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Shakespeare & Smythe #1
A Mystery of Errors
Two travelers, Will Shakespeare-a fledgling dramatist, and Symington Smythe, an ostler and aspiring thespian, meet at a roadside inn and decide to cast their lot together for fame and fortune in the cutthroat world of the London theater in Elizabethan England . . . but neither was prepared for their offstage encounter with A Mystery of Errors . When a backer's daughter is double-crossed by a would-be suitor, the reluctant bride turns to the ostler and the playwright for help. Little does anyone realize that these simple affairs of the heart and an arranged marriage will lead to a vast web of conspiracy, mistaken identity, and murder that finds the playwright targeted for assassination and the ostler hopelessly in love. But such matters are routine in A Mystery of Errors , where Shakespeare in Love meets the Brother Cadfael mysteries of Ellis Peters.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 5, 2000
About the author
Simon Hawke
90 books239 followersAlso published as J.D. Masters.
He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.
He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 17, 2017
2.5 stars, rounded up.
This novel suffered from comparison with recently read historical fiction by C.C. Humphreys, whose work stands head-and-shoulders above this little mystery. The writing of just the first page had me wondering if I would even bother to finish the book. After all, life is finite and there are tons of good books out there.
I did persevere, however, and followed the story to its rather pedestrian end. The plot was imaginative and I wish the author had been able to exercise more skill in its execution. Rather than flowing, events bumped along rather brusquely. The dialog was simple and the characterization was basic. Every now and then, there would be a tiny info-dump as the author proved that he had done his research.
If you are considering this book, I would suggest that you approach with caution. If you are looking for a book featuring Shakespeare as a character (as I was), I would recommend Shakespeare's Rebel. If something involving a highwayman is your goal, try Plague. If you are looking for a 21st century humourous take on Shakespeare, pick up Shakespeare Undead, which is lighthearted yet effortlessly shows how to reference the Bard’s works without belabouring the point.
At some point, I will probably solider on and read the second mystery in this series, as I have made a bit of a project out of reading all the novels I can find that feature Shakespeare as a character. You are not obliged to follow me in this obsession.
This novel suffered from comparison with recently read historical fiction by C.C. Humphreys, whose work stands head-and-shoulders above this little mystery. The writing of just the first page had me wondering if I would even bother to finish the book. After all, life is finite and there are tons of good books out there.
I did persevere, however, and followed the story to its rather pedestrian end. The plot was imaginative and I wish the author had been able to exercise more skill in its execution. Rather than flowing, events bumped along rather brusquely. The dialog was simple and the characterization was basic. Every now and then, there would be a tiny info-dump as the author proved that he had done his research.
If you are considering this book, I would suggest that you approach with caution. If you are looking for a book featuring Shakespeare as a character (as I was), I would recommend Shakespeare's Rebel. If something involving a highwayman is your goal, try Plague. If you are looking for a 21st century humourous take on Shakespeare, pick up Shakespeare Undead, which is lighthearted yet effortlessly shows how to reference the Bard’s works without belabouring the point.
At some point, I will probably solider on and read the second mystery in this series, as I have made a bit of a project out of reading all the novels I can find that feature Shakespeare as a character. You are not obliged to follow me in this obsession.
May 14, 2011
Oy. A piss-poor Shakespearian mystery, doomed from the start. When one of the characters quoted Sir Walter Scott, I threw the book across the room.
May 16, 2021
A murder mystery set in London with William Shakespeare as one of the main characters. The detective is really a new friend of William's, Symington Smythe. This is the first of a 4 books about Shakespeare and Smythe.
This book covers Shakespeare's first trip to London as he seeks his fame and fortune so it doesn't have any references to the famous plays because they haven't been written yet which is my one disappointment. I love any and all refences to the plays so I really enjoyed the Shakespearean novels like the ones by Phillip Goodwin that lace the stories with the plays and in Goodwin's case each book is even based on one specific play.
The writing is brisk and enjoyable though and I look forward to seeing what's next in the series.
This book covers Shakespeare's first trip to London as he seeks his fame and fortune so it doesn't have any references to the famous plays because they haven't been written yet which is my one disappointment. I love any and all refences to the plays so I really enjoyed the Shakespearean novels like the ones by Phillip Goodwin that lace the stories with the plays and in Goodwin's case each book is even based on one specific play.
The writing is brisk and enjoyable though and I look forward to seeing what's next in the series.
March 29, 2022
I might be over-starring this because it's just such a relief to read something non-stressful. I only picked up this first in the series to see if I should bother with the rest and I might just pick up the other two at the library when I'm out and about in two days. Gas is expensive (although it has gone down a mite) and I try to combine errands.
Ah, a review. First of all, it's nice and short. I read it in an afternoon. I had to slow myself down a few times so I didn't miss anything important. Two men are on their way to London to break into Theatre: Symington Smythe, son of a rising middle-class merchant with a sideline in blacksmithing (son, not the father), and some bird called William Shakespeare. In London is a young woman, Elizabeth Darcie, whose father is also a social-climbing middle-class merchant with the quirk of a part-ownership in a Theatre. She is the pawn in a trade of wealth for nobility and she doesn't like it one bit.
The clue to it all is in the title, if you're familiar with Shakespeare. But Hawke manages to weave in historical characters and the history of Elizabethan theatre, sneakily bringing that to life.
He loses points on Tarot. It just seems like he's describing the Rider deck (20th century), which I believe innovated the label of "High Priestess." Divining through cards was probably witchcraft so Papal references on them would hardly matter. Counter-Reformation figures into the plot as well.
