Much Ado About Murder
This delightful compilation of seventeen historical mysteries written in the style of Shakespeare or using themes from his plays is like a box of bonbons. This time, though, you know what you’re going to get because Anne Perry introduces the collection with enough “blurb” about each tale–including her own–making it difficult to choose the first “taste.”
The most surprising and enjoyable tale was Jeffery Deaver’s sleight-of-hand story, “All the World’s a Stage,” where he captures the eloquence of the language along with a good read. Robert Barnard’s modern take on the Hamlet problem struck a funny note in “The Fall of the House of Oldenburg,” and for an elaborate mythical tale, you can get lost in Carole Nelson Douglas’ “Those Are Pearls That Were His Eyes.” Gillian Linscott’s chilling tale, “Gracious Silence,” caught me off guard whilst reading it in a queue. I nearly lost my place in line. Every tale is a treat, so putting this book on your nightstand to nip into before sleep will keep you sated for some time.
