From Publishers Weekly
The coarse and treacherous world of Elizabethan theater is brought vividly to life as Lord Westfield's men return for an eighth outing (after The Roaring Boy, 1995), in which jealousy, murder and accusations of blasphemy descend upon the troupe. The players are about to perform the latest work of Jonas Applegarth, a controversial, foul-tongued playwright whose ego is nearly as fat as he is. But amidst the triumph of the performance, tragedy strikes: the elderly choirmaster of a children's acting troupe (and rival of Westfield's men) is found hanged above his own stage. When stage manager Nicholas Bracewell discovers the body, he hears the distinctive sniggering of the murderer, nicknamed the Laughing Hangman, echoing in the theater. With little to go on, Bracewell investigates while providing bodyguards for the universally unpopular Applegarth and sorting out his own relations with his former love, Anne Hendrik. A second murder at the Queen's Head, home of Bracewell's troupe, leads to a riveting finale. Fans of Bracewell and company will relish this return to the company of Lawrence Firethorn, lead actor and ladies' man, and unlucky playwright Edmund Hoode, who may at last have found love. Marston's wit and vivid evocation of Elizabethan London's sights and smells provide a delightfully ribald backdrop for this clever series. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Nicholas Bracewell's Elizabethan drama troupe earns accusations of heresy when a sacrilegious playwright joins. As stage manager, Bracewell defends them?and also investigates the murders that plague the group. Authentic period detail from the author of The Dragons of Archenfield (LJ 8/95).Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Nicholas Bracewell, stalwart book holder and stage manager for the Elizabethan theatrical troupe billed as Lord Westfield's Men, solves another perplexing mystery steeped in history and suspense. When a beloved choir master and a reviled playwright are both discovered hanged from the neck, in two different London playhouses, Nick takes immediate action in an effort to expose the culprit. As he works feverishly to prevent the murderer from claiming his next victim, he must also cope with a tender affair of the heart and the many demands imposed upon him by the mercurial performers he is contracted to shepherd and to pacify. A delightfully dazzling period piece suffused with humor, wit, and atmospheric drama. Margaret Flanagan


From Kirkus Reviews
Once again, Lord Westfield's Men, an Elizabethan theatrical troupe, and Nicholas Bracewell, its manager, are embroiled in crisis and murder (The Roaring Boy, 1995, etc.). Westfield's must compete with the nearby Blackfriars Theatre, whose company is made up of young boys from the Royal Choir, legally pressed into service by the Master of the Chapel--presently the saintly Cyril Fulbeck- -and managed by suave Raphael Parsons. The most talented boy in Parsons's company is Philip Robinson, son of butcher Ambrose. The father desperately wants his son back and has enlisted neighbor Anne Hendrick to help. Although estranged for a year from onetime lover Nicholas Bracewell, Anne finds him thrilled to see her again and willing to address Robinson's problem. But on his ensuing visit to Blackfriars, he's horrified to discover the body of Cyril Fulbeck hanging from the stage rafters, amid the sound of maniacal laughter. Through it all, Westfield's Men is staging The Misfortunes of Marriage by Jonas Applegarth, a gifted writer so malevolently unpleasant that other companies have cast him out. Nicholas finds his body, too--killed in the same way. Leading man Lawrence Firethorn; his lusty wife Margy; shy playwright Edmund Hoode, whose dream of romance will become a frightening reality, and other troupe members go their constantly squabbling way at the Queen's Head Inn, their longtime venue. Meantime, identity and motivation of the murderer, when finally unmasked by Nicholas, are fairly predictable, but less than convincing. Vibrant and readable, but overstuffed with subplots and tenuous relationships: middling Marston, then--fun, especially for his fans, but less than his best. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Jonas Applegarth is a brilliant but belligerent playwright. When his play, The Misfortunes of Marriage, is performed by Westfield’s Men, it causes an uproar. All of Applegarth’s enemies attack the company. Nicholas Bracewell defends the playwright loyally but Applegarth is then found hanged by the neck. It is only the first of many mysteries that Nicholas has to solve. Westfield’s Men are furious when they are satirized by a rival children’s theater company at the Blackfriars playhouse. A second attack by the laughing hangman throws everything into disarray. Nicholas is under enormous pressure, not least because he is trying to rekindle his romance with Anne Hendrik by helping her to fend off an aggressive suitor. His beloved company is under threat as never before, and he has to call on all of his resources to rescue them.


