Customer Reviews

Time's Fool: A Mystery of Shakespeare

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

 

 

In 1603, The Dark Lady of sonnet fame contacts her former lover who immortalized her in his works, the highly successful affluent playwright Will Shakespeare. The great bard is excited with the upcoming rendezvous, but when the meet, he is shocked. The Dark Lady looks wretched instead of fetching and seems nearer death than the lure of life caused by her promiscuous lifestyle as syphilis has taken its toll. She demands money or she will expose Will to his wife and the aristocracy he courts.

However, a fire breaks out at the meeting location. Will and the Dark Lady flee, but her leap from the roof ends in her tragic death. Stunned by the deadly tryst, Will is next accused of killing a protégé with the motive to hide an illicit affair between them. With the help of Sir Robert Cecil, Keeper of the Privy Seal, he stays out of prison so that Will can begin his own inquiries, assisted by his spouse Anne.

Obviously, Shakespeare is the key figure in this solid Elizabethan mystery. He comes across as a fascinating multifaceted figure who cannot resist the lure of his youth, but also deprecatingly calls himself "Time's Fool" because he knows better. The who-done-it is cleverly crafted and the support cast enables the audience to appreciate the Bard even more especially since he comes across as no Sherlock Holmes (adding to the overall delight of the tale). The answer is fans who enjoy a fabulous historical mystery starring a deep enthralling look into the greatest author of all times will response yes to read or not to read that is the question.

Harriet Klausner

About 15 years ago, I stumbled onto Leonard Tourney's Matthew and Joan Stock Elizabethan mysteries, and what a find they proved to be! Well written, with a good sense of the period, intriguing and utterly absorbing, I devoured each and every installment in this series in a matter of weeks -- and was really saddened when I discovered that there were no more Matthew and Joan Stock mysteries to enjoy. Now, after an absence of quite a few years, Leonard Tourney has written another historical mystery novel, this time one set in the early Jacobean period and during the early years of James I's reign, and featuring a much older William Shakespeare as protagonist.

Much older and now quite famous, William Shakespeare has reached the pinnacle of his profession. And yet a sense of melancholy seems to dog Shakespeare -- perhaps it has to do with the death of his only son, or the loss of old friends? So that when he receives a letter from an old lover (his dark lady) asking him to come to her, Shakespeare feels compelled to go, in spite of the fact that he and his ex-lover had parted on angry and bitter terms. After so many years of separation, Shakespeare is moved to see how low she has fallen and how ill she has become; but his pity for her soon turns to anger when he realises that she wants to blackmail him about his past indiscretions. In the middle of telling her to publish and be damned, a fire breaks out; Shakespeare manages to escape uninjured, but his ex-lover is not so lucky, and falls to her death. A startling realisation that the fire was deliberately set gives Shakespeare little time for grief, for it now dawns upon him that he may be the target of someone's anger or malice. Frightened, angry and confused, Shakespeare tries to figure out who may be behind all this. The stakes are high, and his unknown enemy ruthless. Will Shakespeare discover who is orchestrating his downfall, or will his impeccable enemy succeed in destroying England's most famous playwright?

"Time's Fool" was a very absorbing read. The pacing was swift and continuous, and the ambiance was just right -- you really got the sense that you were in the middle of Jacobean England, walking the London streets and the country byways with Shakespeare. And the plot was a very intriguing, puzzling and suspenseful one -- I simply couldn't put the book down until I reached the last page. And while some plot developments were no surprises, other were real revelation. I think that most mystery lovers and Shakespeare fans will enjoy this book in spite of the fact that the Shakespeare in this novel is one that few will be familiar with -- quite flawed, quick to justify his actions and slow to accept his mistakes and faults. The fact is, however, that this is a very well written and executed novel, full of colour and ambiance and very compelling. All in all a thoroughly good read.

