The Reckoning

June 1, 2019
It's 1592, and the Black Death is rampant in London. But playwright and sometime amateur detective Kit Marlowe has other things on his mind. He's desperately trying to finish his latest play in time for its premiere at the Rose Theatre when a series of very odd things happens. First, an old enemy, Robert Greene, sends Kit a letter beseeching him to find out who is trying to murder Greene. Then the queen decides to shut down every theater in London to prevent the plague from spreading; the Rose's stage manager, Kit's friend Tom Sledd, goes missing; Sir Robert Cecil, the queen's spymaster, orders Kit to find out who killed his father's beloved nursemaid; and Kit finds himself reluctantly cast as the savior of Simon Forman, a man who calls himself a shaman but is, in fact, a dangerous sham. Despite the sometimes confusing multiple plots, readers will find themselves intrigued by Trow's fine tale, which is full of ribald humor, high-spirited adventure, intriguing twists, and realistic period ambience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)