Plague has shut down the playhouses in London, causing the players to seek other means of employment indefinitely. For Smythe, this means a return to his apprentice days with his uncle the blacksmith and for Will - well, he tries his hand at poesy, turning out sonnets for tongue-tied gentlemen. All the actors fear for this time as some have no other livelihood and spend their idle hours drinking and borrowing from others or face eviction and starvation. The sparse coins they do have must be closely guarded from roving thieves, con artists, and bands of rogue apprentices.

Yet the band makes merry when Will appears with coins earned from his verse. Sharing a drink they commiserate their fates while the landlord and his saucy serving wench engage in banter. Enter a former player turned soldier with a mysterious Master Leonardo, a wealthy Italian merchant with an enchanting daughter. The visitor is considering investing in the Queen’s Men Company which signals good fortune to all.

Has their bad luck come to an end? Lo! Master Leonardo is struck down! Tuck is attacked! Evil men commit evil deeds throughout the city. What ho? cry the citizens of London, the Queen’s Men and especially Will and Tuck. Just as in Shakespeare’s plays “all’s well that ends well.” A funeral, a double wedding, and miscreants arrested bring down the final curtain.

Hawke admits he is no Elizabethan scholar but a college lecturer on Shakespeare and his dialogue and ear for the period ring true. So many of Shakespeare’s phrases have made their way into our language that what was once original now seems cliché. Much of his plays were based on earlier versions which he reworked by adding those touches of inspiration and genius which gave him everlasting fame. So when Hawke’s characters seem to quote Shakespeare it is actually contemporary to their time.

Lauds go to Hawke for incorporating elements of “Much Ado About Nothing” into his novel with subtlety. Those familiar with the play will recognize Hero in Hera and Beatrice in Molly as well as a few other allusions. He earns no marks for his prose which at times seems an iteration of his class notes. A footnote rather than paragraphs would be more appropriate in many cases. However, I look forward to more Will and Tuck adventures and wish Simon Hawke the best.

--Jane Davis