Also there's Richard Topcliffe, Elizabeth's henchman and priest-hunter who's shadowing John Shakespeare at every turn in his investigations. Roe, John, ed. (2006). The Poems: Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, The Phoenix and the Turtle, The Passionate Pilgrim, A Lover's Complaint. The New Cambridge Shakespeare (2nd reviseded.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85551-8. OCLC 64313051. John Shakespeare is an investigator for Walsingham, charged with keeping Sir Francis Drake from being assassinated and rooting out any Catholic plots against the queen. Fellow investigator and rival Topcliffe always seems to be just ahead of Shakespeare in the investigation, using his brutal methods to get the answers he wants from the victims and perpetrators. Bowers, Fredson (1955). On Editing Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Dramatists. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. OCLC 2993883. Greer, Germaine (1986). Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-287538-9. OCLC 12369950.

The John Shakespeare series of novels are set in the latter part of the Elizabethan era. The period was marked by social and political upheavals, rumors of conspiracies, and religious tension between Protestants and Catholics. This was a time when England was at loggerheads with its neighbors, particularly the Spanish, that had only been recently been defeated but were still raring to go. With Elizabeth getting on in age, the issue of succession was also an issue and hence Sir Francis Walsingham and his army of intelligencers were more important than ever. Given the times, Shakespeare often finds himself having to confront the realities and fears of Catholics and Protestants alike, his hearts desires and his own beliefs while doing his job. This was a time when religious schisms were a reality for the many of England’s poor that held the powerful, rich, and violent persons of their time in thrall. The John Shakespeare novels are descriptive and graphic novels portraying the extravagance of the royal court, the developing countryside, and the squalor of the city. They provide greater insight into the lives of the ordinary folk as compared to many authors in the genre that only focus on life in the court while excluding everything else. Poetry Foundation (6 January 2023). "On Shakespeare. 1630 by John Milton". Poetry Foundation . Retrieved 6 January 2023.Chambers, E.K. (1944). Shakespearean Gleanings. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8492-0506-4. OCLC 2364570. In this mystery John Shakespeare is sent by his then boss, Spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham to investigate the rumours of a conspiracy to free the Catholic's favourite Queen, Mary Queen of Scots, who's in prison at Sheffield Castle. Dates follow the Julian calendar, used in England throughout Shakespeare's lifespan, but with the start of the year adjusted to 1 January (see Old Style and New Style dates). Under the Gregorian calendar, adopted in Catholic countries in 1582, Shakespeare died on 3 May. [2] Rory Clements first became a published author when Martyr was published in 2009. This debut novel was the first of the popular John Shakespeare series. He currently writes full time in Norfolk, England. He is the author of seven books that make up the John Shakespeare series. He is also the author of the Tom Wilde series, which features initial books Corpus and follow-up novel Nucleus.

View a timeline of Shakespeare’s life with links to key supporting documents on Shakespeare Documented. Dobson, Michael (1992). The Making of the National Poet: Shakespeare, Adaptation and Authorship, 1660–1769. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-818323-5. OCLC 25631612. Holy Spy– 1586. In London’s smoky taverns, a conspiracy is brewing: a group of wealthy young Catholic dissidents plot to assassinate Elizabeth, free Mary Queen of Scots-and open England to Spanish invasion. But the conspirators have been infiltrated by Sir Francis Walsingham’s top intelligencer, John Shakespeare. Shakespeare, however, is torn: the woman he loves stands accused of murder. What should you read if you like the John Shakespeare novels? The plot unfolds beautifully as John uncovers secrets in several arenas: Elizabeth's Court, the Catholic Church and his hometown. His loyalties to Crown and Country are tested as he navigates between supporting his Queen and discovering the truth. I don't want to give too much away - the best part of the mystery is experiencing John solve it. When an aristocratic young cousin of Queen Elizabeth is found murdered in a burned house, things are bad. Things get stranger and more heinous when they find that her flesh was marked with symbols of the profane. The year is 1587 and England’s most famous sea warrior Sir Francis Drake is targeted by an assassination around the same time as the murder. If the plot is pulled off, Spain could have the opportunity to invade a defenseless England.John Dryden (1631–1700). Shakespeare. Beaumont and Fletcher. Ben Jonson. Vol. III. Seventeenth Century. Henry Craik, ed. 1916. English Prose". www.bartleby.com . Retrieved 20 July 2022. Mowat, Barbara; Werstine, Paul (n.d.). "Sonnet 18". Folger Digital Texts. Folger Shakespeare Library . Retrieved 20 March 2021. As a fan of C.J. Sansom's outstanding Matthew Shardlake historical mysteries, I have to agree with the previous reviewer that John Shakespeare's debut outing doesn't quite measure up to that level. Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. [10] [11] His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. [3] [4] [5] In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.

William Shakespeare ( bapt. Tooltip baptised 26 [a] April 1564 – 23 April 1616) [b] was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. [3] [4] [5] He is often called England's national poet and the " Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. [6] Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted. Chambers, E.K. (1930b). William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. Vol.2. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-811774-2. OCLC 353406. Clemen, Wolfgang (1987). Shakespeare's Soliloquies. Translated by Scott-Stokes, Charity. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-35277-2. OCLC 15108952. For more information about the books in the John Shakespeare series by Rory Clements, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:Whilst not badly written, the characters are essentially flat and appear too obviously to be driven more by the demands of the plot rather than any inner life. The central character, John Shakespeare, can be shrewd or dim depending on the author's needs. Clues are scattered through the book more, it seems, because the plot demands them than for any particularly credible reason. None of which need necessarily matter, if the plot itself is sufficiently ingenious or thrilling - no-one demands perfection of an Agatha Christie or a James Bond movie. But again, the flaws are too evident.