I like the characters, there is humor and a touch of education (yay), and a fun read.
Ah, a review. First of all, it's nice and short. I read it in an afternoon. I had to slow myself down a few times so I didn't miss anything important. Two men are on their way to London to break into Theatre: Symington Smythe, son of a rising middle-class merchant with a sideline in blacksmithing (son, not the father), and some bird called William Shakespeare. In London is a young woman, Elizabeth Darcie, whose father is also a social-climbing middle-class merchant with the quirk of a part-ownership in a Theatre. She is the pawn in a trade of wealth for nobility and she doesn't like it one bit.
The clue to it all is in the title, if you're familiar with Shakespeare. But Hawke manages to weave in historical characters and the history of Elizabethan theatre, sneakily bringing that to life.
He loses points on Tarot. It just seems like he's describing the Rider deck (20th century), which I believe innovated the label of "High Priestess." Divining through cards was probably witchcraft so Papal references on them would hardly matter. Counter-Reformation figures into the plot as well.
I like the characters, there is humor and a touch of education (yay), and a fun read.
May 18, 2022
This ended up being fun. I enjoy a tale told during Shakespearean times if it's not primarily a romance. This one has murder, assassins, nobles, highwaymen, actors and thieves and soundrels (and sometimes rolled into one!).
Symington "Tuck" Smyth III (Sim-ington Smith) is a down-on-his-luck blacksmith's apprentice who longs to be an actor with the Queen's Men. Along the way to London he encounters young Will Shakespeare and they join up, having shared goals. As event leads to event, Tuck ends up going face to face with a team of assassins who are mistakenly trying to kill Shakespeare!
Fun, mystery, Papist spies, and even the slightest hint of romance.
Symington "Tuck" Smyth III (Sim-ington Smith) is a down-on-his-luck blacksmith's apprentice who longs to be an actor with the Queen's Men. Along the way to London he encounters young Will Shakespeare and they join up, having shared goals. As event leads to event, Tuck ends up going face to face with a team of assassins who are mistakenly trying to kill Shakespeare!
Fun, mystery, Papist spies, and even the slightest hint of romance.
March 17, 2010
Symington Smythe and Will Shakespeare try to solve the murder of a nobleman involved with the beautiful but reluctant bride Elizabeth Darcie (not Elizabeth Bennet Darcy). The merit of this somewhat tepid mystery lies in its vivid 16th century setting. It's fun to see a 20th century perspective on a well-known historical character, speculating on his life before his work was presented on stage. Light reading, best for avid Shakespeare buffs. For a better mystery relating to (but not featuring) Shakespeare, see _The Bad Quarto: An Imogen Quy Mystery_ by Jill Paton Walsh.
July 8, 2010
I am a Shakespeare fan, and thought this was a pretty fun read.
August 9, 2024
At present, I am directing a play entitled The Book of Will. It's a comedy/drama, covering the frantic efforts of the last survivors of the King's Men theatrical troupe to publish the plays of William Shakespeare before no one is left to do so. It's been fun gathering insights--however fictional--into the lives of Shakespeare's contemporaries. I picked a great time to read a Mystery of Errors, because it frolics with the idea of Shakespeare himself as a character, not only in a story, but in a mystery to boot.
Symington Smythe is on the road to London to try his hand at becoming a famous poet (Doesn't everybody?). He is waylaid by a highwayman who takes note of Smythe's poverty-stricken condition, and instead of robbing him, flips him some coin and tells Smythe to get a good meal and a bed for the night. Right away, both Smythe and the reader know that this will be no ordinary undertaking.
Upon his arrival at an inn, Smythe decides that he can stretch his funding if he shares a room. His new roommate is an aspiring poet from Stratford Upon Avon, also a poet and an aspiring playwright named Will Shakespeare. To get their feet into a door that closes often and forcefully, they take jobs as ostlers (horse wranglers) for patrons of the theater.
Elsewhere, Elizabeth Darcie engages in an unheard revolt against her father, who is trying to arrange a marriage with the son of a wealthy local merchant. Elizabeth wants to marry for love, not for her parents' convenience. Het mother and father are outraged, but Elizabeth's anger is assuaged when her suitor sends her an abrupt invitation to join him that night at the theater. It's a double win for Elizabeth: She and one of the new ostlers catch one another's eye, and he is kind to her. Then, she learns from her suitor himself that he does not believe they well suited for each other. She returns joyfully to her home and reports to her crestfallen parents that she and her suitor have mutually agreed to part. Or have they? The next day, he suitor calls at her parents' house, and behaves as if the agreement between the two of them never happened. Elizabeth flees from her house to the quarters of the only witness to the exchange between herself and her suitor: the handsome young ostler, named Smythe.
Meanwhile, The Queen's Men, the artistic company in residence at the theater, is about to lose its premiere actor to a rival company. Ticket sales are dwindling, after all, and the lead actor wants to make a living. The newest member of the company, the young poet Shakespseare, attests that it's the quality of the plays, not the actors, that have caused ticket sales to tank. He revises the play overnight, and it becomes an instant success. The newly wrought playwright is astounded to discover a young woman asleep in Smythe's bed upon his return to their shared quarters. Elizabeth has retreated to dreamland while awaiting the ostler's return. She fins sympathetic company in Smythe and Shakespeare, and leaves feeling assured that they will help however they can. But on her way home, she is accosted once again by her suitor. She slaps him away, wishing all manner of mayhem upon him, whereupon he drops dead, a knife driven into his back all the way up to the hilt. She hurries back to her friends' lodgings, only to find that her suitor has emerged at her parents' home, alive and whole.
