Product Description

In 1593, the brilliant and controversial young playwright, Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death in a Deptford lodging house officially in a quarrel over the bill or recknynge. For the first time tracing Marlowe's shadowy political and intelligence dealings, Charles Nicholl uncovers critical new evidence about that fatal day. Also providing an enthralling revelation of the extraordinary underworld of Elizabethan crime and espionage, the secret theatre, Charles Nicholl penetrates four centuries of obscurity to expose a complex and chilling story of entrapment and betrayal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58217 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

About the Author
Charles Nicholl has written two travel books, The Fruit Palace and Borderlines; a study of Elizabethan alchemy, The Chemical Theatre, and a biography of the pamphleteer Thomas Nashe, A Cup of News. His work has appeared in Granta, Rolling Stone and the Independent.

Customer Reviews

An outstanding piece of historical detective work.
This is one of the best books about Elizabethan England I have ever read, but it is much more than that. Charles Nicholls has reached back four hundred years to tear aside the web of subterfuge which has obscured the crime that struck down a genius in his prime. Marlowe was a meteoric, if controversial talent, outstripping all his rivals, including the young Shakespeare. But his dealings with the vicious underworld of Elizabeth's police state brought him within the orbit of utterly ruthless men. For a time he was able to keep one step ahead of retribution, but in the end he had strayed too far beyond the acceptable limits of official tolerance. This book is a fascinating testament to the persistence and insight of an outstanding detective, as Charles Nicholls manages, in spite of elapsed time and concerted attempts at concealment, to piece together a story more fascinating than any fictional murder investigation. His insight into the period, his grasp of significant detail, his ability to see beyond the obvious, and above all the sheer depth of his knowledge make this book a work of considerable scholarship, but it doesn't read like a scholarly work. It reads like one of the most gripping thrillers you could ever find. The best book I read all year.

Keeping an eye on Marly
Part of the reason this story is so captivating is the unknown element; there are things that we don't know about and questions we will never know the answer to. Marlowe's life between his time at Corpus Christi and his death was intertwined with that of the Elizabethan secret service, distancing it even further from the truth. But that's what makes you want to read this book - you want to know what happened, where he went and with who. You want to be able to solve the mystery of why he was murdered. Short of some significant new evidence coming forward we will never really know what happened in Deptford on 30th May 1593, but this book proves that all is not as it seems with the official story. It walks down the back streets and alleyways of Elizabethan England and reports to you what it sees.

I'm in the process of reading this book for the fourth time, and I know it won't be the last. The story is fascinating, and I guarantee that once you start it you will want to follow it through every twist and turn it takes.

nice little historical who dun it! utterly brilliant work
I love history and all the details. I also love riddles and mysteries. So, when someone combines both into a tale, as Charles Nicholl did, it's bound to please me. This book is the Winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography and the Crime Writers' Gold Dagger Awards for non-fiction thriller - both well earned!!

Marlowe was a very controversial poet and playwright. In 1593, he was stabbed to death in a lodging house in Deptford. To say the least, the manner and circumstances of death was up to question. There was a violent quarrel concerning Marlowe's bill and the official finding has been called dubious at best.

Nicholl brings to life this historical riddle with style and ingenuity weaving facts, supposition and fiction into one wonderful mix. He presents a very complex study of Marlowe's death, but it is also a marvellous study of the seedier side of Elizabethan society.

Nicholl walks the masterful tightrope between historical study on Marlowe's murder, a well-written 'who dun it' and portrays with rich detail the period that leaves one wondering if he is not reincarnated!!

So buy it for the history, writers need to read it if they write about the period for it is also a scholarly work, but most of all sit back and enjoy a real British Who do it.