Originally published as Passion in the Peak. Diamond, reprint paperback 1st printing, July 1991. They also run athwart the Steady Boys, a gang of young ruffians who feel that the country is being done under by too many immigrants: England for Englishmen in Shakespeare’s day!īut while the events in Will and Tuck’s day-to-day life are interesting, after 130 pages, they’re no longer entirely riveting, so for the mystery fans perched in the front row, when the murder of Master Leonardo occurs, it’s with (dare I say) a certain amount of relief and “at last.” It’s a relatively minor case to be solved, but it’s Will’s sense of what makes people do what they do that saves the day.īawdy at times, extremely funny at others, this is an entirely enjoyable lark, a remarkable flight of fancy, and I think you’ll like it, too. Ghastly.) Will has sold some sonnets, though, so he and Tuck are not starving, yet. (Not so incidentally, Hawke describes the horrible condition of the unsanitary streets in more than adequate detail. Plague has struck London, and all of the city’s playhouses have been closed down. Hard times have hit the traveling group of players.

Assisting him is his good friend and hanger-on with the Queen’s Men, Symington “Tuck” Smythe.

There’s a period (1585-1592) in the life of William Shakespeare that’s called the Lost Years, in which nothing is known - where he was, what he was doing, and who he was hanging out with.įilling in the gap - pure speculation on Hawke’s part, not to mention audacity - here’s the third in a series of detective adventures of the most famous poet and playwright the world has ever known. Forge, hardcover First Edition, December 2002 reprint paperback: January 2004.

The Craghold Creatures by Edwina Noone