The Spy of Venice: A William Shakespeare Mystery

The time: 1585. The setting: Stratford, London, and Venice. This fast-paced tale of intrigue and murder theorizes how the Bard may have spent part of his "Lost Years" (1585–92). Using many historically accurate details of the period's religious and political turmoil in England and the decadent Venetian Republic, Brandreth (Shakespearean expert and rhetoric coach for the Royal Shakespeare Company) has crafted a story filled with humor, sexual innuendo, and sparkling banter among well-developed characters. Frequent allusions to the playwright's plots, dramatis personae, and dialogue ensure good reading for Shakespeare aficionados and neophytes alike. Similar in appeal to Bernard Cornwell's Fools and Mortals, Brandreth's mystery, told largely in flashback and inspired by documented events and personages, offers a plausible scenario for Shakespeare's fascination with Italy, the setting of 13 of his 39 plays. The chapter titles are quotes from his oeuvre—everything from bits of poetry to stage directions, with the text divided into dramatic acts and scenes. Smatterings of Italian vocabulary (e.g., ancone, traghetti) are either defined or explained in the text. The "Historical Note" elucidates the facts the author used, allowing Brandreth to declare, "This is not a work of history, but it could have been this way…"