The Laughing Hangman
1996
First Published
3.92
Average Rating
265
Number of Pages
Part of Series
Jonas Applegarth is a brilliant but belligerent playwright. When his play, The Misfortunes of Marriage, is performed by Lord Westfield's Men, it causes an uproar. All of Applegarth's enemies attack the company. Nicholas Bracewell defends the playwright loyally, but alas, Applegarth is soon found hanged by the neck. It is only the first of many mysteries that Nicholas has to solve. Lord Westfield's Men are furious when they are satirized by a rival children's theater company at the Blackfriars playhouse. A second attack by the killer-laughing hangman-throws the actors in further disarray. Nicholas is under enormous pressure, not least because he is trying to rekindle his romance with Anne Hendrik by helping her to fend off an aggressive suitor. His beloved company is under threat as never before, and he has to call on all of his resources to rescue them. ""Marston's wit and vivid evocation of Elizabethan London's sights and smells provide a delightfully ribald backdrop for this clever series."" -Publishers Weekly ""A delightfully dazzling period piece suffused with humor, wit and atmospheric drama."" -Booklist Edward Marston, under his real name, Keith Miles, was raised in Wales and went on to study modern history at Oxford. He has been a university lecturer, radio, television, and theatre dramatist, and in addition to writing has worked as an actor and director. His Elizabethan novel, The Roaring Boy, was a 1996 Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee for best novel. He lives in Kent.
Avg Rating
3.92
Number of Ratings
244
5 STARS
28%
4 STARS
41%
3 STARS
27%
2 STARS
5%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads
Author
Edward Marston
Author · 81 books
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. A pseudonym used by Keith Miles AKA A.E. Marston Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective. Series contributed to: . Malice Domestic . Crime Through Time . Perfectly Criminal
