Young Will Shakespeare has left his wife and children to travel to London with the hopes of making a living writing plays and poetry. The two agree to travel together and upon their arrival in London are hired by the Queen’s Players, essentially as stable hands. A sudden drop in popularity of the troupe gives Shakespeare his first chance at scripting a play, and gives his newly nicknamed friend, Tuck, a chance to act.

The two’s new fortune is cut short by the appearance of Elizabeth Darcie, a maiden betrothed to a virtual stranger, Anthony Gresham. Elizabeth and Anthony had met clandestinely at the theater the previous night, both agreeing the marriage would be a mistake and concocting a scheme to convince Elizabeth’s parents of the same. The next day, Anthony arrives at her home, bearing gifts, having no apparent recollection of the previous evening. Frustrated, Elizabeth turns to Tuck to act as a witness on her behalf.

From here on out, nothing is as it appears. A man is murdered, then is not; a wealthy man is accused of being a highwayman and Will Shakespeare is accused of being Christopher Marlowe, almost resulting in his untimely demise.

A Mystery of Errors is a very funny mystery that confuses the reader and plays games, but does not offer the tension that so many readers have come to expect in a mystery. The plot, of course, will be recognized as being based on Shakespeare’s “A Comedy of Errors” and readers with a sharp eye will notice titles and lines from other Shakespeare works scattered throughout the dialogue, (Smythe’s uncle gives him the following advice "…life is short enough. Go live it as you like it.), yet readers unfamiliar with the Bard’s body of work are not done a disservice as this is an engaging bit of entertainment.

Elizabeth is a feisty young woman, who it appears as if she may be around in future episodes. Shakespeare is portrayed as a dreamer and an observer, living life with his pen in hand, and Smythe nicely balances the two, able to keep Elizabeth calm and keep Shakespeare from harm’s way. While many of the actions of Shakespeare during his rise as a playwright can only be surmised, Simon Hawke has put him in a well-researched setting and made him believable, along with those around him. A Mystery of Errors is a funny entertaining debut that will be enjoyed by those looking for a historical mystery with a lighter touch.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry