THE TWELFTH NIGHT MURDER is the third book in Anne
Rutherford's Restoration Mystery Series. As I
haven't (yet)
read the two preceding books but, I can assure readers
that
this is a stand-alone book. All the necessary elements of
the story are contained between the covers of this single
book. It does drop some intriguing hints about what has
come before, however.
The novel is set in Restoration London. Charles II is
newly
returned to the throne and most Londoners are kicking up
their heels after being governed by Cromwell for so many
years. Females are just starting to appear on the stage,
although it is not exactly sanctioned by the King just
yet.
The New Globe Theatre is being managed by a woman, Suzanne
Thornton, who is herself an actress. The theater, because
of its roots, specializes in presenting plays by
Shakespeare. Anne Rutherford shows us her own affection
for
Shakespeare in the crafting of this character.
Suzanne
could be one of Shakespeare's heroines herself with all
her
quirks and adventures. Because of her unconventional
lifestyle, has more freedom than most women and pretty
much
does what she wants. She dresses in men's clothes
occasionally, keeps her own unpredictable hours, and even
dabbles in sleuthing when the local constable comes asking
for assistance. This is the third case that she has helped
him solve.
The corpse of a young man, clothed in a dress, washes up
on
the banks of the Thames. It is assumed that he is an
actor,
but no one can identify him. Suzanne embarks on her
investigation and it leads her not only to the underbelly
of London but to high society as well before she
identifies
the boy and his murderer.
THE TWELFTH NIGHT MURDER is excellent historical fiction.
Rutherford causes the
reader to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of
this
period, but even more, the attitudes and prejudices. But
like Shakespeare, Rutherford mixes her tragedy with
comedy.
Suzanne and her friends are the story within the story
just
like Shakespeare's play within the play. Add to this all
the cross-dressing going on and even Suzanne's two
persistent suitors...well you get the idea. Just read THE
TWELFTH NIGHT MURDER. It's really good.
As The New Globe Players bring laughter to audiences with
their production of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night,
Suzanne Thornton must bring justice to the tragic victim
of
a brutal murder.
When the body of a young boy—murdered, mutilated, and
clothed in women’s attire—is found under London Bridge,
Constable Pepper believes him to be a member of The New
Globe Players, one of the actors who specialize in women’s
parts.
He is not, but Suzanne, summoned to make an
identification,
does recognize him from an encounter in the tavern the
night
before—as the alluring doxy who caught the eye of more
than
a few of the patrons. Suzanne suspects that whoever hired
him for the night reacted violently when his true sex was
discovered.
Moved by the lad’s fate, Suzanne determines to find his
killer. And first, she must uncover his identity—an
investigation that leads her to one of England’s
wealthiest
families and a powerful politician determined to keep the
truth from being revealed at all costs.
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