Things I love in books...
1) Historical fiction, in particular Tudor and Elizabethan England;
2) Mysteries; and
3) a good series.
My most recent find meet two of those criteria and has the potential for the third.
Martyr, by Rory Clements and narrated by Simon Vance. Framed within a reasonably accurate historical perspective, it tells of a gruesome murder that may or may not be tied to a plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake as he prepares to fight the Spanish Armada.
The main character
is, by accepted belief, a fictional character by the name of John Shakespeare, the older brother of William. Conventional wisdom holds that William was the oldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare. However, there is some speculation out there (God bless the internet!) that the Great Bard may have had an older brother, John. Author Rory Clements took this idea and ran with it, and in
Martyr, John is an "intelligencer" in the employ of Sir Francis Walsingham - Elizabeth I's spymaster. Both Walsingham and Drake figure prominently in this book, as well as Elizabeth's "private" torturer, Sir Richard Topcliffe and the Jesuit priest Robert Southwell (under the alias Father Cotton). Other historical figures include Mary, Queen of Scots, Walsingham's master of cyphers Thomas Phelippes, and Elizabeth's Lord Admiral, Charles Howard, Earl of Effingham. Oh, and William Shakespeare has a wonderful cameo appearance.
The story opens with a young widow by the name of Rose Downie, carrying a baby on a bitterly cold day. The baby is not her own but is a changeling, left in the place of her own child. She is going to the home of Richard Topcliffe to enlist his help in finding her kidnapped child. Topcliffe agrees to help her, but for a price. Rose is a serving woman in the home of Lady Anne Tanahill and the lady is a suspected supporter of the Catholic church. To say that Catholics are not looked on with favor in those times is an understatement, and Richard Topcliffe is beyond rabid in his pursuit of "Papists". Topcliffe and John Shakespeare, while theoretically on the same side, take decidedly different approaches when it comes to protecting the Queen and Country. The animosity between the two is palpable.
Shakespeare finds himself investigating the murder of the adopted daughter of the Earl of Effingham. It was a particularly brutal murder, with religious overtones. As the victim was member of one of England's leading families, his investigation is closely monitored by Walsingham, who has also given him the task of overseeing the protection of Drake due to the spymaster's staff being, well, understaffed. (Budget cuts in Elizabethan England. Who knew?) Fortunately (?), Shakespeare's two tasks begin to converge as he makes his way through the homes of the high born and the merchant class, as well as the haunts of the low.
With steadfast companions Boltfoot Cooper, Harry Slide, his maidservant Jane, and the beautiful and plainspoken Catherine Marvell, John Shakespeare unravels a plot that was hatched in Spain, via the Netherlands, to eliminate Sir Francis Drake and, thus, clear the way for the Spanish Armada to attack England.
I cannot claim to be a professional historian but I am greatly interested in the era that provides the setting for this book. Mr. Clements, a former journalist, appears to have done some careful research when writing
Martyr - which, by the way, is his first novel. While London of the period was, no doubt, one of the great cities in Europe, the writer takes an unabashed look at the rawness of the time, the class distinctions and the political and religious climates. The story is fast paced - maybe a little too fast - and the characters are very well developed. In particular, Rose Downie and the baby provide a binding thread from beginning to a heart-wrenching end.
This was an audiobook. The narrator was Simon Vance, and I thoroughly enjoyed his work. While I personally can't tell the difference between a Yorkshire and Sussex accent, Mr. Vance seemed to have a fine repertoire. His natural speaking voice is, apparently, flexible enough to handle male and female characterizations.
A second book featuring John Shakespeare is scheduled for release in 2010. I will look forward to it.
