Muse of Fire

William Shakespeare is now both a man at court and a man of the theatre. Accepted into Elizabeth I’s world, he is trusted to write plays for her. But his position is insecure, based entirely on the queen’s whims.

When one of the her ladies-in-waiting is found dead, almost everyone suspects it was murder. But who stood to gain by her death? Were the rumours that she was with child when she died true, or was she merely a pawn in a greater game?

Sir Robert Cecil senses an opportunity at last to rid himself of his bitter rival, the Earl of Essex, who was seen with the girl before she died, and enlists Will to discover the truth.

But Will knows that the Earl of Southampton, his patron, already allies himself to the Earl of Essex. Once again he is caught between two powerful foes. But this time, he must choose a side if he is to survive.

A captivating and thoroughly researched crime thriller that paints a rich portrait of the life of the greatest of writers.

Praise for Howard Linskey

‘Evoking the danger and the everyday struggles of people in Elizabethan England, A Serpent in the Garden gives us a new slant on Shakespeare and his world. I couldn’t put it down’ Barbara Nadel

‘I haven’t had this much fun in the Elizabethan era since Joseph Fiennes woo’d Gwyneth Paltrow’ Douglas Skelton

‘Absolutely fantastic. Clever, sly, funny, gripping everything to make it a terrific read’ Ajay Chowdhury

‘Howard has done a wonderful job of weaving a thrilling adventure into the weft of established history. The setting is wonderfully evoked and the pacing spot on’ James Oswald

‘Historical fiction meets crime mystery as Howard Linskey transports us back to Shakespeare’s London for this rich page-turner’ Isabel Ashdown