Publisher's Weekly Review
Trow's seventh whodunit featuring playwright and intelligencer Kit Marlowe (after 2014's Traitor's Storm) opens on a stirring note with the siege of Malta in 1565, then flashes forward 24 years to Canterbury, England, where Kit is on a family visit. Street rumors lead Kit to the home of Jane Benchkyne, whose mother once employed Kit's mother as a servant, and whose maid, Alice Snow, found Jane dead in her bed. Kit's father, John Marley, the local constable, insists that the death was an accident, but it's clear to the writer that someone repeatedly struck Jane and shattered her skull. The action takes an unexpected turn after the deceased's will reveals that she's left all her worldly goods, including her house and its contents, to Alice. Later, Kit's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, involves him in a case involving the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whose strong room was burgled and an odd artifact stolen. Trow makes the political intrigue of the time palpable. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Poet, playwright, and Shakespeare contemporary Christopher Marlowe is visiting his family when he learns that an old family friend has been beaten to death in her bed, the motive apparently robbery. But the victim was a madwoman with few possessions, so what were the thieves seeking? Eventually, Marlowe learns that the dead woman possessed a small silver trinket embedded with a precious gem showing a world map describing Sir Francis Drake's voyage. But how did she come to own such a valuable thing? When Marlowe is told by the queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, that eight of the trinkets were made and distributed by Drake to those who invested in his expedition, and then is commanded by Walsingham to find the other seven, he finds himself traveling across England in search of some small objects that could be as deadly as they are difficult to find (Harry Potter and the horcruxes?). Trow once again delivers an engaging tale filled with a tangible sense of the history, culture, and customs of sixteenth-century England; laced with danger and humor; and featuring a brave, witty, and good-hearted hero. A top-notch read.--Melton, Emily Copyright 2015 Booklist
