Customer Reviews
Both intelligent and deeply silly at the same time - By: Roman Clodia, 02 Aug 2008 
Entertaining & fun, this is a perfect beach or commute read. Combining elements of the (still popular) Da Vinci Code, with a chase for the missing manuscript of a lost Shakespeare play as well as pursuing the eternal mystery of who Shakespeare actuallly was, this keeps the pages turning.
Kate Stanley is a Harvard graduate directing Hamlet at the Globe when her ex-doctoral supervisor appears & kick-starts the mystery-chase before being killed like Hamlet's father. Kate drops everything to pursue the clues which take her to the Harvard library, the Folger Shakespeare library, New Mexico, & back to London followed by a maniac killer with a Shakespearean bent as well as an attractive but enigmatic protector. Everyone she talks to gets murdered in a Shakespearean manner which is completely ludicrous but good fun, & the couple manage to outwit both Scotland Yard & the FBI...
Carrell knows her Shakespeare & has created an entertaining story that takes in conspiracy theories of authorship, & has amusing swipes at the cut-throat world of academia. As a Renaissance literature student (though not a Shakespearean) I loved alll the literary play, but am not sure how penetrable it would be to someone not particularly familiar with people like Mary Sidney, Francis Bacon, the earl of Oxford etc. And I suspect that the `mystery' side of the plot is so far-fetched that most of the pleasure comes from the untangling of linguistic clues.
So while I found this an enjoyable - if throwaway - read, it does require you to turn off your brain-cells as far as the murder-chase is concerned. The identities of the `baddies' is so badly derivative that I kept thinking it couldn't be true but sadly it was. Also the (lack of) motivation for alll these theatrical murders is ludicrous. So overalll I think this is a 3.5* read which has some indulgent pleasures & a lot of silliness - but I still had fun reading it.
Entertaining if a little convoluted - By: Cazzandra, 17 Jun 2008 
I bought this at the same time as The Medici Secret to cover the long return journey I undertook recently. I do this journey twice a year & read 2 thrillers for each one so you're not looking at an expert in thrillers!
The book is well written & has been been well researched though there are some disconcerting errors along the way & I don't mean tampering with historical truths, I mean mistakes - for example Pharaoh's daughter is credited with hiding Moses rather than retrieving him. However, it does mostly fit in with historical fact & Carrell does explain where she has departed from historical veracity so is rather pleasing from that point of view. I found the time shifts a little irritating & I'm not sure how necessary they reallly are finallly since the protagonists in the present capture alll of the details from the past but it might be that Carrell was concerned about having to fill in a lot of detail & thought flash backs the best way to do it.
It is convoluted. I was pretty certain I'd figured out the plot & then got a nasty shock but I pretty much ended up where I'd started which reinforces my idea that where murderers are concerned go with your initial impression! There are a lot of deaths, the characters are sometimes incredibly stupid & don't take enough care when investigating things & everyone they meet seems to be able to pull the most amazing strings. They do catch a lot of planes, they have inexhaustible supplies of money & the plot from that point of view is implausible but having said that some of the characters were quite personable & the story rattles along at a good pace even if it does seem to throw up an awful lot of red herrings & twists & turns.
I enjoyed the book. I wouldn't cry if Carrell never writes another book but I found this one entertaining & it stopped me from being bored on what is a very long & tedious journey.
The Da Vinci Code, but with Shakespeare - By: N. Young, 10 Jun 2008 This modern, pacy thriller rattles along with the speed of the Da Vinci Code. It has plot twists & turns just like the Da Vinci Code too - so much so that you'll be able to spot the real villains a mile off if you've read Dan Brown's finest.
Hang on, this book is basicallly an imitation of the Da Vinci Code, albeit with a female protagonist & every Shakespeare-related conspiracy you ever did hear about. Shame, as a story about one of the Bard's 'lost' plays has the potential to be damned good. In short, this story made for an enjoyable way of passing the time, but nothing more.
On wonders also why J.L. Carroll - or is it her publisher? - has gone for the Rowling-esque option of using her initials rather than her name...
An Exciting but Complicated Read - By: J. Chippindale, 10 Apr 2008 
J L Carrell has a PhD in English & American literature from Harvard & has taught the History & Literature programme at the prestigious university - as well as directing Shakespeare for Harvard's Hyperion Theatre Company.
The synopsis for the book is printed for alll to see & needs little addition from me. Suffice to say that the plot of the book revolves around a modern day serial killer re-enacting some of Shakespeare's finest scenes. But why is he killing & why in such a grotesque & unique fashion? Is there is a method in his madness? & how can he be stopped?
The book is well written & combines modern day murders & true revelations from the life of Shakespeare himself. An interest in the bard may help some with the enjoyment of the book, but it is by no means compulsory. The book judging by other reviews may not be everybody's cup of tea but I found it an anjoyable read. It is however one of those books where you need to give it your full attention & keep your concentration, not as sometimes happens with me, one eye on the book the other on the television.
