Sunday, 22 February 2009
The Shakespeare Secret by J.L. Carrell
Book Title: The Shakespeare Secret
Author Name: J.L. Carrell
Why I decided to read this book: The title caught my eye, and the blurb on the back intrigued me. I was buying Bill Bryson's Shakespeare and it was in a "Buy 1, Get 1 Half Price" deal, so I was looking for another to buy at the same time, and this just seemed the perfect accompaniment.
Summary: Someone is stealing originals of Shakespeare's First Folio, and killing people who get in their way. The killings are all in the style of murders in Shakespeare's plays. Kate Stanley thinks she knows what the culprit is after - is it a missing play, or the identity of the true playwright? Either way, she sets out on a mission to find out the truth before the murderer, but who can she trust to help her, when everyone she knows is a suspect - including her?
Strengths: The suspense and mystery is skillfully woven with facts and theories about the Great Bard himself to make a great book. Despite the weaknesses of this book (see below), I did find that I really cared about Kate and her allies, so the ending, even though I knew what would happen, really gripped me. All the Shakespeare trivia was also immensely satisfying to a nerd like me, especially since I had Bill Bryson's book to compare it all with!
Weaknesses: The whole plot was completely predictable, from beginning to end. Seriously, I correctly guessed every single plot twist, which was kind of disappointing, because part of the thrill of this book is meant to be in the surprise of what happens next. Also, while the author has done a very thorough job researching the life and times of Shakespeare, as well as all the conspiracy theories behind who wrote the plays, etc, she could have done with getting her facts right in other areas, too. For instance, she mentions Pharaoh's daughter hiding Moses among the bulrushes, which is wrong - Pharaoh's daughter found Moses among the bulrushes. Such errors jarred with me and made me wonder how much of the information about Shakespeare was completely made up, if she failed to verify something as easy to check as a Biblical event.
Overall Opinion: Despite the weaknesses, I found this book highly absorbing, both for the Shakespeare lesson and the mystery, although its predictability does let it down.
Rating out of Five: 
