The Devil's Apprentice

Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession. A cold and miserable winter has put its icy hand on the streets of London and Nicholas Bracewell, company manager and his troupe of actors are out of work. When an offer to perform at a manor house in Essex, comes their way they are only too delighted to accept. But the offer comes with two rather strange conditions. They must perform an entirely new play and also take into their little group a young apprentice, Davy Stratton. Initially Davy fits in well and seems to be quite talented. However he soon begins to disrupt the group and begins to argue with the other apprentices. Finally running away during a trip to Essex. Nicholas begins rehearsals for the new play, The Witch of Colchester, but when the lead actor begins to fall ill with symptoms identical to those that afflict his character in the play some of the other actors begin to fear that there may be a witch among the group. When a member of the audience during the opening night performance the troupe are only too aware that their latest venture may be short lived . . . The author's love for the Elizabethan theatre comes shining through this series of books. Plus his knowledge of the period fills the pages with authenticity and the sights and sounds of the streets and inns of Elizabethan London.

Slowly but surely the Nic Bracewell-mysteries are changing tack.The inevitable murder more and more enters late into the story and seems to be somewhat less important. In a book of 273 pages the one and only murder is committed on page 181 and it is not even clear (and even not important) why it's done. Moreover one of the heroes comes three times near death because there were some spells in the play he was rehearsing. The reader waiting for a logical explanation will wait in vainly. The author of the play changes the spells and that's it. Therefore we are left with a hugely sympathetic cast of by now familiar characters, very witty dialogue and a story that concentrates almost completely on the adventures of actors in a visit outside London where they are not very welcome. As a historian I like it very much but the hardcore mystery fan will feel somewhat cheated.

The Nicholas Bracewell Elizabethan Theatre series is hands down my favourite Elizabethan mystery series. Edward Marston (the authour) does a masterful job of combining broad humour with an intriguing plot and an in-depth look at the workings of a theatre troupe in 16th century England. Another plus: this series is almost always consistently good.England is currently blanketed with horrendously bad winter weather, and the Westfield's Men face a season of being out of work, when good fortune practically leaps into their laps. They are offered the chance to give a weeek and a half' s worth of performances at Silvermere, Sir Michael Greenleaf's country house in Essex. There are however two conditions that must be met: 1) that they perform at least one entirely new play, and 2) that they take on an apprentice -- 10 year old Davy Stratton, the son of merchant Jerome Stratton, a friend of Sir Michael's. On the surface, these conditions seems completely easy ones. But little do the Westfield's Men know what is in store for them!From the very beginning Nicholas senses that there's something not quite right about Davy's relationship with his father. Nicholas's suspicions prove to be correct when, on a reconnaissance trip to Silvermere, Davy runs away the very first chance he gets. And when Jerome Stratton returns his errant son to Nicholas, both father and son claim that Davy's horse ran away with him. Nicholas doesn't buy the story, but cannot get Davy to open up to him. Soon after, Davy's begins to pull some rather nasty pranks on the other apprentices, and earns himself a rather unappetizing nickname with the players: the devil's apprentice. Nicholas cannot quite make out what's wrong with Davy. He sense that the boy is an innately a good and nice child, but that Davy is also very unhappy. And he is quite disturbed that he cannot get Davy to trust him enough to tell him what is wrong. But soon other matters to do with the company takes up all of Nicholas's time and concern. To begin with, Laurence Firethorn, the company's leading actor falls victim to a mysterious illness that incapacitates him at the most inconvenient of times. Then the players receive word that a group of Puritans who reside near Silvermere have declared their intention to make sure that the players never make it to the manor, and who are bent on sabotaging the performances. The havoc and mayhem that the players face culminates with the death of an audience member during one of their performances. Firethorn is sure that the company is accursed and that sorcery is at the root of all their problems, but Nicholas is sure that all this is the work of an intelligent and cunning mind, and he is determined to discover what exactly is going on at Silvermere. Why does Davy keep running away? Was the audience member murdered, or did he die of natural causes as the local doctor claims? What illness has befallen Firethron? And are the Westfield's Men truly accursed as Firethorn believes? These a

It has been one of the coldest winters that Elizabethan England has ever known so it's not too surprising that the poor freeze to death on the streets of London. The theatre company of Westfield's Men has been out of work because most of their acting takes place outdoors since they're a traveling troupe. When Sir. Michael Greenleaf of Essex invites them for a ten-day run of six plays, the offer is almost immediately accepted. Nicholas Bracewell, the book holder who sees to the arrangement of the scenery, thinks the invitation is just what the company needs. Sir Michael insists that one of the plays should be original and that the company takes on Davy Stratton as an apprentice. However, Davy seems to be a catalyst for trouble and always runs away, while terrible things happen to the actors during the new play. Some say it is witchcraft but Nicholas proceeds thinking there is a more mundane reason. He also intends to find out why Davy is causing so much mischief and why he keeps running away when its obvious he likes the theatre group. THE DEVIL'S APPRENTICE is a fascinating work that spotlights an acting troupe in Elizabethan England. The new religion that the Puritans practice regards theatre people as devils incarnate and should be eradicated from the face of the earth. Edward Marston uses the theatre group as a bridge between the common folk and the gentry so the cast of characters is refreshingly diverse. This mystery is entertaining and a history lesson rolled up into one neat package. Harriet Klausner