The Queen's Head (Missing Mystery)

Rating:
Summary: A fun romp in Elizabethan England
Review: Amidst the quest for novelty in the mystery genre during the late 80s, when contemporary and 20th century period settings became passé, came THE QUEEN'S HEAD. Despite its weaknesses, it is sure to delight many fans of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE as author Edward Marston hit a fresh, new concept for milieu, especially when the book's 1988 British release gives it a good eleven-year clearance before that of the successful movie scripted by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard.

This Elizabethan mystery is the story of Nicholas Bracewell, the bookholder of an Elizabethan theater company, who seeks justice when Will Fowler, one of the actors and a good friend, is murdered in a lowly tavern. Although this 1989 American release novel does not give its readers any red herrings, it is captivating entertainment that takes place during one of England's most colorful periods of history.

On the dying request of Fowler, Bracewell searches the unseemly streets, boozers, and brothels of London for the mysterious, violent red-bearded man who ran the victim through with a sword. During his investigation of Fowler's unwarranted murder, Bracewell finds Fowler's daring lifestyle disguised his more latent proclivities. In the meantime, Bracewell also has to deal with the pulsating, on-going problems of day-to-day working in the busy Lord Westfield's Men theater company, which frequently plays at The Queen's Head Inn.

Marston brings the crowded, busy atmosphere of Elizabethan London to life. The affecting ramifications of the Queen of Scots's execution, Philip II's impending invasion, and the subsequent defeat of the Spanish Armada on English society bring even more life to the historical background. His knowledge of Elizabethan theater is thorough, successfully transporting his readers into another place and time.

The colorful mixture of characters bring about some hilarious and ironic situations. Lawrence Firethorn, the leading actor and manager of Lord Westfield's Men, does his darndest to keep peace at home with his wife despite taking a fancy to one of his more distinguished female punters. Edmund Hoode, the company's resident poet, decides it has been too long since he was last romantically involved, then pursues the daughter of the protective landlord. The youngest and most promising apprentice, Richard Honeydew, yearns to be accepted by the other three who constantly make him the butt of their practical jokes. Meanwhile, someone else has more sinister plans for him.

Readers are not kept abreast of everything Bracewell knows in this mystery, but humor and suspense still abound in THE QUEEN'S HEAD. Any reader looking for a fun mystery can quickly overlook this story's shortcomings.

Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff
Review: An Elizabethan theater troop is bedeviled by mishaps, including the murder of one its players in a tavern brawl, the theft of its one complete copy of the script with stage directions for a performance before the queen, an attempt to kill on the young boys who plays the female roles, and others. "Book holder" (akin to the director with extra duties) Nicholas Bracewell hunts for the killer while trying to hold the troop together. Great period details. General bawdiness and terrific dialogue add up to a fun read. Also, don't miss Marston's other series, which follows a group of traveling magistrates just after the Norman conquest of England. More terrific historical whodunits.

Rating:
Summary: Elizabethan Drama
Review: Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Welsh writer Keith Miles, and this is the first of a series of whodunits set in the Elizabethan era. Marston introduces us to Lord Westfield's Men, a company of actors, and to one Nicholas Bracewell, a resourceful hero who prefers to work behind the scenes rather than push himself to centre stage.

Marston constructs his plots like the action of a play - you see the actors, you are left to guess at what goes on behind the scenes. It's the stuff of crime fiction, an adult version of the child's peekaboo game.

Atmospheric, well-paced, "The Queen's Head" has a relatively slow start as the scene - a very English, London-based scene - is set. It is one of national alarm as the Spanish Armada sets sail into the Channel, threatening to depose the English queen and substitute Catholic for Protestant rule. These stately galleons are, however, about to be engaged by a diminutive English fleet of privateers and part-time pirates, men who can play the hero or villain at the drop of a cannon ball.

The focus, however, is definitely on the on-stage action: the historical background exists, but it is never allowed to intrude so thoroughly as to swamp the plot or confuse the reader who has little knowledge of the era. We get a sense of bawdiness, violence, the notoriety which surrounded the theatre, and the constant struggle to strike a balance between censorship and licence.

On stage, Westfield's Men contest with their rivals, Banbury's Men, for public attention, approbation, and profit. It is a cut-throat business - when leading actor Will Fowler is murdered, it proves to be the first of a series of disasters Westfield's Men will face. Someone seems determined to silence them. A rival playwright? A rival company? A disgruntled actor?

Marston is an engaging writer, with an accomplished ability to entertain. An enjoyable read for anyone interested in historical crime fiction, or, indeed, for anyone wishing to cleanse their palette of serial killers and modern crime. ("The Merry Devils" and "The Trip to Jerusalem" are the next titles in the series.)

Rating:
Summary: Elizabethan Drama
Review: Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Welsh writer Keith Miles, and this is the first of a series of whodunits set in the Elizabethan era. Marston introduces us to Lord Westfield's Men, a company of actors, and to one Nicholas Bracewell, a resourceful hero who prefers to work behind the scenes rather than push himself to centre stage.

Marston constructs his plots like the action of a play - you see the actors, you are left to guess at what goes on behind the scenes. It's the stuff of crime fiction, an adult version of the child's peekaboo game.

Atmospheric, well-paced, "The Queen's Head" has a relatively slow start as the scene - a very English, London-based scene - is set. It is one of national alarm as the Spanish Armada sets sail into the Channel, threatening to depose the English queen and substitute Catholic for Protestant rule. These stately galleons are, however, about to be engaged by a diminutive English fleet of privateers and part-time pirates, men who can play the hero or villain at the drop of a cannon ball.

The focus, however, is definitely on the on-stage action: the historical background exists, but it is never allowed to intrude so thoroughly as to swamp the plot or confuse the reader who has little knowledge of the era. We get a sense of bawdiness, violence, the notoriety which surrounded the theatre, and the constant struggle to strike a balance between censorship and licence.

On stage, Westfield's Men contest with their rivals, Banbury's Men, for public attention, approbation, and profit. It is a cut-throat business - when leading actor Will Fowler is murdered, it proves to be the first of a series of disasters Westfield's Men will face. Someone seems determined to silence them. A rival playwright? A rival company? A disgruntled actor?

Marston is an engaging writer, with an accomplished ability to entertain. An enjoyable read for anyone interested in historical crime fiction, or, indeed, for anyone wishing to cleanse their palette of serial killers and modern crime. ("The Merry Devils" and "The Trip to Jerusalem" are the next titles in the series.)

Rating:
Summary: Murder and Mayhem in Elizabethan England
Review: The year is 1588, England is at war with Spain, Queen Elizabeth I is on the throne, and London is a bawdy, boisterous mix of courtly elegance and general squalor. Against this background, Marston paints a picture of the precarious life of a small theater group, Lord Westfield's Men, who perform in the galleried courtyard of a pub called the Queen's Head. Nicholas Bracewell, the company's bookholder, not only holds the troupe together but also solves a murder in the bargain. The wild and colorful period comes vividly to life in Marston's mystery.