking, and the nuances and strains of the relationship between Hooper and Bullinger – an important link between the English and Swiss Reformations – are for the most part unexplored. Moreover, recent local studies on Gloucester and Worcester are not referenced. These inadequacies allow for dogmatic statements which, while largely true, miss subtle details. For instance, while it was surely the case that there was no great groundswell of support for the new faith in the diocese of Gloucester during Hooper's episcopate, civic records reveal that there was a nucleus of evangelicals in the city, growing in influence and in confidence, and including close friends of the bishop. It is hard to escape the conclusion that the complexities, pace and extent of religious change have been insufficiently examined by the author. It may be that this reflects his research preferences; he is at his most convincing and, one senses, most comfortable, in his exposition of Hooper's writings. So whilst the book consolidates our understanding of Hooper's theology, it does little to advance our knowledge of his life, contemporary impact and legacy.