September 1592 and Kit Marlowe receives a letter from an old enemy, Richard Greene, imploring Kit to investigate his coming death. Events are compounded with the threat of the plague, but with the closure of the theatres it means Kit has the time to investigate. But when other murders occur what is the connection between then all. But has any one missed Tom Sledd the stage manager of the Rose Theatre.
An entertaining and enjoyable read, I really liked this story in the series.
A NetGalley Book ( )

In Black Death our sleuth is Christopher Marlowe, playwright and intelligencer. Robert Greene, a competitor and enemy since their college days, has died after penning a letter to Marlowe claiming he is being murdered and asking Marlowe to bring the killer to justice. From here, the plot grows increasingly complex, with two other possible murders, an epidemic of plague, a subplot set in Bedlam, and both an unscrupulous plague doctor with apprentices and the great alchemist John Dee. Shakespeare—a not particularly bright, not particularly gifted Shakespeare—provides moments of comedy within the action. And, oh yes, there’s a bear. If you have any interest in Tudor history or drama you’ll be delighted with this read that pulls in many of the eras key characters and concerns. ( )

Pestilence and murder stalk London's streets!

Kit Marlowe, playwrite and sometime agent for the crown! Smart, witty and a pleasing rogue, with a conscience it seems. Yet "Kit Marlowe was dangerous man to know."
It's September 1592. Pestilence stalks the streets and the theaters have been closed. When Robert Greene, a former fellow student, whose relationship with Kit is one of mutual dislike writes and says someone is trying to kill him Kit pays a visit. Only to find Robert is dead. Not content to leave the matter Kit, in the dead of night, with assistance takes the body out of the grave, collects evidence and finds that indeed Greene has been murdered.
That interfering with the grave leads to another thread, and then another. Indeed the whole story unravels like a plate of stolen delights interwoven into a slippery pasta. One death follows on another and there is a mysterious disappearance of a loved theater worker, Tom Sledd.
Add to this that somewhere in this mix is Sir Robert Cecil, looking for further answers.
I love the portrayal of Will Shaxsper, one of the body snatchers, "who never turned down an opportunity to gather experiences for the plays he knew he could write one day." A sly nod to the eventual rivalry between Marlowe and Shakespeare. Other players include an alchemist, Simon Forman, a" fashionable charlatan and rogue" with his secretive treatments. Hmmm! and a coterie of apprentices.
But when Eunice Brown, one-time nanny to the Cecil family, Noo-Noo, is found murdered powerful people are aroused.
There wasn't a dull moment, and despite the background of cholera, figures roaming out of the mists in protective bird like masks, and murder, this is an enjoyable and rather intriguing read.
BTW the cover becomes so much more appropriate after the read.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley ( )