The Mystery of Errors, clocking in at 233 pages plus an afterword, is a quick an amusing read. Hawke achieves verisimilitude easily, and flavors the text with numerous lines that Shakespeare fans will recognize from his array of plays. The groundwork for the mystery is skillfully laid and plausible; the resolution is somewhat more stock, although it does offer one slight but amusing tweak at its height. It's a neat little mystery, easily devourable over two days. My only disappointment iks that the book is subtitled Shakespeare and Smythe, Book one, and I can find no trace of any follow up mysteries. Readers should not let this stop them; it's too much fun to pass up.
Symington Smythe is on the road to London to try his hand at becoming a famous poet (Doesn't everybody?). He is waylaid by a highwayman who takes note of Smythe's poverty-stricken condition, and instead of robbing him, flips him some coin and tells Smythe to get a good meal and a bed for the night. Right away, both Smythe and the reader know that this will be no ordinary undertaking.
Upon his arrival at an inn, Smythe decides that he can stretch his funding if he shares a room. His new roommate is an aspiring poet from Stratford Upon Avon, also a poet and an aspiring playwright named Will Shakespeare. To get their feet into a door that closes often and forcefully, they take jobs as ostlers (horse wranglers) for patrons of the theater.
Elsewhere, Elizabeth Darcie engages in an unheard revolt against her father, who is trying to arrange a marriage with the son of a wealthy local merchant. Elizabeth wants to marry for love, not for her parents' convenience. Het mother and father are outraged, but Elizabeth's anger is assuaged when her suitor sends her an abrupt invitation to join him that night at the theater. It's a double win for Elizabeth: She and one of the new ostlers catch one another's eye, and he is kind to her. Then, she learns from her suitor himself that he does not believe they well suited for each other. She returns joyfully to her home and reports to her crestfallen parents that she and her suitor have mutually agreed to part. Or have they? The next day, he suitor calls at her parents' house, and behaves as if the agreement between the two of them never happened. Elizabeth flees from her house to the quarters of the only witness to the exchange between herself and her suitor: the handsome young ostler, named Smythe.
Meanwhile, The Queen's Men, the artistic company in residence at the theater, is about to lose its premiere actor to a rival company. Ticket sales are dwindling, after all, and the lead actor wants to make a living. The newest member of the company, the young poet Shakespseare, attests that it's the quality of the plays, not the actors, that have caused ticket sales to tank. He revises the play overnight, and it becomes an instant success. The newly wrought playwright is astounded to discover a young woman asleep in Smythe's bed upon his return to their shared quarters. Elizabeth has retreated to dreamland while awaiting the ostler's return. She fins sympathetic company in Smythe and Shakespeare, and leaves feeling assured that they will help however they can. But on her way home, she is accosted once again by her suitor. She slaps him away, wishing all manner of mayhem upon him, whereupon he drops dead, a knife driven into his back all the way up to the hilt. She hurries back to her friends' lodgings, only to find that her suitor has emerged at her parents' home, alive and whole.
The Mystery of Errors, clocking in at 233 pages plus an afterword, is a quick an amusing read. Hawke achieves verisimilitude easily, and flavors the text with numerous lines that Shakespeare fans will recognize from his array of plays. The groundwork for the mystery is skillfully laid and plausible; the resolution is somewhat more stock, although it does offer one slight but amusing tweak at its height. It's a neat little mystery, easily devourable over two days. My only disappointment iks that the book is subtitled Shakespeare and Smythe, Book one, and I can find no trace of any follow up mysteries. Readers should not let this stop them; it's too much fun to pass up.
October 27, 2022
Nh. I feel rather sorry for the author's university students, that their instructor takes such a lax attitude to history and the English language.
This book is not utter trash. I rather enjoyed the main character and some of the others, but the numerous infelicities just distracted me. The young lady's total incomprehension of the usual way marriage was negotiated in her time and class was improbable, to say the least. Certainly, people fell in love in those days, and, had this young woman actually been in love with someone, it would not stretch the imagination to suppose she would be unhappy about being betrothed to another - I don't believe anyone in Shakespeare's time was puzzled by Juliet's resistance to marrying Paris. But this gal's objection is purely theoretical; she behaves as if she's never heard of such a thing as marriages arranged between families for their mutual benefit. The most realistic part of this bit is her parents' mystification.
Less central to the story, but equally annoying, from an English teacher, is the use of "from whence", which is redundant and just plain sloppy.
I anticipated the Shakespeare character using turns of phrase that would later turn up in his plays and poems, but Karl Marx? "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", indeed.
And I know the author is an American, but doesn't he know *anything*? No Englishman would refer to the ground floor of a house as the first floor, and the one above it as the second. This is not exactly arcane information. I was born and raised in the States myself, and now live in Canada. We also use the American system of enumeration of floors, but somehow I still knew about how it's done in, well, actually, most of the rest of the world, I understand.
And, for pity's sake, only the sloppiest and least diligent of historical researchers would actually trot out the ridiculous BS about "raining cats and dogs" being anything to do with small animals living in the thatch of houses and falling through in a rainstorm. Absurd. That foolishness, from what I can tell, was first circulated in the late 1990s - in an email!
Other reviewers have remarked on the improbability of the Tarot deck depicted, so I won't rant further.