About the Author
EDWARD MARSTON has written over thirty mysteries, the majority of which have an historical setting. The Domesday Books explore the crimes and misdemeanors surrounding the compilation of the Domesday Book in the time of William the Conqueror; the Nicholas Bracewell series follows the erratic fortunes of an Elizabethan theater company; and, more recently, the Redmayne Mysteries feature an aspiring young architect in Restoration England, helping to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666. THE ROARING BOY, a Nicholas Bracewell mystery, was nominated for an Edgar in the Best Novel category, in 1996. Under his real name of Keith Miles, he has also written four golf mysteries; and two architectural mysteries, set in America during the Depression and featuring Frank Lloyd Wright, the most recent being SAINT'S REST in 1999. His latest titles are THE ELEPHANTS OF NORWICH (Edward Marston); THE DEVIL'S APPRENTICE (Edward Marston, 2001) and, under the pseudonym of Conrad Allen, the second in a series of nautical mysteries, MURDER ON THE MAURETANIA. Marston has also written forty original plays for radio, television and the theater; worked as an actor and a theater director; and been Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in the U.K. A frequent visitor to the States, he is an accomplished lecturer, raconteur and after-dinner speaker.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lord Westfield's Men are split down the middle: should they scorn the belligerent and sacrilegious playwright Jonas Applegarth or perform his brilliant play The Misfortunes of Marriage? When they decide to receive Applegarth, they unwittingly receive all of his enemies with him. Actors, critics, and especially The Blackfriars, a rival troupe, are so scathingly portrayed in The Misfortunes of Marriage that revenge seems near. When gruesome hangings plague both of the troupes, some speculate it is God's wrath for the immorality of the theater. But Nick Bracewell has heard the cackle of the Laughing Hangman and knows the killer is closer to them than they think.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booklist

A delightfully dazzling period piece suffused with humor, wit and atmospheric drama.

Publishers Weekly

The coarse and treacherous world of Elizabethan theater is brought vividly to life as Lord Westfield's men return for an eighth outing (after The Roaring Boy, 1995), in which jealousy, murder and accusations of blasphemy descend upon the troupe. The players are about to perform the latest work of Jonas Applegarth, a controversial, foul-tongued playwright whose ego is nearly as fat as he is. But amidst the triumph of the performance, tragedy strikes: the elderly choirmaster of a children's acting troupe (and rival of Westfield's men) is found hanged above his own stage. When stage manager Nicholas Bracewell discovers the body, he hears the distinctive sniggering of the murderer, nicknamed the Laughing Hangman, echoing in the theater. With little to go on, Bracewell investigates while providing bodyguards for the universally unpopular Applegarth and sorting out his own relations with his former love, Anne Hendrik. A second murder at the Queen's Head, home of Bracewell's troupe, leads to a riveting finale. Fans of Bracewell and company will relish this return to the company of Lawrence Firethorn, lead actor and ladies' man, and unlucky playwright Edmund Hoode, who may at last have found love. Marston's wit and vivid evocation of Elizabethan London's sights and smells provide a delightfully ribald backdrop for this clever series. (Aug.)

Library Journal

Nicholas Bracewell's Elizabethan drama troupe earns accusations of heresy when a sacrilegious playwright joins. As stage manager, Bracewell defends themand also investigates the murders that plague the group. Authentic period detail from the author of The Dragons of Archenfield (LJ 8/95).

Kirkus Reviews

Once again, Lord Westfield's Men, an Elizabethan theatrical troupe, and Nicholas Bracewell, its manager, are embroiled in crisis and murder (The Roaring Boy, 1995, etc.). Westfield's must compete with the nearby Blackfriars Theatre, whose company is made up of young boys from the Royal Choir, legally pressed into service by the Master of the Chapel—presently the saintly Cyril Fulbeck—and managed by suave Raphael Parsons. The most talented boy in Parsons's company is Philip Robinson, son of butcher Ambrose. The father desperately wants his son back and has enlisted neighbor Anne Hendrick to help. Although estranged for a year from onetime lover Nicholas Bracewell, Anne finds him thrilled to see her again and willing to address Robinson's problem. But on his ensuing visit to Blackfriars, he's horrified to discover the body of Cyril Fulbeck hanging from the stage rafters, amid the sound of maniacal laughter. Through it all, Westfield's Men is staging The Misfortunes of Marriage by Jonas Applegarth, a gifted writer so malevolently unpleasant that other companies have cast him out. Nicholas finds his body, too—killed in the same way. Leading man Lawrence Firethorn; his lusty wife Margy; shy playwright Edmund Hoode, whose dream of romance will become a frightening reality, and other troupe members go their constantly squabbling way at the Queen's Head Inn, their longtime venue. Meantime, identity and motivation of the murderer, when finally unmasked by Nicholas, are fairly predictable, but less than convincing.

Vibrant and readable, but overstuffed with subplots and tenuous relationships: middling Marston, then—fun, especially for his fans, but less than his best.