A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein

In Kit Marlowe's last year at Cambridge, he is approached by Queen Elizabeth's spymaster offering an unorthodox career opportunity: going undercover to intercept a Catholic plot to put Mary, Queen of Scots on Elizabeth's throne.

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.An Elizabethan espionage thriller in which playwright Christopher Marlowe spies on Mary, Queen of Scots while navigating the perils of politics, theater, romance-and murder.Įngland, 1585. At the center of the action is Kit himself-an irrepressible, irreverent force of nature. 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.Pairing modern language with period detail, Allison Epstein brings Elizabeth's privy council, Marlowe's lovable theater 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. 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 theater scene. The ripple effects of his service to the Crown are far-reaching and leave Kit a changed man. 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.While observing Mary, Kit learns more than he bargained for.

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.England, 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