This book is not utter trash. I rather enjoyed the main character and some of the others, but the numerous infelicities just distracted me. The young lady's total incomprehension of the usual way marriage was negotiated in her time and class was improbable, to say the least. Certainly, people fell in love in those days, and, had this young woman actually been in love with someone, it would not stretch the imagination to suppose she would be unhappy about being betrothed to another - I don't believe anyone in Shakespeare's time was puzzled by Juliet's resistance to marrying Paris. But this gal's objection is purely theoretical; she behaves as if she's never heard of such a thing as marriages arranged between families for their mutual benefit. The most realistic part of this bit is her parents' mystification.
Less central to the story, but equally annoying, from an English teacher, is the use of "from whence", which is redundant and just plain sloppy.
I anticipated the Shakespeare character using turns of phrase that would later turn up in his plays and poems, but Karl Marx? "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", indeed.
And I know the author is an American, but doesn't he know *anything*? No Englishman would refer to the ground floor of a house as the first floor, and the one above it as the second. This is not exactly arcane information. I was born and raised in the States myself, and now live in Canada. We also use the American system of enumeration of floors, but somehow I still knew about how it's done in, well, actually, most of the rest of the world, I understand.
And, for pity's sake, only the sloppiest and least diligent of historical researchers would actually trot out the ridiculous BS about "raining cats and dogs" being anything to do with small animals living in the thatch of houses and falling through in a rainstorm. Absurd. That foolishness, from what I can tell, was first circulated in the late 1990s - in an email!
Other reviewers have remarked on the improbability of the Tarot deck depicted, so I won't rant further.
February 15, 2018
“There was nothing quite so invigorating to the senses, Smythe decided, as ending a long and dusty day by being robbed.” So begins the story of Symington “Tuck” Smythe. On the road to London to find work in the theater, Tuck is robbed so many times that the last highwayman flips him a coin so that Tuck can have dinner and a room in a nearby inn. The inn is full and Tuck must share a room with a stranger, who also hopes to find work with a company of players. Tuck and the stranger, William Shakespeare, finish their journey together, share a room, and find work (as ostlers) with the same acting company, the Queen’s Men. Besides learning to navigate the cutthroat world of Elizabethan theater, Will and Tuck put themselves at risk when they try to help a young woman whose father is pushing her into a marriage against her will. What becomes a confusion of identities almost results in Will’s murder as the two amateur detectives stumble in and out of danger.
This amusing novel will appeal most to Shakespeare buffs and fans of historical mysteries.
Although the story starts off a little slow as Hawke sets up his 16th century setting, the pace soon picks up as the action and intrigue of the plot develop. Hawke’s efforts to incorporate bits of Shakespeare lore into the story, even using the other characters to feed Shakespeare future lines, add a fun element.
This amusing novel will appeal most to Shakespeare buffs and fans of historical mysteries.
Although the story starts off a little slow as Hawke sets up his 16th century setting, the pace soon picks up as the action and intrigue of the plot develop. Hawke’s efforts to incorporate bits of Shakespeare lore into the story, even using the other characters to feed Shakespeare future lines, add a fun element.
June 10, 2018
I thought this took too long to get to the point, and I almost gave up on it.
It is quirky, in that we have the fictional S Smythe meet the actual William Shakespeare as they are deserting their homes and are traveling to London to work in the theater. Or so they hope as it was not an easy thing to do then.
Luckily the theater they approach is in need of a playwrite and some actors shortly after the two are signed on as horse helpers.
They also get involved in the dramatics of a rich merchants daughter who is attempting to avoid an arranged marriage. I had figured out the main twist to this part of the tale.
It was cleverly told, with a sprinkling of Shakespeare throughout and I ended up enjoying the book.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
It is quirky, in that we have the fictional S Smythe meet the actual William Shakespeare as they are deserting their homes and are traveling to London to work in the theater. Or so they hope as it was not an easy thing to do then.
Luckily the theater they approach is in need of a playwrite and some actors shortly after the two are signed on as horse helpers.
They also get involved in the dramatics of a rich merchants daughter who is attempting to avoid an arranged marriage. I had figured out the main twist to this part of the tale.
It was cleverly told, with a sprinkling of Shakespeare throughout and I ended up enjoying the book.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
September 25, 2023
This was weird to read after the Movie Palace series
But it was still interesting
the murder mystery started WAY into the books (ok, like, maybe half?)
and the focus didn't feel like it was on that but on the 2.5 MCs and what they were doing, wanting, etc
I don't think it's a book I'll highly recommend, or possibly read again, but if you're curious try it out
the characters, the writing, and the world that's shown are all very interesting (I'm starting to think I use this word way too often)
I'd hesitate to say captivating but they kinda were.
They kept me curious, how's that?
so if you're curious too, it's not a bad read (I'm a pessimist, this is literally the best I can say right now)
But it was still interesting
the murder mystery started WAY into the books (ok, like, maybe half?)
and the focus didn't feel like it was on that but on the 2.5 MCs and what they were doing, wanting, etc
I don't think it's a book I'll highly recommend, or possibly read again, but if you're curious try it out
the characters, the writing, and the world that's shown are all very interesting (I'm starting to think I use this word way too often)
I'd hesitate to say captivating but they kinda were.
They kept me curious, how's that?
so if you're curious too, it's not a bad read (I'm a pessimist, this is literally the best I can say right now)
February 8, 2017
An absolutely fun read from the author who gave us the Time Wars series. From cover to cover, Simon Hawke provided a solid mystery, two cases of mistaken identity, class warfare (well, a skirmish anyway) and a personal take on Shakespeare that ought to delight his fans and infuriate those who try to find literary rapture from the Bard's every verse.
Find it, buy it, read it, and most of all; enjoy it!
Find it, buy it, read it, and most of all; enjoy it!
February 19, 2024
Shakespeare turns up as a sidekick to the main character Symington Smythe, son of a man gone bankrupt trying to buy his way into a knighthood. Symington, or Tuck as Shakespeare nicknames him, is desperate to be an actor in a London company. Will talks them into jobs with a company but as ostlers.
The plot is a thinly disguised Shakespeare plot which was fairly easy to recognize. Nonetheless, a fun read
The plot is a thinly disguised Shakespeare plot which was fairly easy to recognize. Nonetheless, a fun read
May 25, 2018
Since I absolutely adore Shakespeare in the first place, I enjoyed how this mystery played out. Simon Hawke explains in the end how he chose to portray the ever famous Bard but I saw quite a bit of "Shakespeare in Love" in the last chapter. It's worth a read if you're looking for something different and light.
September 5, 2020
A very entertaining historical mystery featuring William Shakespeare and Symington Smythe. Set in late 1500's London, Shakespeare and Smythe met on the road to London. Both want to find a way into the theatre world. A play on the title for Shakespeare's comedy, The Comedy of Errors, the book includes twins, and mishaps, and confusion, and a great deal of entertainment!
July 7, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up. Meh. Language is fine. I like Smythe well enough. Shakespeare is fine. Miss Darcie was very meh to me. Only character I liked was Black Billy. The book dragged the. Everything happened in the last bit. Not going to read any more. Not worth the time.
June 21, 2018
A mystery set in England with Shakespeare as a character. Not a great mystery and the writing seem slow.
November 14, 2018
Shakespeare and Smyth meet up to solve crimes and perform in London. Nice cozy
Read
April 15, 2020An excellent read!
May 30, 2013
I have friends who think that Simon Hawke is a hack. I don’t know. I just know that every book I’ve read by him has been entertaining. His “Timewars” series was a delightful pastiche of time travel adventures where, instead of traveling into the “real” past, the Time Corps (if I remember correctly) found themselves in historical fiction. Somehow, it all seemed more interesting that way. I didn’t worry about details, I just surfed the waves of the action and surprises like reading a golden age superhero comic. They even inspired me to revisit novels like The Prisoner of Zenda, Ivanhoe, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea because the plots approached the old stories from new angles.
So, I was delighted to discover that Hawke has a series of mysteries based on the “life” of William Shakespeare, sort of radio drama versions of Shakespeare in Love except for the fact that they are shorter and deal more with an intriguing supporting cast than with Will himself. The co-star is a fellow named Symington Smythe III, a young man who gave up a path toward nobility in order to join a company of players—hardly a gentleman’s pursuit since “…a brothel is simply a playhouse with better furnishings.” (p. 100) As a former Shakespeare professor, Hawke offers a delightful picture of the disreputable nature of Elizabethan players and he adds in a dash of the playwright-as-spy motif that Harry Turtledove used so effectively in Ruled Britannia only the “spy” who also writes plays is one who goes by the name of “Kit.” If you’ve ever wondered about his untimely death in “real life,” this historical version of Shakespeare’s famous contemporary will add to your speculation.
The story is delightful, but it is not exactly a mystery. The conceit for this series appears to be that Hawke takes elements from the eponymous (more correctly, semi-eponymous) plays represented in the titles and reworks them into a mystery with enough elements from the original plays to “inspire” the Shakespeare of the fiction to write the “actual plays” in the future (roughly corresponding to reality). It is a delightful premise and I plan to devour all of them, but diehard mystery readers may feel that using pre-set elements gives too much away too early. Well, that’s why I didn’t rate this book any higher—whether I’m correct in my observation or not.
Mystery of Errors deals with a woman of marriageable age nearing the threshold of spinsterhood (I believe she was “19” in the story.) who has been betrothed in a business proposition between her family and a noble family, bartered in her father’s desire for upward mobility (or should that be upward “nobility?”). Strange events occur and convenient circumstances abound, much as in the namesake’s story, such that Shakespeare and his pal, Smythe, have to unravel the mystery. How can a noble say one thing on one given night and another thing the next day? How can a noble be dead one night and alive the next? Who is the mysterious caped assassin? Why would a noble double as a highwayman? There are as many double-takes and laughs as in a poorly written Elizabethan performance (such as the play Shakespeare is hired to “fix”) where the actors have to use crude ad-libs, gestures, and presumably, pratfalls to get the laughs. Don’t take it that this book is poorly written. I merely refer to plays where the actors have to overcome their material with sight gags and Hawke has handily incorporated some gems worthy of vaudeville in these pages.
Along the way, Hawke even sheds a little bit of light upon the composition process by detailing the submission of the finished plays to the Master of Revels for censorship and approval and describing the nature of “original” manuscripts. “Their first drafts were usually covered with ink blottings and crossed-out lines and changes written in the margins and between the lines and, not infrequently, food and ale or win stains. Hence, the term ‘foul papers’ for the manuscript initially submitted.” (p. 130)
As for the characters, Hawke doesn’t give the whole show away. The mystery is solved, but it isn’t clear whether Smythe will follow his dream or take an alternate offer from an influential noble. If this were a television series, I think he would take the offer. Even the noble isn’t certain, though. He says, “Far be it from me to tell a man what he should or should not do, for as much as I have done that from which I should, I have done even more that I should not, and have enjoyed the latter far more greatly than the former.” (pp. 136-7) Gee, sound advice and bad advice at the same time, yet couched in Elizabethan English, it sounds somewhat profound. It’s intriguing to speculate on what might happen, but with Hawke, I cannot be sure. All I know is that I intend to read all of these and I hope he publishes as many titles as he did in the Timewars series. If he does, though, he may want to kill off Will Shakespeare as badly as A. Conan Doyle wanted to be rid of that other famous detective.
So, I was delighted to discover that Hawke has a series of mysteries based on the “life” of William Shakespeare, sort of radio drama versions of Shakespeare in Love except for the fact that they are shorter and deal more with an intriguing supporting cast than with Will himself. The co-star is a fellow named Symington Smythe III, a young man who gave up a path toward nobility in order to join a company of players—hardly a gentleman’s pursuit since “…a brothel is simply a playhouse with better furnishings.” (p. 100) As a former Shakespeare professor, Hawke offers a delightful picture of the disreputable nature of Elizabethan players and he adds in a dash of the playwright-as-spy motif that Harry Turtledove used so effectively in Ruled Britannia only the “spy” who also writes plays is one who goes by the name of “Kit.” If you’ve ever wondered about his untimely death in “real life,” this historical version of Shakespeare’s famous contemporary will add to your speculation.
The story is delightful, but it is not exactly a mystery. The conceit for this series appears to be that Hawke takes elements from the eponymous (more correctly, semi-eponymous) plays represented in the titles and reworks them into a mystery with enough elements from the original plays to “inspire” the Shakespeare of the fiction to write the “actual plays” in the future (roughly corresponding to reality). It is a delightful premise and I plan to devour all of them, but diehard mystery readers may feel that using pre-set elements gives too much away too early. Well, that’s why I didn’t rate this book any higher—whether I’m correct in my observation or not.
Mystery of Errors deals with a woman of marriageable age nearing the threshold of spinsterhood (I believe she was “19” in the story.) who has been betrothed in a business proposition between her family and a noble family, bartered in her father’s desire for upward mobility (or should that be upward “nobility?”). Strange events occur and convenient circumstances abound, much as in the namesake’s story, such that Shakespeare and his pal, Smythe, have to unravel the mystery. How can a noble say one thing on one given night and another thing the next day? How can a noble be dead one night and alive the next? Who is the mysterious caped assassin? Why would a noble double as a highwayman? There are as many double-takes and laughs as in a poorly written Elizabethan performance (such as the play Shakespeare is hired to “fix”) where the actors have to use crude ad-libs, gestures, and presumably, pratfalls to get the laughs. Don’t take it that this book is poorly written. I merely refer to plays where the actors have to overcome their material with sight gags and Hawke has handily incorporated some gems worthy of vaudeville in these pages.
Along the way, Hawke even sheds a little bit of light upon the composition process by detailing the submission of the finished plays to the Master of Revels for censorship and approval and describing the nature of “original” manuscripts. “Their first drafts were usually covered with ink blottings and crossed-out lines and changes written in the margins and between the lines and, not infrequently, food and ale or win stains. Hence, the term ‘foul papers’ for the manuscript initially submitted.” (p. 130)
As for the characters, Hawke doesn’t give the whole show away. The mystery is solved, but it isn’t clear whether Smythe will follow his dream or take an alternate offer from an influential noble. If this were a television series, I think he would take the offer. Even the noble isn’t certain, though. He says, “Far be it from me to tell a man what he should or should not do, for as much as I have done that from which I should, I have done even more that I should not, and have enjoyed the latter far more greatly than the former.” (pp. 136-7) Gee, sound advice and bad advice at the same time, yet couched in Elizabethan English, it sounds somewhat profound. It’s intriguing to speculate on what might happen, but with Hawke, I cannot be sure. All I know is that I intend to read all of these and I hope he publishes as many titles as he did in the Timewars series. If he does, though, he may want to kill off Will Shakespeare as badly as A. Conan Doyle wanted to be rid of that other famous detective.
March 1, 2025
Some books have stories outside their own stories…personal stories. My wife got me a copy of this for my birthday some 19 years ago (along with an autographed copy of another Hawke book). I read a few pages, and then it sat on my nightstand for the next five years until we moved from Korea back to the states, and then in our library until it was lost with so many other books to soot and smoke damage from a fire in 2013. Hawke is one of a few authors I fall back on when I feel “reader’s block” creeping up on me, but this short series isn’t one of my “go to” books… mainly because I hadn’t gotten back to it after all these years. And now the error of that mystery has been corrected. It took more than half of the book before I got engaged, but I did and I did enjoy it.
Hawke says in his afterward that some might think him cheeky (paraphrased) for presuming to write about Shakespeare as a fictional character, but I agree with him that people take Shakespeare too seriously (again, paraphrasing). I don’t buy the analysis of so many… yes, so many who have based their academic careers on such analysis. I liked Hawke’s take on Shakespeare:
Okay, probably not just my opinion.
Hawke says in his afterward that some might think him cheeky (paraphrased) for presuming to write about Shakespeare as a fictional character, but I agree with him that people take Shakespeare too seriously (again, paraphrasing). I don’t buy the analysis of so many… yes, so many who have based their academic careers on such analysis. I liked Hawke’s take on Shakespeare:
He knew that his medium was an ephemeral one and he regarded it accordingly. He wrote his works to be performed, not deconstructed in a college classroom or analyzed with pathological precision for every possible nuance and interpretation. He understood, without a doubt, that his was a collaborative medium, that actors would bring their own contributions to the table, that plays were a dynamic group effort of the entire company, not a showcase for an individual writer's talent and/or ego.IMO, Shakespeare is far better seen and heard than read.
