Murder by Misrule

Thomas clarady, son of a wealthy privateer, is a law student at gray's inn, seeking to climb the elizabethan social ladder by any means necessary. when his tutor is murdered during the queen's day pageant, he hires the young francis bacon to replace him. francis is requested by his uncle, the lord treasurer, to investigate the murder. eager to curry favor with his powerful relation, he agrees, even though he rarely leaves his chambers and mislikes anything that takes time from reading philosophy. far better to send tom out to find clues and talk to witnesses.at first, francis suspects that catholic conspirators murdered the lawyer to keep him from exposing their plans, but other motives quickly emerge. renowned beauty lady rich fears the scandal of being dragged into court. high-tempered sir avery fogg will stop at nothing to achieve a judgeship. other barristers contend hotly to succeed the murdered man to his legal honors, fine chambers, and wealthy clients.francis and tom embark on an investigation that reaches from whitehall to the london streets. francis does the thinking; tom does the fencing. barristers fall down stairs -or are they pushed? tom falls in love with a crucial witness and then can't find her again. everyone has something up his pinked and padded sleeve. even the brilliant francis bacon is at a loss -and in danger -until he sees through the disguises of the season of misrule.reviewa kirkus indie book of the month for july "castle's characters brim with zest and real feeling... though the plot keeps the pages turning, the characters, major and minor, and the well-wrought historical details will make readers want to linger in the 16th century. a laugh-out loud mystery that will delight fans of the genre." -kirkus, starred review "murder by misrule is a delightful debut with characters that leap off the page, especially the brilliant if unwilling detective francis bacon and his street smart man tom clarady. elizabeth tudor rules, but anna castle triumphs." -karen harper, ny times best-selling author of the queen's governess "well-researched... murder by misrule is also enormously entertaining; a mystery shot through with a series of misadventures, misunderstandings, and mendacity worthy of a shakespearian comedy." -m. louisa locke, author of the victorian san francisco mystery series "castle's period research is thorough but unobtrusive, and her delight in the clashing personalities of her crime-fighting duo is palpable: this is the winning fictional odd couple of the year, with bacon's near-omniscience being effectively grounded by clarady's street smarts. the book builds effectively to its climax, and a last-minute revelation that is particularly well-handled, but readers will most appreciate the wry humor. an extremely promising debut." </br>steve donoghue, historical novel society "historical mystery readers take note: murder by misrule is a wonderful example of elizabethan times brought to life...a blend of sherlock holmes and history." </br>d. donovan, ebook reviewer, midwest book reviewanna castle writes the francis bacon mysteries and the lost hat, texas mysteries. she has earned a series of degrees -ba in the classics, ms in computer science, and a phd in linguistics -and has had a corresponding series of careers -waitressing, software engineering, grammar-writing, assistant professor, and archivist. writing fiction combines her lifelong love of stories and learning. she physically resides in austin, texas and mentally counts herself a queen of infinite space.