Alms for Oblivion: A Shakespearean Murder Mystery [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Philip Gooden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2003 | Series: Shakespearean Murder Mystery

An actor is dead, and the cast of suspects grows, but the finger of a hostile coroner is pointing directly at amateur detective Nick Revill. With as many twists to its plot as a Shakespearean play and betrayals compounded as often as in Troilus and Cressida, Philip Gooden again offers a strong historical mystery with an wonderfully intriguing plot. With some surprise, actor Nick Revill learns that his boyhood friend Peter Agate has arrived in London, to try his hand at acting. While Nick wants to welcome the competition in his stage company, which is mounting a private production of Troilus and Cressida for the lawyers of the Middle Temple, he is a bit resentful of Agate's warm reception—but not so resentful, he'd have stabbed his friend to death. Another violent death follows, and it, too, patently implicates Nick. An aristocratic pair of siblings, a flashy troublemaker from a rival troupe, a former actor who once saw the devil onstage—all stand among Nick's suspects. But the hangman's noose is tightening around his own neck.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Troilus and Cressida provides the keynote for British author Gooden's engaging fourth novel (after 2002's The Pale Companion) to feature player Nicholas Revill, a member of the Chamberlain's Men. In the late autumn of 1602, Nicholas becomes the chief suspect in the murder of his boyhood friend, Peter Agate, shortly after Peter comes to London and competes with Nicholas for a part in a production of Master Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, to be performed at the Middle Temple. To add to his woes, Nicholas is imprisoned after being accused of two more murders. He escapes and flees some 150 miles west to his native town of Miching, in Somerset, where the mystery comes to its satisfying if bloody resolution. Gooden paints vivid pictures of foggy, Thames-side London; of prison life with its greedy gaolers who demand money for food, bedding, better treatment and even release; and of the long, lonely walk to Somerset in the rain and cold. Those familiar with the more vicious dramas of the Elizabethan period will particularly appreciate this tale of incest, whoring and six murders (by stabbing, strangulation and poison), written in readable modern English with only a few terms peculiar to the period.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This is a first-rate mystery set in lewd, brutal, and endlessly lively 1602 London. Nicholas Revill, 20, is an actor in Will Shakespeare's Chamberlain's Men acting company. Quick-witted and utterly engaging, he has lived in London long enough to acquire an urban polish and slightly cynical worldview. The company is preparing Troilus and Cressida when Peter Agate, a young man from Nick's home village of Miching, comes to the city to try his hand at acting. One evening, Nick arrives home and discovers Peter brutally murdered in the lobby of his lodgings. As the actor's associates are killed one by one, his suspicions of who the murderer might be run wide. When Nick is jailed by investigating Coroner Talbot, he escapes and bolts for Miching with Talbot on his heels, only to find that the murderer is now after him. The wordplay is fun and funny, and the whole cast indulges in and appreciates the puns and double entendres. "WS," as he is referred to by Nick, is little in evidence; that's unfortunate because this Will is a canny and kindhearted mentor. Gooden has created a wholly real, vivid, and tumultuous setting, filled with believable and varied characters. This makes for an exciting and entertaining book that will enliven the Elizabethan world for teens.
Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (April 15, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0786711426
• ASIN: B001G8W8WS
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,025,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gooden gives the readers a good one!, January 6, 2005

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alms for Oblivion: A Shakespearean Murder Mystery (Hardcover)

"Alms for Oblivion" is the fourth in the series "A Shakespearean Murder Mystery" by Philip Gooden. The author in each of these four takes a Shakespeare play as its literary theme--and so far so good. This series, featuring the young player Nicholas Revill, is an excellent read, even if the reader isn't a scholar, or even fan, of The Bard.

Nicholas, while trying very hard to make his way as a serious actor, seems to find himself, book by book, in nasty, fiendish, nefarious murder situations. Of course, Gooden is free with his references to Shakespeare (who also appears as a minor character) and this gives the series not only a unique flair but hints at serious writing! This time around, Gooden treats us to "Troilus and Cressida" as his "central" theme play.

We find young Nick heavily involved once again with the Chamberlain's Company. A boyhood friend comes to London seeking his own fame as an actor and turns to Nicholas for help. Happy to see his longtime friend, Nicholas obliges and within a

few days comes home to find his friend murdered! Because he is found with the body, he is under investigation for the death of his friend. Soon after, an up-and-coming playwright, who's about to publish a scandalous play, is found murdered; again, because of his involvement with the man, Nicholas is charged.

Finally, Nicholas' long time and dear friend Nell is found strangled to death, by Nicholas' own clothing piece. What's a boy to do under these circumstances? He runs! Back to his village, where he hopes to work things out. Alas, things only get more complicated.

Yet, all's well that ends well and once more our Nick escapes the nick, using some clever reasoning and intelligent deductive skills! "Alms for Oblivion" is a a fun read. Surely a fifth episode is in the making! ([e-mail])