A Mystery of Errors (Hardcover)

by Simon Hawke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In the ebullient spirit of the hit movie Shakespeare in Love, young William Shakespeare takes center stage as an aspiring playwright and sleuth in this lighthearted historical from SF author Hawke, absorbing everything he sees and goes through, transmuting it into literary gold. On the road to London, Will meets Symington Smythe II, a starstruck, would-be actor, also journeying to the capital for the first time. Smythe, who's large, na ve and honest (his new friend renames him "Tuck"), and Will, who's quick-witted, sharp-tongued, hard-drinking and brimming with confidence, make an appealing pair. Their encounters with a noble highwayman; with a fellow poet who rescues them from a tavern brawl; and particularly with Elizabeth Darcie, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who's trying to marry her off against her will (sound familiar?), provide grist. Will's efforts to rise in the ranks of the Queen's Men, the theater troupe they join as ostlers, and Tuck's efforts to help Elizabeth foil her father's marriage scheme supply the grit. Shakespeare would have appreciated the confusion of identities that surrounds and confounds the hapless Elizabeth, but he might have quailed at the misidentification that makes him the target of hired killers. Happily, all's well that ends well, and it appears that the budding playwright might take future, and welcome, bows in his new guise as sleuth. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This entertaining novel will appeal most to Shakespeare buffs and readers of historical mysteries, but everyone should have a good time. Hawke tells the tale of Symington Smythe, a young man with his heart set on being an actor (though he's never actually had a job on the stage); Smythe hooks up with a young would-be playwright by the name of Will Shakespeare. Together they travel to London, where they fall in with a troupe of accomplished players and find themselves, almost immediately, embroiled in a labyrinthine plot that may cost them their lives. Hawke is the author of many successful fantasy novels; this is his first mystery, but you'd never know it. He has a sure hand, an eye for detail and character, and he mixes historical fact and fiction in an altogether delightful manner. This has the makings of an excellent series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312873727
• ISBN-13: 978-0312873721
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,751,054 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable but lacking, February 20, 2001

By	M. A. Casey "In Quest of a Good Book" (Saint Marys, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a good read... kept my interest and read quickly. Using Will Shakepeare as a character was refreshing and I would love to see future attempts to incorporate historical, literary figures in contemporary fiction. There were moments however when it seemed the content was repetitive. I found myself speed reading over passages that seemed to be saying the same thing over and over again as if for filler to make the book long enough to publish. As for the promoters: from the very moment Smythe and Shakespeare arrive at the theatre, I could sense, or visualize the movie Shakespeare in Love. The scene was similar as is the introduction of a discontented young woman who is being forced to marry against her will.... You probably remember the movie. A Brother Cadfael Tuck Smythe is not.

This was an interesting attempt and I wouldn't hesitate to try a follow up story. With experience comes improvement. Right?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My two cents worth..., December 17, 2000

By	Edward Alexander Gerster "miamibooks" (South Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is a mystery to me why promoters want to push that this book is more in the spirit of "Shakespear in Love," when the only item it has in common is that Will Shakespeare is a character in it. If you want to compare it to movies, it is much more in the spirit of Jake Scott's 1999 directorial debut: "Plunkett & Macleane." Why? It is a cheeky, edgy rendition done with a contemporary conciousness.

The historical rendition of this "Mystery of Errors" is well done, the plot is solid and the characters convincing. As a Renaissance mystery, it has a nice flow, but beware that the mystery only begins to appear more than halfway through the book. The action picks up, and the solution at the end seems a bit rushed, but it is a nice debut to the mystery genre for prolific writer Simon Hawke. I only wish that the 'Afterword' had served as an introduction instead. Recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery Of Errors, November 26, 2000

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is a rather good entry to the historical mystery genre -- esp if you enjoy mysteries set in Elizabethan England. I do however have one bone to pick: I do wish that the publicity people would stop comparing every book that has anything to do with Renaissance England and Shakespeare to "Shakespeare in Love". Especially when the comparision is based on the most tenuous of threads. "Shakespeare in Love" was a well acted, well written and well directed movie, but it was a fluff piece; "A Mystery of Errors" is not a fluffy mystery-novel at all.

Symington Smythe leaves his home and his middle-class but almost penniless existence to go to London in hopes of joining the ranks of the actors in The Queen's Men. En route he meets the dashing and mysterious highwayman, Black Billy; and the similarly stage struck and budding playwright, William Shakespeare. Once in London, as there are few acting jobs to be had, both Smythe and Shakespeare obtain jobs as ostlers at The Toad and The Badger, all the while hoping that they will somehow manage to break into the magical world of The Queen's Men. And this is how they find themselves embroiled in the troubles of Elizabeth Darcie.

Elizabeth Darcie is the only daughter of a wealthy merchant, and who is, much to her chagrin, about to be married off to a young man of the gentry and of some small prominence at court, Anthony Gresham. Elizabeth is both dismayed and angered at her parents's apparent lack of concern over her wishes; and so she is much buoyed when after a conversation with Gresham at the playhouse, she discovers that he has no wish to marry her at all. Imagine her surprise when a few days later Gresham turns up at her home and claims that not only has he never met her but that he wishes to continue with the engagement! Elizabeth is perplexed and angered by Gresham's behaviour and turns to Smythe (whom she met at the playhouse and was very much attracted to) for help in discovering what is afoot.

While this mystery novel does not possess a dark and intricate plot, it is a well written and entertaining puzzle that will keep you guessing. What exactly is Gresham up to? Will Elizabeth be sacrificed to her father's ambitions? And how does Black Billy fit in to all this? This novel does not measure up quite in weight to Edward Marston's Elizabethan mystery series featuring Nicholas Bracewell, but it is an enjoyable read nonetheless. Simon Hawke is successful in giving the reader a glimpse of the political and religious intrigue that was taking place behind all the fanfare of Elizabethan England; and I liked his portrayal of William Shakespeare immensely.

All in all a very enjoyable read.