The Mad Courtesan

Nicholas Bracewell #5

by Edward Marston

BUTCHERY OUTSIDE A LONDON BROTHEL HAS WESTFIELD'S MEN IN DISARRAY.

The axe murder of gentleman player Sebastian Carrick is only the first of many bitter blows to strike the celebrated acting troupe. Feuds blossom among players. A rival company launches a new hit. A mysterious beauty reduces leading player Lawrence Firethorn to a lovelorn wreck. Rumors of the declining health of Good Queen Bess are heard everywhere, and matters become so fraught that even a performing horse becomes a threat to the troubled troupe.

In such straits only one man has the wit to keep the company afloat--stage manager and company mainstay Nicholas Bracewell. And as Her Gracious Majesty sinks toward death, only clever Nicholas can discern the connection between the troupe's misfortunes and the shadow that is falling all over England....

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston

Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.


Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1992, 'The Mad Courtesan' is the 5th in the series of Elizabethan mysteries set against the background of a London based acting company. Like most of the early novels in the series, this features several themes which progress rather like the plots of the melodramas being performed on stage by the key characters. The 'Mad Courtesan' of the title is, like one of the plays, expressed in a number of ways. The key characters are for the most part, extremely eccentric - this makes for a very enjoyable read with some great elements of humour. Fun.

[Abigail H · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this solely because it annoys me not to finish books and because it was not a long book. The characters are all one dimensional and I didn't really care about any of them, with the exception of the murderous prostitute but she was then killed off. 'humorous' comparisons between said prostitute, Queen Elizabeth I and a horse having sex on a stage? Like just what? The plot was not interesting or mysterious (odd for an apparent Mystery) and the horse side plot contributed nothing useful? There was recognition of very bigoted views from characters but nothing to actually combat them. I've got nothing more to say, glad it's off my shelf

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic story! The best Elizabethan Mystery yet!
Westfield's Men are under threat from Banbury;s men, as rumours abound that the Queen is dying.
Two different plays are staged by the two companies, with Banbury's Men set to take over from their competitors as the favourite company. However, if the Queen dies, theatre companies may be endangered if the new monarch is not of Westfield's choosing.
There is the obligatory murder, solved by Nicholas Bracewell and Owen Elias. Firethorn falls under the spell of a beautiful woman, who is being used to bring about his downfall. However, all is sorted and Firethorn is reunited with his wife Margery before he can consummate his new relationship.
The Queen lives, her lady in waiting is the one who expires and a charlatan is discovered and a charlatan is shown for what he is, as his performing stallion is seduced by a very attractive mare.

[Elisabeth Bibbings · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more spicy than his Railway Detective series, I think Marston is happier in Tudor times!
Nicholas Bracewell works with a theatrical company, in Elizabethan London. Sebastian Carrick, a rising young actor, is killed after a passionate night with a violent prostitute. His father is in the Tower of London (attending a wedding the Queen didn't approve of, tut, tut), so it falls to Nicholas to find the truth and seek justice for Sebastian's death.
A not-too-heavy, enjoyable read.

[Soozee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great series, really enjoyable. This one is excellent, with the interplay of characters drawing you in. You really get involved and want it all to be resolved, but it looks like that won't happen! Does it? You'll have to read it to find out. Nothing is ever quite what it seems in this story.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much mystery, but lots of other stuff going on.

For a further review: http://susannag.booklikes.com/post/64... .

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it just me who thinks that Edward Marston is confused with his own characterisation? We are constantly told that Nick Bracewell and Ann Hendrik are close friends and only occasional lovers. However, in spite of this ostensibly mutually agreeable, no-ties, casual relationship, Marston constantly writes Ann Hendrik as a vengeful, spiteful and insanely jealous woman where Bracewell is concerned. It makes no sense and also makes her a very dislikeable character, where she would be quite nice without this. Whenever a pretty woman is even near Nick Bracewell (or god forbid he even mentions one), she turns into an unreasonable harridan. This book is bad enough, but the next (The Silent Woman) is even worse. One wonders why Marston feels the need to write her in this vein. Hendrik and Bracewell are not even an item in the full sense of the word, which makes her behaviour even more unaccountable and unreasonable. She seems quite mad - in fact, much madder than the titular courtesan.

[Beth Rawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would never have picked this book myself, it was forced upon me by a friend who described it as 'brilliant'. I didn't quite feel the same way about it but it is an enjoyable read with some interesting characters.

[Diane Murphy]

I found this book rather tedious as initially there were so many characters and I had trouble deciding what was happening to whom. There wasn’t enough content in the book to make me want to search out any other books in the series and I was really pleased when I had finished it.

