Death of Kings

by Philip Gooden Book 2 in the Nick Revill series.

First published 2001

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2.5(5)

London, 1601. As uncertainty over Elizabeth I’s succession fuels rumour and faction, supporters of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, commission the Chamberlain’s Men to perform Richard II, Shakespeare’s drama of a king deposed. The government sees the production as a possible political signal rather than ordinary theatre.

Nick Revill is compelled to report on his own company while trying to determine who is using the actors and what the performance is intended to provoke. Murder turns divided loyalties into an immediate threat, and Nick’s investigation moves between the playhouse, Essex’s circle and officials preparing to suppress rebellion.