Shakespeare and Smythe are at it again in this entertaining sequel to A Mystery of Errors.

Will Shakespeare, Symington "Tuck" Smythe, and their band of thespians are contracted to provide entertainment at a rural estate as part of a large wedding pageant.

When the headstrong bride turns up dead, and overheard conversations contain conspiratorial plots against the families involved, Will and Tuck must once again pull double duty as thespians and sleuths to solve the case of The Slaying of the Shrew.

Will Shakespeare and Tuck Smythe, the Elizabethan era's answer to Holmes and Watson, return for a second amusing stint as amateur sleuths (after 2000's A Mystery of Errors). Tuck laments his apparent lack of talent as an actor, though he wants nothing more than to strut his time upon the stage, while fledgling playwright Will wants to make his mark as a wordsmith. Along with their fellow members of the Queen's Men, the company playing at the Burbage Theatre in London, they have been hired to perform as part of the entertainment during the wedding festivities for a wealthy man's daughter. Merchant Godfrey Middleton wants no expense spared for his daughter Catherine's nuptials on his estate not far from London. The bride may have a thoroughly sharp tongue and a shrewish manner, but Tuck is aghast when he overhears two anonymous men plotting to murder Catherine and take over Middleton's fortune through a marriage to his younger and seemingly promiscuous daughter, Blanche. Though Tuck and Will try valiantly to keep Catherine from danger, a murderer strikes, and the race is on to identify the murderous suitor. Avid Shakespeareans will chortle as they identify elements of this plot that will later find their way into the esteemed works of the great playwright and the clever way in which Hawke makes such spirited use of the canon. Tuck and Will are an endearing pair, and if the inventiveness of this tale is an omen, Hawke can keep them detecting engagingly for quite some time. (Dec. 11)War series and a bestselling Star Trek novel.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Adult/High School-A lively whodunit with William Shakespeare and his bumbling sidekick, Tuck Smythe, an aspiring actor, as detectives. They are part of the entertainment at the wedding of the daughter of a wealthy merchant when Tuck overhears two men plotting a murder. The shrew, a woman who voices her opinions, is slain on her wedding day, and the people around her have secrets and hidden motives. Characters from the familiar play seem like live people. This delightful Elizabethan romp with many plot snippets from Shakespeare's other plays is a great way to get high school students interested in the Bard and his works.
Irene F. Moose, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.