Christopher Marlowe plays the role of sleuth to discover who killed the queen’s spymaster in this “bawdy, witty . . . historically informed” Elizabethan mystery (Kirkus Reviews).

April, 1590. When the queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, dies of a stroke, the sudden event leaves a dangerous power vacuum in her majesty’s court. Walsingham’s former right-hand man, Nicholas Faunt, believes he was poisoned. And he calls upon the poet and playwright Christopher “Kit” Marlowe to discover who killed him.

To get to the bottom of this perplexing mystery, Kit must consult England’s leading scientists and thinkers. But as he questions the members of the so-called School of Night, the playwright-turned-spy becomes convinced that at least one of them is hiding a deadly secret. If he is to outwit the most enquiring minds in Europe and unmask the killer within, Kit must devise an impossibly ingenious plan. Good thing he has a knack for formulating plots.

“As always, Trow provides fascinating period authenticity, a crackling plot, strong characters, and plenty of twists.” —Booklist