A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein

He works as a footman in her household, hiding his true identity as a student at Cambridge. With modern language and touches of humor, Allison Epstein’s thrilling novel about Christopher Marlowe, wannabe playwright, turned spy for Queen Elizabeth I, is brilliant and masterful.Ĭhristopher “Kit” Marlowe is asked to spy on Mary Queen of Scots, currently under house arrest. Wow, A Tip for the Hangman is a refreshing take on historical fiction/thriller.

Thrillingly written, full of poetry and danger, A Tip for the Hangman brings an unforgettable protagonist to new life, and makes a centuries-old story feel utterly contemporary. At the center of the action is Kit himself-an irrepressible, irreverent force of nature. Pairing modern language with period detail, Allison Epstein brings Elizabeth's privy council, Marlowe's lovable theatre troupe, and the squalor of sixteenth-century London to vivid, teeming life as Kit wends his way behind the scenes of some of Tudor history's most memorable moments. But when Kit finds himself reluctantly drawn back into the uncertain world of espionage, conspiracy, and high treason, he realizes everything he's worked so hard to attain-including the trust of the man he loves-could vanish before his very eyes.

The salary he earns through his spywork allows him to mount his first play, and over the following years, he becomes the toast of London's raucous theatre scene. The ripple effects of his service to the Crown are far-reaching and leave Kit a changed man. While observing Mary, Kit learns more than he bargained for. Kit is dispatched to the chilly manor where Mary, Queen of Scots is under house arrest, to act as a servant in her household and keep his ear to the ground for a Catholic plot to put Mary on the throne. Kit, a scholarship student without money or prospects, accepts the offer, and after his training the game is on. Her Majesty's spies are in need of new recruits, and Kit's flexible moral compass has drawn their attention. In Kit Marlowe's last year at Cambridge, he receives an unexpected visitor: Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, who has come with an unorthodox career opportunity. A many-layered historical thriller combining state secrets, intrigue, and romance.Įngland, 1585. Christopher Marlowe, a brilliant aspiring playwright, is pulled into the duplicitous world of international espionage on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I.

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein