Traitor: John Shakespeare 4

A secret agent, a spymaster called C for Cecil, a beautiful foreign spy who seduces him and may be a double agent, a big baddie, a violent showdown which the agent miraculously survives, a porno sex scene and violence... the formula for this is Ian Flemings hero Bond,The name Shakespeare is another poach - WS did not have a brother John ( the agent ) However he did have a brother Edmund who was an oddjob man. Like those who think William Shakespeare had an affair with a noble woman the author fails to understand the strict class rules of 400 years ago. Robert Cecil would certainly not be seen with the glove-makers son in the Queen's garden as she passed by.Many inaccuracies historically - the over-used word ' amazing ' only came into use a few decades ago, Midsummer Nights Dream was performed first for a wedding in court not to the dying earl at Lathom, Alice his wife did not act with common players but the next duchess acted only in masques with Queen Anne. Alice Stanley's warm persona here does not match her actual actions to destroy Ferdinando's brother,. William the 6th Earl of Derby who did not have the harsh character Clements gives him in any known description. Catholic agents described him as penning plays for the common players. He did not marry till a year later 1595 so did not arrive at Lathom with his wife shortly after Ferdinando died. He was barred and excluded from Lathom by Alice. George Carey was married to Alice's sister - a key factor omitted - and letters show he schemed to deprive the 6th earl of his estate. The Great Lawsuit 1594 -1610 by which the next Earl of Derby fought for his title and estate is omitted as if he just walked into Lathom House and his inheritance.No agent of the queen carrying money would travel alone on the byways and highways of England - he would have 2 bodyguards at least. A female spy from Prague ? For such an unlikely occurance there must be a comparable example in 16th century EnglandJohn Dee the great savant is made to look a fool, he had the greatest library in the country. Letters from him to the agent arrive with an absurd speed. Distances on bad roads are reduced by days - it took 3 days to get from Lancs to London.There is more - ' bacon and eggs ' for breakfast ! A posset, bread, beef and ale is most likely.Clements only gets away with sloppy research because most people are not historians

I've only one more book in the series to go, having jumped to the sequel to Traitor, and I have to say it's going to be like leaving a group of old friends. Rory Clements novels are replete with historical detail, supported by a underlying network of friends, acquaintances and lovers old and new, family and co-conspirators. Yet again this book has been an enormous pleasure to read and has been ploughed through in under two days.

The latest outing for John Shakespeare centres around the guardianship of an 'optical glass' which will be our 'secret weapon' now that another 'Armada' involving Spain and France is iminent. Shakespeare is send to the County of Lancashire to bring back the Queen's fortune teller and alchemist - Dr Dee along with his protege for it is felt that the knowlege Dr Dee has regarding the spy glass, he could use for monetary gain now that he is penniless! On arrival in Lancashire at the home of Lord Derby skulduggery is afoot with the possibility of him being poisioned and the book then gains pace and we come into contact once again with Boltfoot Coooper whose supreme task to aprehend the criminal who is trying to steal the spy glass.Running alongside this storyline we are introuduced once again to Shakespeare's adoptive son Andrew Woode, who is currently studying at Oxford and who is (falsely) accused of a tresonable act of defacing a portrait of Queen Elizabeth with red paint. He absconds from Oxford and on his travels meets up with Reaphook and Ursula Dancer and vagabonds - an Elizabethan style of the Dickensian Bill Sykes/Nancy and the Artful Dodger!Once again Rory Clements has delivered an excellent fast paced Elizabethan mystery together with Elizabethan theatrical entertainment provided by his brother Will and an Elizabethan romp style of romance with the 'mysterious woman' in the form of Lady Eliska.If you love historical fiction Rory Clements once again has ticked all the right boxes - read and enjoy!.

Boltfoot Cooper is tasked with protecting a spyglass and the man who can use it. John Shakespeare is sent to Lancashire to protect the man who made it. His adopted son, Andrew Woode, runs into trouble at Oxford university. All three are brought together in Northern France to defend England's realm and the good name of the Queen.This is the fourth book in the series and Clements has really hit his stride in terms of the writing. As most of the characters are now known by readers there is little filling in of previous story lines, for example the background to the death of Shakespeare's wife is completely omitted as that was an integral part of the previous book. I found it hard to see how the various parts of the plot were going to come together, indeed I found the whole bit about Andrew Woode and the vagabonds a bit annoying, but come together they did. I particularly like the double conclusion - the battle which brought to an end the bigger plot but the concluding few chapters which tied up some plot lines and left enough to make me await the next book.

I deleted this collection from my kindle - so disappointing - he has just way too much porn in his novels - it really spoils the books which could be so much better. If you like C.J. Sansom don't bother with these as they do not compare and cant be read by kids as just too full of Porn