THE MAD COURTESAN
by Edward Marston
Once again the author carries the reader into the life and perilous times of Elizabethan London, his focus on Lord Westfield's Men—a theatrical troupe led by gifted, mercurial leading man Lawrence Firethorn but held together by the strength of stage- manager Nick Bracewell (The Nine Giants, etc.). This time, big trouble looms everywhere: Queen Elizabeth appears to be dying, and long political knives are out in the struggle for her successor- -some of them in the hands of the Earl of Chichester, a supporter of Banbury's Men, the Westfield company's archrival. Meanwhile, Nick's troupe has lost talented actor Owen Elias to Banbury's Men; Firethorn, in the absence of fiery wife Margie, has lost his head over devious beauty Beatrice Capaldi, jeopardizing the company's future; and popular Westfield star Sebastian Carrick has been killed by a prostitute's murderous accomplice and must be avenged. To save his beloved troupe, Nick must resolve these problems and more. He'll do it all with brio and panache. A heady romp, solidly grounded on fascinating historical detail.