The Wanton Angel

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. After their near disbandment in the previous novel (The Fair Maid of Bohemia), court politics now threatens to end the careers of Lord Westfield's Men. When the Privy Council decrees that all inn yard theatres must bring down the curtain, Nicholas Bracewell and the company of players he manages face permanent unemployment.. But as luck would have it a powerful anonymous benefactress emerges to protect the livelihoods of the company. Reinvigorated, Lord Westfield's men are determined to build a new and impressive theatre area and beat off their rivals, Banbury's Men and Havelock's Men, to gain one of the two theatre permits allowed. Unfortunately no sooner are the foundations laid than one of the troupe's young stars is found murdered at the site. Nicholas must try to find the killer and uncover the secret of their mysterious patron, before his company are permanently disbanded. 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.

"To be or not to be" could very well be the motto of Westfield's Men in this tenth installment of Edward Marston's Nicholas Bracewell mysteries! It is yet another harrowing and trying experience for these Elizabethan actors, who faced--and overcame--the previous nine threats to their existence as one of the leading acting companies in London! And Marston has convincingly--as always--set the stage (as it were!) for a clever and intriguing mystery in "The Wanton Angel." Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council has decided that the "wicked and lascivious ways of the theatre and its crowd" must be curtailed. Thus, it has proclaimed that henceforth, only two theatre companies will exist in London. On top of that, all acting companies performing in courtyards will be curtailed as well. Hence, the Westfield Men face what appears to be the "final curtain" of their careers. Their patron, Lord Westfield, has his own misgivings and is ready to release his sponsorhip. What to do! Behind the guidance of Bracewell, the company decides to build its own theatre and to compete intensely for the right to perform. Murder and mayhem follow as the plot sickens! One of the actors is found murdered under the pilings of their new theatre; Nicholas is badly beaten; members of the company are being lured away by the rival companies, one by one. Alas, a secret benefactor appears, ready to save the company and to provide a much needed loan in order to continue operating and to build the new theatre, named The Angel. And along the way, there are bits and pieces of romance! We continue to be enthralled by the thespian antics of the leading actor, Lawrence Firethorn, and the other members of the company: Edmund Hoode, Barnaby Gill, Owen Elias, and the actors' nemeses: Sybill and Alexander Marwood (owners of the Queen's Head, where the company performs). Marston is able to sustain the mystery, the interest, the intrigue of this well- researched novel of Elizabethan England and theatre and it is to his credit that the storyline carries well. Needless to say, in keeping with the series, there is a happy ending--which veteran readers know is bound to happen--but the trip along the way is good reading. The author is well-versed in his historical applications. Indeed, it seems that "all the world really is a stage"!