I actually really liked the book for the most part. I have ADD so it's hard for me to sit down and read a book that I am not interested in reading. When I began reading the book, Time's Fool: A Mystery of Shakespeare by Leonard Tourney, to my joyful surprise it wasn't hard for me to want to take the time to read this book because it was captivating. The story starts out very engaging of the reader. It doesn't begin with a lot of details of what's going on at the time you join the drama but you are thrown into the famous play write William Shakespeare's complicated life and left to put the pieces together as they come. The book keeps you guessing with all the twists in the plot that are thrown at you. An example of a twists is the fact that the character Robert Cecil puts so much effort into helping Shakespeare stay out of jail. Another Twist is his wives interest in "helping" find out what happen in the fire that killed his lover from before. All the Twists in the story keep you wondering what is it that actually happen that day of the fire. At times the action does slow down and the twists aren't as suspenseful because the oratory back and forth is a little long, but for the most part it keeps you guessing. Another thing I struggled with was that I would sometimes get lost on what's going on because some parts of the mystery in the novel are left for you to figure out and I didn't notice it those parts. If I had to compare it to a TV show I would compare it to C.I.S. in that each thing that happens makes you wonder how it links back to the novels mystery. I liked this book and am glad I had a chance to read it. The reason I choose this book to read is that I was so impressed with the author when he came and did a reading at my school.
The author seems to be very passionate about what he writes. Leonard Tourney takes the time to really think through his characters in all of his books. He has a wonderful ability to get inside his characters minds and try to imagine what it is that they would do or think. You can tell he gets into what type of voice his characters have and will do what it takes for them to contain the right voice for how he believes that would come across. I myself am a passionate person so when I see others that share the same type of passionate thinking about something I tend to get into what they are saying a lot more so then someone who isn't as passionate. Another thing I was impressed about the author is he doesn't seem to care as much about becoming famous as he does just writing entertaining literature. Many times authors will try to conform to how popular authors do things and Tourney is just trying to write what's entertaining.

Well, it's really just bad in one way... it's badly written. The conceit is that it is a confessional Shakespeare wrote in his final years, so it is written in this precious pseudo-Shakespeare jargon that comes across as creepy and convoluted. Probably will be unintelligible to someone who doesn't enjoy Shakespeare, but then, someone who does enjoy Shakespeare wouldn't waste time on a book that can't get out of its own way. There are plenty of fun, and well-written, novels and stories set in the Shakespearean era. No need to waste time on this one.

Effete little book with candied pseudo-Shakespearean prose. A real turn-off. If these had been Shakespeare's dying words, we're better off without him.

The title was intriguing, as are Shakespeare and his plays. However, the writing is dull, the plot is dull, and the story never gets off the ground. It is likely a mistake to assume fiction based on a possible even fictional chapter in the life of the Bard would be as interesting as the works of Shakespeare himself. Always provided, of course, that he wrote them. A question for scholars--they are great works whoever wrote them. The Shakespeare in this book is one boring dithering man, who gazes principally at his navel. I couldn't care about this character, or the mystery of who wanted to kill him.

Shakespeare's last book, that's what the author claims to have written. I got about halfway through it and just had a belly laugh. The plot makes no sense, unless you're a fan of daytime TV soap operas. The language is fakey-Victorian. I believe this book was commissioned to appeal to a specific target audience: working-class folks who don't really know Shakespeare but would like to fancy up their vocabulary some. I defy you to finish this book.

Leonard Tourney returns to 17th century England with a wonderfully well-written novel sure to delight anyone who enjoys the English language and is willing to take the time to savor the work.

The story is fine and well-told. Shakespeare must get at the bottom of who means him harm, and why. It's a good enough yarn in its own right, but that isn't the real reason to buy the book any more than supplying basic nutrients is the reason for fine dining.

There are books designed to be "page turners," which the reader is to inhale quickly. This is not. Time's Fool is best sipped rather than gulped. Tourney's phrases, idioms, and word choices are a true delight to the discerning reader. I read it with a dictionary close by, not so much because I was in doubt about some of the archaic terms which sprinkle the book, but rather because I wanted to admire the author's skill and "wordsmanship."

When you have the time to savor a good book, you will relish Time's Fool: A Mystery of Shakespeare.

For a first time reader of a book of this nature, I must admit I really enjoyed it. I am a fan of Shakespeare so imagining him in a situation like this book purposes is both intriguing and fun. You have to go into this book with no preconceived notions of it being based on total fact. And yes, some elements are a bit fantastical. But if you are interested in the era and enjoy imagining what it might be like to live in that time period than this book provides a taste of the times. The style in which it is written gives us a hint of the speech and vocabulary of the era, without the tedium or complexity of a true Shakespearian novel. Perhaps a die-hard Shakespearian scholar may turn their nose up to such "light" and frivilous writting, but I sat back and enjoyed the ride. Huzzah!

Instead of reading bad Shakespeare wannabees, why not just read Shakespeare?