The Laughing Hangman

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. The party of actors called Lord Westfield's men are in somewhat of a dilemma. James Applegarth, a belligerent and sacrilegious playwright has a wonderful play, The Misfortunes of Marriage, but should the players be associated with such a man. When they do decide to receive Applegarth, they little know that they also receive all of his enemies with him. Actors and critics and more importantly another troupe are not portrayed in a very good light in the play and there are bound to be repercussions. When there are gruesome hangings in both of the troupes of actors Nicholas Bracewell once again has his hands full trying to manage the highly strung theatre players and seek out the killer at the same time. Edward Marston bring to life the sights and sound of Elizabethan London so effectively that the reader almost feels transported back to the narrow stinking streets of old London town.

Lord Westfield's Men are once again hip deep in a series of murders, Elizabethan style, in The Laughing Hangman by Edward Marston. Nicholas Bracewell, man for all seasons, bookholder and mediator for the actors, and detective when anything threatens them, is faced with one of his thorniest mysteries. The players have agreed to perform a play by a notorious and drunken playwright, Jonas Applegarth. At the same time Nicholas has been asked to rescue a young boy whose father says has been impressed against his will into the Chapel Children, a theater group connected with the Chapel Royal. While trying to find out what is credible, Bracewell discovers the body of the Master of the Chapel hanging above the stage at Blackfriars. As he approaches the body he hears a mocking eerie laughter before a door slams. This initiates an intriguing search for the laughing hangman, another death complete with laughter and yet another before the murderer is apprehended. Marston describes an interesting, believable world in Elizabethan London. The writ of the law does not travel far from the main streets and people often take matters into their own hands to defend themselves or attack their enemies. The theater is really outside the law, allowed to exist on sufferance. This, I believe, makes it easier for Nicholas to understand the mind of a person who could act outside the law. In a sense, it is all theater and an understanding of what happens on stage is prerequisite to solving the mystery. The theater world is riveting to tour, to trace the origins of much of our entertainment today. I keep hoping that Shakespeare will wander in to watch one of Lord Westfall's Men's offerings. Maybe he is in disguise. Marston provides us with interesting three-dimensional characters for the most part. Even the minor roles have meat to them. The story is well-told and, while I figured out the murderer several pages before the end, I was not at all sure of the motivation. And the motivation is something that could have caused a murder only in Elizabethan England. You cannot do much better than to pay a visit to Nicholas Bracewell in Elizabethan London