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The Reckoning

The Murder of Christopher Marlowe

Charles Nicholl author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:3rd Oct '02

Should be back in stock very soon

The Reckoning cover

'A masterpiece of biographical investigation' Richard Holmes

The circumstances were shady, the official account - a violent quarrel over the bill, or 'recknynge' - long regarded as dubious.

For the first time tracing Marlowe's shadowy political and intelligence dealings, Charles Nicholl uncovers critical new evidence about that fatal day.

In 1593, the brilliant and controversial young playwright Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death in a Deptford lodging house. The circumstances were shady, the official account - a violent quarrel over the bill, or 'recknynge' - long regarded as dubious.

For the first time tracing Marlowe's shadowy political and intelligence dealings, Charles Nicholl uncovers critical new evidence about that fatal day. Also providing an enthralling revelation of the extraordinary underworld of Elizabethan crime and espionage, the 'secret theatre', Nicholl penetrates four centuries of obscurity to expose a complex and chilling story of entrapment and betrayal.

An absorbing detective story with many twists and dark secrets. It is a passionate tale that haunts the imagination -- Michael Sheldon * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *
Remarkable...for the first time reveals the true mystery of his death... Extraordinary * The Times *
A book full of wit, scholarship and ingenuity... Extraordinary -- Colm Toibin * Irish Times *
A remarkable academic thriller, a brilliant recontruction -- Michael Coveney * Observer *
This book blows open the world of Elizabethan espionage, and presents the most comprehensive case yet for disbelieving the official inquest * Independent *

ISBN: 9780099437475

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 33mm

Weight: 439g

608 pages