Elizabethan Theater Mysteries
2 primary works • 5 total works
Book 11
Winter, Witchcraft and Devilish Deceit. Faced with the austerities of a bitterly cold English winter, the theatre is deserted and Westfield's Men find themselves out of work. Fortuitously, the company is invited to perform at a country home in Essex; welcome news to the disgruntled players. The company decide it's the perfect opportunity to trial their new play, The Witch of Colchester. However, when the group's leading actor begins to fall mysteriously ill, the company fear witchcraft might be involved. Then on the performance night, an audience member inexplicably collapses and dies, paving the way for Nicholas Bracewell to uncover the cause of the strange events taking place in Silvermere.
Book 16
In the final installment of the series, our beloved book keeper, Nicholas Bracewell takes his final bow as the curtain closes on Westfield's Men; but not before he solves just one more crime. Following a disastrous fire that burns down The Queen's Head, the players must take their talents elsewhere. Their newly widowed patron, Lord Westfield plans to marry again and sets his sights on a princess of Denmark after seeing a miniature painting of her. With her uncle being a fan of Westfield's Men, the troupe are invited to join their patron in his travels to go and wed his beautiful bride in Elsinore. Bracewell and his fellows face perils on the sea as they head for Denmark. But as always for Westfield's Men, trouble seems to follow them wherever they go and when a body is discovered, questions need to be answered.
Theatre troupe Westfield's Men take on a new actor, Francis Quilter, after reaching new heights of success. But with the new member, brings new trouble. Quilter's father, Gerard, is on trial for the murder of an enemy, but he denies the charge and Nicholas Bracewell sets about proving his innocence. However, Bracewell's loyalty to Francis drives a wedge between the players. Who will clear the Quilter family name? On their quest for the truth, they stumble across an unlikely ally, who may just hold the answers they're looking for.
Murder, mayhem, fire, riot and ruination!' Westfield's men are in dire straights, and their playwright appears to be suffering from a lack of creative inspiration. Thankfully, the company is offered a new play, The Malevolent Comedy, which they believe will drag them out of their rut and put on a spectacle enough to rival Banbury's Men, preventing them from stealing their audiences. However, during the play's opening performance, one of the cast members is struck down after being poisoned, making it his first and last appearance on stage. Suspicion is rife and Nicolas Bracewell, the trusty book keeper, refuses to let the crime go unpunished. Given the nature of the murder, subsequent plots to sabotage Westfield's Men during their performances and the theft of the only copy of The Malevolent Comedy, all signs appear to point to the company's rivals on the other side of the river
When unexpected disaster strikes Lord Westfield's Men during a packed performance, Nicholas Bracewell, the theatre company's stage manager and all-around performer of miracles, must save the day once again. A melee caused by men in disguise is brought under control, but before the troupe can lament their destroyed set, Nick discovers a body in the stands with a knife sticking out of its back.