- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition edition (July 20 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312319495
- ISBN-13: 978-0312319496
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #655,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Right from the start of British author Marston's clever historical, the 14th entry in his Nicholas Bracewell series (after 2003's The Vagabond Clown), troubles beset the Westfield Players. Bracewell's sleuthing skills are much needed after playwright Edmund Hoode collapses from "falling sickness," stage carpenter Nathan Curtis and tireman Hugh Wegges lose their purses to a gambler, and gatherer Lucas Peebles is robbed of all the ticket money. The hapless group then suffers the ultimate indignity when their costumes are stolen and they're forced to perform in borrowed outfits "visibly the wrong size, shape, and color." Amid all this distress, a tender romantic interlude between "counterfeit crank" Hywel Rees, an actor of a different sort, and his beloved Dorothea turns tragic when the two are imprisoned in Bridewell Palace, once a royal residence, now a house of ill repute. These intrigues move rapidly with scene changes and subplots reminiscent of an Elizabethan stage play, and lead to a breathtaking finale when Nicholas and company use their stock-in-trade disguises to unmask a fraudulent operation close to home. A handy dramatis personae helps us keep all the names straight in this complex but beguiling tale. FYI: Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Marston, a master of period detail, interweaves several interrelated plot lines into a superlative historical whodunit. Nicholas Bracewell, the indispensable bookholder for a celebrated Elizabethan theater troupe, returns in fine form to solve three distinct mysteries revolving around the antics of various members of Westfield's Men. When Edmund Hoode, the talented playwright, falls ill with an enigmatic malady, a cache of expensive costumes is stolen, and a rash of sizable gambling losses is reported, Nick suspects foul play. In addition, a chance meeting with a likable pair of naive con artists leads to a dangerous undercover investigation of corruption and coercion in a notorious debtor's prison. All's well that ends well, as Nicholas solves each case in turn, rescuing his eccentric compatriots from certain folly once again. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
exciting historical mystery, July 28 2004
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Counterfeit Crank: An Elizabethan Theater Mystery Featuring Nicholas Bracewell (Hardcover)
In Elizabethan England the acting troupe of Westfield's Men is having their share of woes. Playwright Edmund Hoode has taken ill and it is up to his protégée Michael Grammaticus to finish the new play the actors are to perform. Michael is so grateful to his mentor for his support that he pays for the doctor and the special food he prescribes. A card player Alexander Marwood entices some of Westfield's Men into a game of cards with him. More times than not he is the winner, but there is no evidence that he is cheating but bookholder Nicholas Bracewell has his suspicions.Someone steal the take for a play and their best costumes; nobody has a clue who is behind the thefts. Two young beggars who Nicholas befriended end up at Bridewell's workhouse where Dorothea is raped before she is released and her best friend Hywell is killed for his righteous attempt to hunt down the people who run the workhouse. Nicholas is determined to bring those responsible for the boy's death to justice as well as a couple of thieves who thought Westfield's Men were easy pickings.
Readers get a taste what it was like for actors who have the backing of a lord in Elizabethan England. Nicholas Bracewell is more heroic than usual as he tries to right many wrongs by bringing thieves and killers to justice. THE COUNTERFEIT CRANK is an exciting historical mystery and readers will be delighted to become reacquainted with characters they have come to regard as friends as it is always a treat to read about the endearing Westfield's Men.
Harriet Klausner
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable, a wonderful read, Dec 27 2004
By S. E. Fanning - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Counterfeit Crank: An Elizabethan Theater Mystery Featuring Nicholas Bracewell (Hardcover)
I'm a latecomer to the series and after reading "The Counterfeit Crank," I will definitely order more of Edward Marston's books. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and the details are excellent. The mystery may not present much of a challenge to the experienced fan, but I think it's more than worthwhile.We were snowed in over Christmas, and I read this book at the same time as I read Stephen Greenblatt's biography of Shakespeare, "Will in the World." Mr. Marston's portrayal of his theatrical company is exactly the way it was when Shakespeare was an actor and budding playwright. I highly recommend both books!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book Number 14 in this Terrific Series, Dec 1 2006
By J. Chippindale - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Counterfeit Crank: An Elizabethan Theater Mystery Featuring Nicholas Bracewell (Hardcover)
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.Nicholas Bracewell, the stage manager for the troupe of actors known as Westfield's Men has yet more problems to overcome. The group's talented playwright Edmund Hoode, has been taken ill and is unable to complete his latest offering. The problem is, is the illness a natural one or are there more sinister things afoot. Plus a gambler has moved into the inn the troupe calls home and is proceeding to relieve some of the actors of their hard earned money. Then, as if these problems are not enough the troupe's theatre costumes go missing from a locked cabinet. Nicholas could well do without all these distractions but of course, as usual, the show must go on.
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.
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