... The Globe catches on fire, with Roz's body inside. Not only that but it's on the anniversary of the original fire 29th June.
As Kate follows the clues that Roz left her, she is thrown into the path of Ben Pearl. A man who has been hired to protect Kate as she continues on the quest for ... Read review
Advantages: interesting history placed in with the plot, good pace Disadvantages: people think it is the same as the da vinci code
Katherine Stanley is not only the youngest person to direct Hamlet at Globe theatre, but is also an American, something that wouldn've been frowned upon if it wasn't for the fact that Sir Henry Lee, darling of British stage, has come out of retirement to play the some what small role of the ghost of Hamlet's father under Katherine's direction.
Just when Katherine (or Kate) is getting her teeth into her role of director, she has a visit ... ...meet Roz at Parliament Hill. The Globe catches on fire, with Roz's body inside. Not only that but it's on the anniversary of the original fire 29th June.
As Kate follows the clues that Roz left her, she is thrown into the path of Ben Pearl. A man who has been hired to protect Kate as she continues on the quest for knowledge. And a killer who is turning his victims into characters from Shakespeare's plays.
Katherine Stanley is not only the youngest person to direct Hamlet at Globe theatre, but is also an American, something that wouldn've been frowned upon if it wasn't for the fact that Sir Henry Lee, darling of British stage, has come out of retirement to play the some what small role of the ghost of Hamlet's father under Katherine's direction.
Just when Katherine (or Kate) is getting her teeth into her role of director, she has a visit from Rosalind Howard, her old mentor. Some one who turned her back on Kate, when Kate (as Rosalind had thought it) turned her back on academia to go onto theatre direction.
Roz tells Kate that she has "found something", when Kate goes to meet Roz at Parliament Hill. The Globe catches on fire, with Roz's body inside. Not only that but it's on the anniversary of the original fire 29th June.
As Kate follows the clues that Roz left her, she is thrown into the path of Ben Pearl. A man who has been hired to protect Kate as she continues on the quest for knowledge. And a killer who is turning his victims into characters from Shakespeare's plays.
When I first heard about this novel, it was said to be the next Da Vinci Code (and if you've read my review, you would know how much I looked forward to that!). So when I picked up this book in a second hand book stall, I wasn't expecting much, and I was pleasantly surprised.
J. L Carrell has produced a well written novel (okay the plotline is easy to figure out, but hey you can't have everything) the characters are well drawn with a short history, which gives you a deeper understanding of their motives and their relationship to the central character, Kate. The only character not to have a short history exposed until the very end of the book is Ben Pearl, but he is someone who is supposed to have an air of mystery about him.
The story is predomanitly about Kate and Ben's search for some documents that would prove Shakespeares true identity and the whereabouts of his lost plays. But unlike Dan Brown, J. L Carrell doesn't force their own opinion of who Shakespeare truly was. Instead through Kate the author puts across all the theories of who he was. This causes confusion and stress for Kate who so wants to believe that Shakespeare was the man from Stratford. But the strain of the situation becomes clear as Kate begins to doubt herself and those around her.
For all of those who were disappointed by the Da Vinci Code, I know I wasn't the only one, don't let that put you off. This is a far better read! I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the genre or a fan of Shakespeare, as the refernces and history is fascinating.
RRP - £6.99 play.com - £6.49 or used and new from £1.50 amazon.co.uk - £4.89 or used and new from £0.85p
Advantages: A good thriller, plot twists, interesting facts dotted throughout Disadvantages: Plot holes, not an easy read, lack of character development
...of a copy of it. The Shakespeare Secret was indeed one of those books, and I really wanted to read this one! I tried to get a copy on my swapping sites to no avail but luckily my local library came up trumps for me and a brand new copy was soon sitting next to my bed ready to be enjoyed by me!
The Shakespeare Secret tells the story of Kate Stanley, an ex-Harvard student who now works as a director of plays at The Globe Theatre in London. One day, ... ...out on a journey across the globe, from London to the US and back to Europe in order to find out what Ros knew, and to stop the killer of Ros before he or she kills anybody else in their quest to stop Shakespeare's Secret from coming out.
