The Devil's Apprentice [Hardcover]

England is currently blanketed with horrendously bad winter weather, and the Westfield's Men face a season of being out of work, when good fortune practically leaps into their laps. They are offered the chance to give a weeek and a half' s worth of performances at Silvermere, Sir Michael Greenleaf's country house in Essex. There are however two conditions that must be met: 1) that they perform at least one entirely new play, and 2) that they take on an apprentice -- 10 year old Davy Stratton, the son of merchant Jerome Stratton, a friend of Sir Michael's. On the surface, these conditions seems completely easy ones. But little do the Westfield's Men know what is in store for them!

From the very beginning Nicholas senses that there's something not quite right about Davy's relationship with his father. Nicholas's suspicions prove to be correct when, on a reconnaissance trip to Silvermere, Davy runs away the very first chance he gets. And when Jerome Stratton returns his errant son to Nicholas, both father and son claim that Davy's horse ran away with him. Nicholas doesn't buy the story, but cannot get Davy to open up to him. Soon after, Davy's begins to pull some rather nasty pranks on the other apprentices, and earns himself a rather unappetizing nickname with the players: the devil's apprentice. Nicholas cannot quite make out what's wrong with Davy. He sense that the boy is an innately a good and nice child, but that Davy is also very unhappy. And he is quite disturbed that he cannot get Davy to trust him enough to tell him what is wrong. But soon other matters to do with the company takes up all of Nicholas's time and concern. To begin with, Laurence Firethorn, the company's leading actor falls victim to a mysterious illness that incapacitates him at the most inconvenient of times. Then the players receive word that a group of Puritans who reside near Silvermere have declared their intention to make sure that the players never make it to the manor, and who are bent on sabotaging the performances. The havoc and mayhem that the players face culminates with the death of an audience member during one of their performances. Firethorn is sure that the company is accursed and that sorcery is at the root of all their problems, but Nicholas is sure that all this is the work of an intelligent and cunning mind, and he is determined to discover what exactly is going on at Silvermere.

Why does Davy keep running away? Was the audience member murdered, or did he die of natural causes as the local doctor claims? What illness has befallen Firethron? And are the Westfield's Men truly accursed as Firethorn believes? These are the strains that hold this particular Nicholas Bracewell mystery together. The resolution of this particular mystery was a deceptively simple one, but right up till the end, when all is revealed, you can be sure of that this mystery novel will provide you with some truly enjoyable reading. "The Devil's Apprentice" is a really fun read from start to finish; Edward Marston has set just the right tone -- Elizabethan England and the world of the players comes to life before your very eyes. Definitely an interesting and intriguing read.

Nicholas Bracewell, the book holder who sees to the arrangement of the scenery, thinks the invitation is just what the company needs. Sir Michael insists that one of the plays should be original and that the company takes on Davy Stratton as an apprentice. However, Davy seems to be a catalyst for trouble and always runs away, while terrible things happen to the actors during the new play. Some say it is witchcraft but Nicholas proceeds thinking there is a more mundane reason. He also intends to find out why Davy is causing so much mischief and why he keeps running away when its obvious he likes the theatre group.

THE DEVIL'S APPRENTICE is a fascinating work that spotlights an acting troupe in Elizabethan England. The new religion that the Puritans practice regards theatre people as devils incarnate and should be eradicated from the face of the earth. Edward Marston uses the theatre group as a bridge between the common folk and the gentry so the cast of characters is refreshingly diverse. This mystery is entertaining and a history lesson rolled up into one neat package.

Harriet Klausner