I really thought I'd love this - I'm a huge Shakespeare fan and am totally open to a reimagining of Christopher Marlowe's death as a kind of murder mystery. I real lots of historical crime and really enjoy the immersive details - even if, in this case, it was a lot of plague and violence!

I also love the narrators of the audiobook (Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner), although I did find it tricky to follow some of the minor characters as the two narrators covered all the voices. I thought they did well and conveyed the humour of the book - there are some lovely comic touches.

However, at about halfway through, I found that I was struggling to keep engaged with the plot. I'd really enjoyed bits of it up until then, but I found it just stopped holding my attention and I stopped listening. I think maybe I'd have managed this better as a book rather than audio as I just kept getting distracted.

I really enjoyed this book and loved hearing a new story around Shakespeare and his early life. I had heard a little about the death of Christopher Marlowe but didn’t know half as much as I thought I did! I did figure out what was going on, but quite late in the book and it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book at all’s
The narrators were excellent and I loved how there was a male and female narrator instead of just one trying to do all the voices!!
Would definitely listen to more from this author.

We've all heard of cosy crime, but the Elizabethan setting of this amateur-sleuth whodunnit makes it more like grimy crime. If you don't like descriptions of the plague, dead bodies and general dirt and decay, better steer clear. But provided you can put up with that, the story itself is a good take on the genre. It features a real life murder (or at least, killing) - that of the famous playwright Christopher Marlowe. The unlikely detective is none other than Shakespeare, who joins forces with Marlowe's sister Ann to uncover the identity of his friend's killer and the location of his lost final play.

Shakespeare and Ann are both sympathetic characters, and the historical backdrop is interesting. The influence of the theatre at the time was equivalent to prime time on the main television channels in the 20th century - therefore playwriters had celebrity status. However they also were at the mercy of the powerful and political - the right play at the right time could even spark a rebellion. One thing I found interesting was the treatment of Dutch refugees, which has inevitable parallels with modern fears on the same subject. We might have moved on technologically, but a lot of human behaviour is much the same. I hadn't even realised Dutch protestants fled to the UK at the time, or that they were persecuted.

The writing flows well and the Elizabethan setting is conjured up well - a bit too well perhaps for the squeamish. The plot is well paced with plenty of interest and incident throughout. It's a bit far fetched in places, but you can get away with more implausibility in the 16th century I think, since life was different and more extreme.

The story worked OK as an audiobook - I did slightly lose track of some of the supporting characters in places suggesting my attention might have wandered. Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner are very good narrators as you'd expect given their many years' experience in radio.

If you have an interest in the period, or in Shakespeare, it's worth a read as long as you accept it as a work of fiction that aims to tell a good story rather than a historical novel as such. If you enjoy 'cosy crime' and whodunnits, this might make a nice change from the more standard format set in 20th century or later.

In a re-imagined 16th century London, William Shakespeare has turned detective to solve the murder of his friend Christopher Marlowe. It's an intriguing listen, with some entertaining moments and historical mickey-taking.

The premise sounds really intriguing and engaging, the reality not so much sadly, I ended DNF this book as I just couldn’t listen any longer

I enjoy historical fiction and I'm a huge audiobook listener. I also enjoy audiobooks set in different eras. I thought this sounded like a really interesting mystery, and I had high hopes that both narrators would be very good. Unfortunately I've given up as the multiple POVs have confused me, and I'm not keen on the narrators either. Maybe it's would be better in print, rather than as an audiobook?

I think this is a potentially clever reimagining of the death of Marlowe. I was intrigued by the prospect of a Tudor noir which brings to life known historical figures such as Shakespeare, Thomas Kyd, Cecil as a spymaster and a few more. I’m sorry to say that I’m really struggling with it. I’m not impressed with either of the narrators. I believe Guy Jenkins worked on Outnumbered, a tv sitcom in which both had lead roles. I ‘heard’ those characters reading the story. I don’t think either are well accomplished at character voices and I found the narration offputting.

Marlowe was a larger than life character with enemies. There has always been speculation about his collaboration with Shakespeare and there are similarities in their plays. In this story, Shakespeare is accused of murdering Marlowe and works with Ann, Marlowe’s sister to solve the crime, It ought to work as a plot and Jenkins had brought individuals and the times to very vibrant life. There are numerous quirky individuals ready to add their bit to the story and there’s a real feel for the rumbustious nature of day to day life. It falls between slapstick and drama and favours humour more than the mystery of the unlawful killing. I’m just over half way through and struggling to finish the audio because it’s irritating rather than intriguing. I’ll go back to it, but perhaps in written form. It’s a brilliant idea and packed with inventive ideas but, for me, tries too hard to be humourous. .