[Malcolm Balster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good gripping story with many threads that come together with a very satisfying conclusion. I really enjoy the style of writing. The characters are engaging and the story goes along at a reasonable pace. Most enjoyable

[Annette O'grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very good story to red love theses set of books

[Nihar Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In one sentence --- the most beautiful cover ever i have seen, story is awesome, and plot is quite dramatic but with rhythms.

Loved it in one word.

[Tony Gothard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As other reviewers have said I think Edward is getting into his stride. A lot more history and less scene setting. Enjoyed this book hope the next one's as good.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read, with an excellent plot. Great Elizabethan atmosphere. The best book in Edward Marston’s in his theatre series!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like a got promised a Murder mystery but the mystery just felt like a rushed side plot amongst a mix of other stories going on - just fell a bit flat for me.

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting and entertaining mystery in a unique setting. This series is a breath of fresh air that provides a completely different experience for crime mysteries that are enjoyable to read.

[Sue Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had great potential but I got confused by the characters & ended up skim reading. Really wanted to enjoy this - was looking forward to reading more in the series, but I just can't be bothered.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐1/2

[Joanne Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable holiday read.

[Elaine Maul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this one.

[The Quarantined Creep · Rating 1 out of 5]

rubbish.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun little romp. The Elizabethan setting is very good and the characters fun. I enjoyed it.

[Henrik Havighorst · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a mixed bag, there is some things about this book that really impressed me but others that don't. First of all, Edward Marston is a good writer. He is capable of conjuring a historic world in front of your imaginative eyes. The language, the descriptions and above all, the historical background. What bothered me was that Edward Marston, as an author, prefers to spice up his stories with pulpy action and raunchiness. Thus, his novels cannot be considered the so called "historic novel" but rather serial thrillers set in specific eras. I am sure Edward Marston would be capable of producing 600 pages strong, profound history novels, but he chooses not to. Which is a shame. Because you can tell that his books are serials, as he uses story building blocks, stereotypes and the same story structure again and again, which prevents the world of the book to come alive as you always feel as if reading a "product" instead of an alternative reality coming to life.

Still, the book is enjoyable and I would recommended for flights and train travels, but for deep historic reading, look elsewhere.

[Michelle L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I came to this expecting something it wasn't and cheated myself. The writing is richly fluent, atmospheric, and madcap in its sprinting plot. But what is it? I couldn't settle into a genre. An adventure? A comedy of errors? A fulsome high-tea of a mystery? A political history mystery? Maybe, as I found myself constantly swinging from one to the other, it's a mash-up? Some of the other reviewers here say Marston's style in this series is very formulaic; I have no problem with a good formula - comedia del' arte springs to mind. So far, the book's rhythm eludes me.

One other thing did bother me - when not being comedic or sarcastic, the occasional moments of real emotion do not come across. Considering how pointed they must be intended to be in a well-written tale like this, it's noticeable.

However, given how entertaining most of the book is,how full of period detail offered weightlessly, I'm going to give the series another try and see if I can find an underlying rhythm that so many others have done.

[Wayne Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still enjoying these Elizabethan mysteries, and each one is full of wonderful historical detail. This time we have some political machinations when Queen Elizabeth is seen to be on her death bed and various people are plotting who will be her successor. There is a lot going on in this one, with performing horses and plots to close down Westfield's men, etc - maybe too much because the main murder mystery seems such a tiny part of the whole thing that it is virtually inconsequential, and for me it loses a star for that reason.
Overall though still a good read!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book following Nicholas Bracewell in his escapades as the bookholder of Westfields’ Men. I really enjoyed this read, as I usually do the books in the series. Some of the tension in the book is due to Queen Elizabeth suffering from an illness and the question of succession causes alliances to shift – and you’d think this would have nothing to do with such an unimportant element as a theatre group, but you’d be surprised. It’s lovely to see actual historical events take place, to make them feel more realistic.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very political: Queen Elizabeth is a featured part of the plot here, although she never actually appears. It's all about her floating out a suggestion that she's dying. Then there's a prostitute that has a personal enforcer for clients she doesn't much like; he axes them to death. And the Welshman gets a contract with Westfield's Men.

(March 24, 2001.

[Aurora Rodwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was adequate enough, and the main cast is well fleshed out, as is the setting.
However the mystery itself, what is supposed to be the core of the story, falls completely flat towards the end, not a single twist or sudden revelation, everything is resolved without issue and so the story ends.

So far out of the books I have read in this series, this is easily the weakest.

[Vicky Thomasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Nicholas Bracewell Mystery full of suspense, humour and important lessons learnt. It was just as well written as the previous 4 and I am looking forward to reading the 6th in the series.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although revolving around actors in an Elizabethan theater company, this story has much more going on than just that...including a plot to determine the succession of the crown.