August 1, 2011
Trow (Lestrade and the Devil's Own and 15 other Inspector Lestrade mysteries) kicks off an intriguing new historical series starring Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe. In 1583, Marlowe is about to graduate from Cambridge, where he has established a reputation as a daredevil troublemaker. When a comrade in carousing, Ralph Whitingside, turns up dead in his King's College room, Marlowe doesn't buy the official verdict of suicide. Suspecting that his friend was murdered, Marlowe seeks out the queen's enigmatic magus, Dr. John Dee, whose expertise in poisons may help him prove his case. Whitingside isn't the last to die as the amateur investigator gathers evidence to ascertain the murderer's identity. Trow doesn't evoke 16th-century England quite as persuasively as such writers in the subgenre as Rory Clements and S.J. Parris, but the ending points to potentially more compelling plots in future installments.
September 1, 2011
Graduating from Cambridge in the late 16th century shouldn't be this dangerous, thinks Christopher (Kit) Marlowe in this promising mystery debut. Kit and his friends have celebration on their minds, but someone is systematically knocking them off. The authorities want to sweep the deaths under the rug and rule them suicides, but Kit engages outside help and learns that poisoning is to blame. The rush to find the motive before yet another victim turns up keeps this Elizabethan period drama fast-paced and unsettling. Marlowe hones his detecting skills and hunts down the villain while diversions such as a traveling theater troupe point to future endeavors for our hero. VERDICT There's nothing sedate about this twisty, academic historical. Trow, who's written nonfiction about Marlowe in the past, keeps it fast and entertaining while cluing us in to the secret agent methodology of the day. For the true historical mystery buff.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2011
An engaging historical mystery featuring Elizabethan playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe, Trow's latest is packed to the brim with period ambience, sinister characters, and unexpected twists. Marlowe is one of the noted Parker scholars, a group of young men who are among Cambridge University's brightest students. Although the seemingly carefree scholars are just as likely to drink and carouse as they are to study, their lightheartedness disappears in a flash when one of their number, Ralph Whitingside, is found dead in his room, apparently having taken his own life. The coroner renders the verdict of suicide, but Marlowe doesn't believe it and begins to investigate, finding a dark tragedy built on evil and vengeance. Suspenseful, taut, and skilfully plotted, Trow's mystery offers an eye-opening and seemingly authentic look at sixteenth-century university life in England. Recommend this novel to fans of Phillip Gooden's Nick Revill series, starring a performer in Shakespeare's acting company.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)