Shakespeare Mysteries

London, 1592. Twenty-eight-year-old William Shakespeare is the rising man of English theater. But plague has hit the capital, and the playhouses are to be shut. Livelihoods, and lives, are at stake. Lady Celia Vernon is one of the first to perish but did she really die of plague? Her cousin, the Earl of Southampton, orders Will to discover the truth in a London filled with conspirators, cutthroats, and traitors. The Queen's spymaster, Robert Cecil, suspects the Earl of treason and orders Will to spy on him in return. Caught between two of the most powerful men in the kingdom, Will cannot possibly serve both masters, and could easily become the next victim of the killer he is trying to catch. With his future, safety, and life on the line, Will uncovers a devastating secret, and changes the course of his-and the world's-destiny forever. An utterly compelling historical mystery offering a new and fascinating look into the personal life of the great William Shakespeare.

The more he gains, the more he has to lose . . . William Shakespeare is now both a man at court and a man of the theatre. Accepted into Elizabeth I's world, he is trusted to write plays for her. But his position is insecure, based entirely on the queen's whims. When one of the her ladies-in-waiting is found dead, almost everyone suspects it was murder. But who stood to gain by her death? Were the rumors that she was with child when she died true, or was she merely a pawn in a greater game? Sir Robert Cecil senses an opportunity to finally rid himself of his bitter rival, the Earl of Essex, who was seen with the girl before she died, and enlists Will to discover the truth. But Will knows that the Earl of Southampton, his patron, already allies himself to the Earl of Essex. Once again he is caught between two powerful foes. But this time, he must choose a side if he is to survive. A captivating and thoroughly researched crime thriller that paints a rich portait of the life of the greatest of writers.