She was just 16 years old, the youngest and newest of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting. And when her body turns up in the chapel, posed as though martyred, wild rumors begin flying about “the Jews.” The queen worries that if the murder goes unsolved, insurrection might not be far off. To get to the bottom of the case she calls upon one of her spies, “the Honorable Nicholas Holt, younger brother of Robert, Earl of Blackwell, lately returned from spying for the Queen on the Continent.” Nick fears failure. If he cannot apprehend this killer in the queen’s court, he and his family might be ruined. So he sets about gathering the meager clues available. Then a second of the young women attending the queen is murdered as well. She is similarly posed but killed with a different weapon, raising questions about whether there are two killers afoot, not one.
Vivid portraits of historical figures mixed with the author’s own creations
In A Murder by Any Name, British author Suzanne M. Wolfe introduces us to several of the historical figures of the era. William Cecil, Baron Burghley, the Queen’s most trusted adviser. His son, Sir Robert Cecil, whom Wolfe dubs “the Spider.” He’s a clever, conniving young man who manages the spy network Sir Francis Walsingham has assembled. William Shakespeare as a bibulous young man, dreaming of the plays he’ll write and the fame and fortune that will follow. Christopher Marlowe, the playwritight and spy. And the queen herself, whom Wolfe looks on disparagingly as a withered old woman at 52, “bald as a coot” in red wigs and thick white facepaint.
But the central players in this drama are fictional. Nick Holt himself, a former soldier and unwilling spy. His best friend and assistant, John Stockton. His menacing but gentle Irish wolfhound, a giant of a dog, Hector. The twin Jewish physicians, Eli and Rivkah. And the dwarf Codpiece, the Fool in Elizabeth’s court, who emerges as a compelling character in his own right. Together, these characters steal the show. And the setting wins plaudits, too. Wolfe does a stellar job painting a picture of London in 1585, conveying a vivid sense of its sights, sounds, and smells, on the cusp of the modern era.
A Murder by Any Name (Elizabethan Spy Mystery #1) by Suzanne M. Wolfe (2018) 332 pages ★★★★☆
More than a serial killer story
On the most basic level, A Murder by Any Name is a straightforward serial killer story. But Wolfe’s setting in the treacherous waters of the Elizabethan court, with the queen’s assassination always an imminent possibility, lends layers of intrigue to the tale. This novel joins several others I’ve read about espionage during Elizabeth’s reign. It’s one of the better efforts. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.
About the author
Suzanne M. Wolfe grew up in Manchester, England and “read English Literature” at Oxford University. She is a Writer in Residence at Seattle Pacific University and has taught literature and creative writing there since 2000. Wolfe has written three novels to date, including the two Elizabethan Spy Mysteries and an award-winning book, The Confessions of X. She and her husband are the parents of four grown children. They live in Richmond Beach, Washington.
For related reading
Be sure to check out Mysteries set in Elizabethan England.
You’ll find other great reading at:
- The 15 best espionage novels
- Good nonfiction books about espionage
- Best books about the CIA
- The best spy novelists writing today
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