John Shakespeare returns in this intriguing novella set in Elizabethan England.

In the bitterly cold days before Christmas, John Shakespeare is asked by his friend Joshua Peace to help investigate a murder. Stripped naked, crowned with a wreath of holly, and left in a snowbank, the unidentified man was shot in the back and no one will investigate the death because he is an Ethiop. Shakespeare identifies the man as Giovanni Jesu, a companion to the Earl of Oxford, but why would this charming man be treated so coldly in death? Shakespeare must unravel the tangled web of a murderer who will do anything to protect his secrets.

THE MAN IN THE SNOW by Rory Clements slips seamlessly into the historical narrative of Elizabethan England, capturing the tenuous political alliances, the fear of religious persecution, and the steadfast people caught up in the turbulent changes of the Reformation. The investigation swirls around the mysterious Giovanni Jesu who cultivated a carefree, intelligent, and charming mask in order to survive. He was much loved, and yet someone murdered him in cold-blood. Shakespeare must navigate the tricky social hierarchy to find his answers. He is neither a man who can fit into the aristocracy or into the servant class. It is John Shakespear's confidence, ambition, and tolerance that make him a remarkable sleuth. He isn't cowed by the aristocracy or condemning of the lower classes. He sees people as individuals which allows him to see past the carefully constructed masks that are presented to the world.

Rory Clements has crafted a superb historical mystery with the perfect balance of intrigue, suspense, and puzzling clues in THE MAN IN THE SNOW. I will definitely look forward to more John Shakespeare novels in the future. For fans of historical mysteries, this is a series that will not disappoint.