Customer Reviews

The Merchant of Vengeance (Shakespeare Mystery)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hawke writes his Shakespearean mystery series like a Shakespearean scholar. There are enough similarites in the plot, characters and language to hearken back to the play that the book is based from. In this case, The Merchant of Venice. In this book we see Will and Tuck embroiled in a family squabble that turns out to result in the death of a young journeyman tailor. As it turns out the young tailor is the son of the head of the Crime Guild, and because of that Tuck and Will are thrown smack in the middle of a vengeance ploy. As in the Merchant of Venice, even anti-Semitism is made a part of the plot of the book. This, the same as the other books in this series is a good fun mystery with lots of sparkling dialogue to keep things interesting.

The fourth book in the Shakespeare and Smythe Mystery series by Simon Hawke, "The Merchant of Vengeance" adds to the promise that the earlier three works in the series set in motion. Loosely based on "The Merchant of Venice" Hawke weaves his tale of murder and intrigue around and about the life of William Shakespeare and his trusty companion and fellow aspiring thespian Tuck Smythe. As usual, the pair find themselves ensconced in a mystery partly of their own making, with no choice but to find a way out.

The story begins when Portia Mayhew's enagement to Thomas Locke is canceled by her father, solely due to the fact that Thomas's mother was a Jewess and he is therefore a Jew by heritage. The couple is counseled to elope, but Thomas is found dead on the very day he receives this advice. His murder brings Portia's father into question, and has Thomas's father "Shy" Locke seeking vengeance against the murderer. There ensues a trial by the guild of thieves who rule the Elizabethean underworld, with Shakespeare playing lawyer to clear Henry Mayhew of a murder he didn't commit. But who else had a motive to commit such an act?

Hawke has done a fine job with weaving these mysteries around Shakespeare's life and threading some of his greatest lines ever into the conversations throughout the novel. At times the writing is heavy handed; it tries too hard to capture the slang expressions of the time and often repeats the same thoughts, if only in a different 'turn of phrase'. But for Shakespeare and mystery fans, these books are a delightful escape into the world that Shakespeare lived in and created. Hawke has always acknowledged that he is not scholar on Shakespeare, but the research and imagining he has done has breathed new life into some of the bard's best-loved works.

Simon Hawke's voice again brings his popular characterizations to life of fledgling playwright William Shakespeare and side-kick, would-be-thespian Symington Smythe. In a suitably complex plot, the story comes alive in the Elizabethan issues of marriage outside of ones class, anti-Semitism, and daily life in London's underworld. The level of detail shows that Hawke is fully comfortable in portraying this blend of historical fact and fiction. A good read, filled with a few unexpected twists and turns, and a number of tongue in cheek allusions to Shakespeare's plays that keep you grinning. A pleasant quick read for a spring or summer afternoon.

"The Merchant of Vengeance"is the fourth in the lively, witty, and creatively clever series by Simon Hawke which features, of all people, William Shakespeare and his fellow Thespian Tuck Smythe! Mr. Hawke shows his command of Shakespeare as he develops a (sort of) mystery that invokes the Good Bard's name in vain quite often!

Of course, one can enjoy this mystery series without having read a line of Shakespeare, but having some command of this most famous of playwrights is a plus. It's fun to see just how many Shakespearean allusions you can catch.

In "Merchant," of course, Hawke provides a "background" of the more famous "Merchant of Venice." Shakespeare wishes to out play Christopher Marlow and to portray a Jew as a Jew thinks not as he is perceived. But there's the rub! Quickly Will and Tuck are embroiled in a murder and together they strut and fret their way to the final solution. Most of the story line is fairly predictable, but no matter. Mr. Hawke's entertaining book moves along, looking like the innocent flower and showing the serpent under it. Face face DOES hide false heart as the due screw their courage to the sticking place go for their pound of flesh! A fun read!
(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

This is a pleasant historical mystery set in Elizabethan London with William Shakespeare as one of the major characters. The author has done a good job of evoking the setting and the plot of the mystery is well contrived. In addition, the author convincingly shows us a plausible Shakespeare and with great good humor advances a theory on how Shakespeare was inspired to write The Merchant of Venice.

This is an enjoyable book, but although it is above average in most respects it has three great defects which push it down to only three and a half stars. The female characters are only sketched in. The horseplay between the real Will Shakespeare and the author's fictional creation Tuck Smythe seems over the top, especially in the scene where Tuck holds Will upside down and shakes him to discover his flask of brandy. And the pacing is moderate at best.

However, this book has charm, wit and an intelligent argument to make about its protagonist William Shakespeare. The author argues that Shakespeare wrote Merchant of Venice in reaction to Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta. Simon Hawke touches on the historical events in England that made it impossible for Shakespeare to know any practicing Jews. If he can't answer the question that is the title of this review, then he at least gives the reader an entertaining look at some of the factors behind one of Shakespeare's play.

This book is fourth in a series. I have not read the others, but will make some effort to track them down. This was fun to read and after I read it, I felt that I had both been entertained and educated.