A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN

James Meunier's fluent narration of this reimagining of the shadowy life and violent death of Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe brings out the best features of this first novel. Was Marlowe, while at Cambridge, recruited for Queen Elizabeth's secret service? Did he pose as a footman in Mary Stuart's service during the Scottish queen's house arrest and break the coded letters that condemned her? Listeners familiar with the era and the rich period detail of a novelist like Hilary Mantel may find Epstein's narrative thin brew. But the animating power of Meunier's narration gives her story credibility and conviction, and draws the listener chapter by chapter into one of the great mysteries of literary history. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2021]