Arts & Entertainment - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Other Mystery Categories

The Bawdy Basket

Name: The Bawdy Basket
Author: Edward Marston
ISBN: 9780312285012

by Edward Marston

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Overview

Westfield's Men, the Elizabethan theater troupe at the heart of Edward Marston's intricate and popular series, are enjoying good fortune in their native London. Their talented playwright is at work on his next opus, set to open in a few short weeks, and the group's trusty stage manager and reliable problem-solver Nicholas Bracewell is looking forward to a productive and calm season.

Unfortunately for Nicholas, his friendship with Frank Quilter, a young actor who's just joined the troupe, is about to cause him a lot of trouble. Frank's father has been arrested and accused of a murder he didn't commit, and before anyone can figure out what to do he's convicted and hanged for his crime. Destroyed, young Frank promises to avenge his father, at the expense of the play Westfield's Men have contracted to perform. Nicholas, who's loyalty is split between the company and his new friend, agrees to help Frank on condition that he fulfill his obligations as an actor.

Enter an unlikely ally in the form of one Moll Comfrey, a comely young saleswoman with more to sell than meets the eye. She has the key to the whole mystery hidden somewhere on her person, and it's up to Nicholas to find out what she's hiding (by whatever means necessary) before the theater, not to mention Frank's life, goes dark.

About the Author, Edward Marston

Edward Marston is the author of eleven previous entries in the Edgar Award-nominated Nicholas Bracewell series set in the theaters of Elizabethan England, as well as the Domesday series set in medieval England. He lives in the United Kingdom.

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Editorials

Library Journal

Elizabethan theater stage manager Nicholas Bracewell helps a fellow actor investigate the men who bore false witness against his father, resulting in the man's public execution. Another fine addition to a fascinating historical series. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Once more into the breach for stage manager Nicholas Bracewell, riding again to the rescue of Lord Westfield's Men, the Elizabethan theater troupe he heads, which is threatened with oblivion. The initial threats are twofold. Frank Quilter, an actor new to the company, has revealed that his father is to be publicly hanged for murder. Despite Frank's belief in Gerard Quilter's innocence, which Nicholas shares, members of the troupe want him dismissed. Then there's playwright Edmund Hoode, now so infatuated with wealthy, beautiful Avice Radley that he wants to leave the company to live the life of a country squire with her. Granted a leave of absence, Frank, with Nicholas at his side, begins his quest to prove his father's innocence. They soon uncover the source of the lethal accusations: big-time moneylender Sir Eliard Slaney and his lying confederates. The case against Sir Eliard is buoyed by the appearance of Moll Comfrey, a seller of goods at a local fair who spent the crucial day in the company of Gerard Quilter. Although Nicholas escapes an assassin's knife, the players will have to survive Sir Eliard's more sophisticated but equally baleful attack, by way of Lord Westfield's debts, before he's brought to justice and the company restored to equilibrium. One of the best outings in this series (The Devil's Apprentice, 2001, etc.): full of sharp character studies and suspense sustained from start to finish.