The Intelligencer

When I heard the author on the radio talking about her real-life experiences as a PI, her ex-CIA boss, and U.S. attorney father, I decided to give this book a try. I like authenticity, and too many thrillers are painfully over the top...you know, so implausible you roll your eyes. But this one, wow! I loved it. It's got a very authentic, informative feel, but is also inventive, fresh and exciting. Kept me up till dawn!The Marlowe chapters come to life so vividly. Really enjoyed Marlowe's banter with Tom Walsingham and the tavern whore, as well as the way he was inspired to start writing "Hero and Leander." And learning so much about the Elizabethan underworld--spies and spymasters, con men, codes, ciphers, etc was fascinating. Very cool how the present day chapters paralleled those set in the past--you get to see Marlowe and Kate get their espionage assignments one after the other, begin them, get in danger, etc, in alternating chapters. And I loved Kate, found her more likable and believable than other mystery/spy heroines I've come across, probably because she's modeled so closely on the author... Whose ex-CIA boss endorsed the book so glowingly that I trust the PI know-how, international intrigue, and intelligence aspects, which made the whole reading experience much more fun for me. Lastly, I was thrilled that the endings to both storylines were unpredictable, clever and witty--for me, totally satisfying. Which is so rare in this genre. And when you're done, definitely stick around for the author's note. It tells you how most events from the sixteenth-century chapters are based on historical evidence, and explains something really interesting about the structure of the novel.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. I really loved how she twisted fact and fiction seamlessly and still made it a real page turner. Kate was a smart, brave character and I loved the Marlowe comparisons. Definitely buy this book - you will be hooked.

If you liked The Da Vinci Code, you will love this novel. Though I'm a lifelong fan of the English theater, I had no knowledge of Christopher Marlowe's secret life, and so I read this novel with such great interest that I simply could not put it down. I'm amazed that this is Silbert's first novel.

this book blew me away. it's that rare combination of page-turner/spy thriller that actually makes you feel smarter for having read it. the way she weaves jet-set modern NYC private-investigator hijinks with brooding elizabethan england -- i couldn't put the book down. maybe it's the author's real-life PI experience...her harvard education...her good looks...whatever it is, keep your eye on leslie silbert. highly recommended.

I'm not typically a huge fan of historical fiction. But this book's changed my mind. Really liked the energy of the twin stories, separated by four hundred years. You sometimes hear people praise authors saying "he made the past come alive." Silbert does that saying one better. This book makes the past AND the present come alive. Each story ratchets up the intensity of the other. You can't get enough of either. I highly recommend.