The book is written in the first person, with Kate narrating what is happening to us. I must say I do enjoy books in the first person as I can really get into them so this appealed to me. Her narrative was quite ...
mummy2harry 20.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shakespeare Secret - J.L. Carrell
Advantages: Excellent plot, well drawn characters Disadvantages: A little long winded in places
...Book== I am reviewing the paperback version of the book, ISBN number 0751540358 , 480 pages, published by Sphere Books, in 2008. Genre Thriller. Cover price £6.99. First published in the USA in 2007 by Dutton. ==The Plot== American Katherine Stanley is the youngest ever director of Shakespeare's Hamlet which is being performed at The Globe Theatre in London. As an American, her role has caused a few raised eyebrows among the Shakespearean acting ... ...Before the two women meet up again, the Globe is set on fire and Roz's body is later found in the theatre. Kate begins a terrifying adventure of discovery to resolve the mystery surrounding Roz's death. Her journey takes her into dangerous territory as her path crosses those of people who believe that Shakespeare was a fraud, those who are searching for Shakespeare's 'lost plays' and of people who will stop at nothing to prove that their beliefs ...
brittle1906 04.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shakespeare Secret - J.L. Carrell
Advantages: easy read, mixes some fact & fiction, fun even for people not into the Bard Disadvantages: possibly a bit too dry for some, lot of fact thrown in, "another conspiracy"
...London to direct Hamlet at the Globe Theatre when she receives a visit from her old university mentor Rosalind "Roz" Howard who hands her a package and tells her that "if you open it, you must follow where it leads…" A fire destroying part of the new Globe Theatre leaves behind a victim, Rosalind, mirroring the burning of the original Globe almost 400 years earlier to the day where the fire also left one person dead.
Fleeing from the prying eyes ... ...Police, Kate decides to solve the riddle left by Roz so close to her death, and ultimately find out who killed her.
Aided by Sir Henry Lee, Shakespearean actor at The Globe she heads to Harvard University in Cambridge/USA, where Roz was professor and where she herself studied to start the search for whatever her friend had found out. Making sure that she is not on her own on the quest, it appears that Roz had instructed her nephew Ben, a security ...
Tempus_Fugit 18.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shakespeare Secret - J.L. Carrell
Advantages: A compellign read Disadvantages: Absolutely None
...Italy this was one of the books that I took with me for the journey and the time at the hotel. This book however didn't even make it close to the hotel as within the day and a half we spent travelling I had devoured it from cover to cover. The Shakespeare Secret is a gripping page-turner written by J. L. Carrell that masterfully combines fact, legend and pure fiction in such a way as to enthral the reader from the very first page to the very last ... ...killer hunting an ancient secret." The story begins in 1613 when the Globe Theatre first burns and then swiftly moves to 2004 when the same thing is happening again. Within pages a woman has been found dead in the theatre, a needle mark behind her ear and suddenly the stories lead character, Kate, the current director of Hamlet at the Globe is thrown into a roller coaster ride in search of the truth. However as Kate edges closer to the truth the ...
MI9to5 26.03.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shakespeare Secret - J.L. Carrell
Advantages: A good story with interesting sub-stories. Disadvantages: A little predictable
The Shakespeare Secret by J L Carrell is 'almost' to Shakespeare what the The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is to Leonardo Da Vinci.
There are twists and turns galore and in that respect it is a very compelling read. However, being of that genre, the twists are generally expected. You start by trusting no one and expect the worst and therefore are not too surprised when some of your expectations are realised. The sub-story about The Bard and the theories ... ...this aspect of the novel.
I did, however find the book unnecessarily 'wordy' and this restricted, for me, the flow. Personally speaking, I found some of the elaborate phrasing gratutious (and I write this as a person who is happy to use 20 words when one will surfice).
However, as a good story, good plot and a good read, I would recommend it. ...
Vicver 18.05.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Shakespeare Secret - J.L. Carrell
Product Information for "The Shakespeare Secret - J.L. Carrell" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Thriller
Title
The Shakespeare Secret
Author
J.L. Carrell
ISBN
0751540358; 1847441629
Manufacturer's product description
A modern serial killer - hunting an ancient secret. A woman is left to die as the rebuilt Globe theatre burns. Another woman is drowned like Ophelia, skirts swirling in the water. A professor has his throat slashed open on the steps of Washington's Capitol building. A deadly serial killer is on the loose, modelling his murders on Shakespeare's plays. But why is he killing? And how can he be stopped? A gripping, shocking page turner, The Shakespeare Secret masterfully combines modern murder and startling true revelations from the life of Shakespeare. It has been acclaimed as one of the most compulsively readable thrillers of recent years.
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