Students who are forced to sit through agonizing lectures by monotonous professors who drone on and on about iambic pentameter and heroic couplets never truly learn to appreciate the Bard, and more's the pity, because Shakespeare himself would have been aghast to learn that his words were putting young captive audiences to sleep. He wanted, more than anything, to make them laugh, or weep, or rage ... to make them feel, for that was why Elizabethan audiences went to the theatre.
Okay, probably not just my opinion.
August 8, 2016
A rolicking, boisterous and absolutely entertaining take on what very well could have been. No one can say for sure what William Shakespeare did in those 'lost years' from 1587 to 1592. It's enticed many and Anthony Burgess aside, I found this author's speculative run, excellent value for the money. Would give this 4.5 stars if allowed.
I had read the second Shakespeare & Smythe (Slaying of the Shrew) first and backtracked to the first. The books stand alone with enough backstory references to entice you in that way and I am very glad I did search out A Mystery of Errors. Some readers/reviewers may have found the occasional conversational anachronisms slightly jolting and the final plot twist narrowly escapes a hoary chestnut accolade, but I reckon Simon Hawke (or whoever the IRS identifies him as) has parlayed a fair and exceedingly richly expanded tale of possibilities that I found immensely enjoyable.
The random hints of Shakespeare's later play ideas are fun to catch and along with the other roundly portrayed characters, there is sensibility and a good roster of entirely believable personalities. Wordplay is my hook in any author's command of language be it witty or empathetic. It surprised me then that I also found this tale's driving narrative descriptions amidst a melee of cross dialogue most riveting and realise this is a talent not many novelists can claim so firmly. Shows what a clever and highly skilled writer can translate from his work in dramatic screen plays.
Alas, at this point in my too long academic career, I have no real desire to read SF and trek into the other parts of this writer's forest of versatility but I do hugely appreciate his concept explanation at the end of this work, and am hoping for more titles in this series from his prolific pen....as they say: may his swash never buckle!
I had read the second Shakespeare & Smythe (Slaying of the Shrew) first and backtracked to the first. The books stand alone with enough backstory references to entice you in that way and I am very glad I did search out A Mystery of Errors. Some readers/reviewers may have found the occasional conversational anachronisms slightly jolting and the final plot twist narrowly escapes a hoary chestnut accolade, but I reckon Simon Hawke (or whoever the IRS identifies him as) has parlayed a fair and exceedingly richly expanded tale of possibilities that I found immensely enjoyable.
The random hints of Shakespeare's later play ideas are fun to catch and along with the other roundly portrayed characters, there is sensibility and a good roster of entirely believable personalities. Wordplay is my hook in any author's command of language be it witty or empathetic. It surprised me then that I also found this tale's driving narrative descriptions amidst a melee of cross dialogue most riveting and realise this is a talent not many novelists can claim so firmly. Shows what a clever and highly skilled writer can translate from his work in dramatic screen plays.
Alas, at this point in my too long academic career, I have no real desire to read SF and trek into the other parts of this writer's forest of versatility but I do hugely appreciate his concept explanation at the end of this work, and am hoping for more titles in this series from his prolific pen....as they say: may his swash never buckle!
May 22, 2010
While, in essence, I liked the book, it had problems. First, this is supposed to be a murder mystery. It wasn't. Oh sure, there was a murder, although it didn't happen until 2/3 of the way through the book. And it wasn't really much of a mystery. I realize this was the set-up book for a new series so I won't hold it against Simon Hawke just yet, I'll see what the next book holds, it just bugs me that, for all the waiting, so much of the book was just filler.
Symington Smythe and William Shakespeare team up when they arrive in London as try to realize their dreams of being in theater. However, it's not long before strange things are afoot, from the daring brigand Black Billy to the beautiful Elizabeth Darcie who is seemingly trapped in a loveless betrothal until her husband-to-be ends up dead. It's up to "Tuck" Smythe to find out whodunit before a conspiracy of international proportions takes the life of someone close to him.
In theory, it sounds good. In practice, not so much. Hawke pulled one of the worst mystery cliches, the introduction of entirely new characters and entirely new information in the last few pages of the book, none of which was even hinted at previously. It made it impossible for anyone to, going just by the given evidence, figure out the murder. Of course, his cliche is also horribly over-used so it isn't difficult for anyone familiar with the genre to see straight through the veil. It's just a cheap shot, one that I expect much better of from Hawke.
Symington Smythe and William Shakespeare team up when they arrive in London as try to realize their dreams of being in theater. However, it's not long before strange things are afoot, from the daring brigand Black Billy to the beautiful Elizabeth Darcie who is seemingly trapped in a loveless betrothal until her husband-to-be ends up dead. It's up to "Tuck" Smythe to find out whodunit before a conspiracy of international proportions takes the life of someone close to him.
In theory, it sounds good. In practice, not so much. Hawke pulled one of the worst mystery cliches, the introduction of entirely new characters and entirely new information in the last few pages of the book, none of which was even hinted at previously. It made it impossible for anyone to, going just by the given evidence, figure out the murder. Of course, his cliche is also horribly over-used so it isn't difficult for anyone familiar with the genre to see straight through the veil. It's just a cheap shot, one that I expect much better of from Hawke.
September 25, 2008
This may be illegal to say, but I consider myself a drama fan who dislikes Shakespeare. I just never got into his writing. I read Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and MacBeth for school, and the Merry Wives of Windsor on my own. But I just wasn't that interested. And it's not like I don't read other older English plays. I read some Aphra Behn and some William Goldsmith. I guess I just always want to go against the grain, to not accept what most people enjoy. Whatever. Regardless of that bias, I enjoyed this book. Apparently, there is a unaccounted for period of Shakespeare's life, where the scholars lost track of him. (The crafty fellow.) Anyway, Hawke proposes that during these years Shakespeare went to London to work for the Queen's Men drama company, along the way meeting another aspiring player, Smyington "Tuck" Smythe. The two of them gradually work their ways into the company, meanwhile becoming embroiled in a mystery involving the unwilling bride Elizabeth Darcie. The mystery is really secondary to Hawke's joyous exploration of Elizabethan England and Shakespearian lore. Indeed, he lets the mystery get away from him, which forces Hawke to suddenly tie up all loose ends in a hurried conclusion and denouement. Hopefully his skill with the intrigue will improve. But the humor and history are welcome.
July 5, 2010
My final book of 2009, this is another short read, finished in a few hours on December 30. The main character, Symington Smythe, is traveling to London and on the way becomes friends with William Shakespeare, who is also on his way there. The two become entangled in a strange mystery, involving a girl (who Smythe falls in love with) who is engaged to be married by way of an arrangement by her father to a gentleman who she's never met. She is not interested in marrying this man, as she wants to marry for love. The man keeps flip flopping on whether he wants to marry her at all, and claiming he did not say/do the things he said/did at their last meeting. As such, she is beginning to be regarded as a madwoman. When the man is believed to be murdered, Smythe wishes to clear her name... and then the man shows up, perfectly alive, with seemingly no recollection of his murder! As the mystery unfolds, anyone with a good background in Shakespeare and the play on which the title of this book is based can probably guess the answer to the mystery, although perhaps there is a slight twist that will throw you off? Regardless, it's a very fun book with lots of little historical tidbits thrown in. I'm looking forward to finding the next books in the "Shakespeare and Smythe Mysterys" collection!
August 6, 2012
I finally found the Shakespeare novel I had read several years ago! (Thanks to a group on Goodreads where people help you find books you can't remember.) I read it again because it's part of series, and I didn't really remember it very well. This was possibly more of a 3 1/2, but I liked it enough to give it 3 stars. I think the thing I like most about it is the references to Shakespeare plays. This is supposed to be a novel about Symington Smyth, a guy coming to London to become an actor. He meets up with "Will" Shakespeare, who is also hoping to become an actor but even more a poet/playwright. A lot of the things people say or situations that happen in this mystery you will recognize as things that happen or lines in Shakespeare plays (and there are probably even more I don't even recognize), so that is very fun. I also thought the mystery was a pretty good one, and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
The one thing I will warn is that there is some naughty humor and some bad language. Most of the bad language is from the time period, so it shouldn't offend anyone terribly, but there is some "modern" swearing as well. Not so much that it was distracting, but there is some. Just to warn you.
The one thing I will warn is that there is some naughty humor and some bad language. Most of the bad language is from the time period, so it shouldn't offend anyone terribly, but there is some "modern" swearing as well. Not so much that it was distracting, but there is some. Just to warn you.
February 27, 2011
Very interesting premiss of Shakespeare as detective. Well actually Smythe is the detective. Shakespeare is just worried about making his debut as a playwright.
very well researched though Hawke does not waste any words by filling in historical context. Which in all honesty gives the narattive more credibility and allows the action to flow more quickly.
For those lacking the proper historical context to enjoy this novel I recomend Borrowing the PBS series "IN Search Of Shakespeare" hosted by: Michael Wood from your library.
Two more things be prepared for a lot of Charatcerization. Because there isn't really any mystery until you get about a hundred pages in. But don't worry everything you learn will come into play later. The second thing is to know your Shakespeare. I won't tell you which play this is based on but if you can figure that out than the confounding puzzle becomes obviously simple. (HINT:It's part of the Title)
very well researched though Hawke does not waste any words by filling in historical context. Which in all honesty gives the narattive more credibility and allows the action to flow more quickly.
For those lacking the proper historical context to enjoy this novel I recomend Borrowing the PBS series "IN Search Of Shakespeare" hosted by: Michael Wood from your library.
Two more things be prepared for a lot of Charatcerization. Because there isn't really any mystery until you get about a hundred pages in. But don't worry everything you learn will come into play later. The second thing is to know your Shakespeare. I won't tell you which play this is based on but if you can figure that out than the confounding puzzle becomes obviously simple. (HINT:It's part of the Title)
July 1, 2012
I picked this up as a light read not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. The author has clearly done his homework and has gotten a LOT right about both Shakespeare and his times. He also understands Shakespeare's playfulness and affinity for double entendre (chapter 2 contains a great example of this with fun innuendo). This book honors Shakespeare in a way of which I suspect he would approve: the author takes previous information/text and puts his own spin on it.
Other reviews mentioned that the murder around which they expected the book to revolve came surprisingly late and rather than seeing this as a fault I found this refreshing and well done. Character and setting development are done correctly and sufficiently before too many complications are introduced. Overall I recommend this book and already am starting the next in this fun series!
November 11, 2017
This is the first book of Simon Hawke's (Timewars, etc.) historical mystery series set in the "lost years" (1585-1592) of Shakespeare's life. Mystery of Errors is a fun story (with an improbable plot worthy of, dare I say it, a Shakespeare comedy) and reasonably historically accurate if you ignore the occasional anachronism (tea in England in the 16th Century, use of the terms buccaneer and churchwarden pipe, etc.) which are not crucial to the plot of the story (critical details seem to be better researched). My only other gripe is that Hawke seems to have periodically pulled out long lists of Elizabethan things (clothing items, trades, et al) and inserted them into the story, which isn't really necessary and slows down the tale.
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