BOOK REVIEW: The Devil’s Apprentice by Edward Marston ★★★★☆

London is in the grip of an icy winter and Westfield's Men are out of work. Invited to perform at a manor house in Essex, they accept willingly even though the offer comes with two conditions: they must perform an entirely new play and agree to take a new apprentice, Davy Stratton, into the company.
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
Edward Marston (A pseudonym used by Keith Miles) has written a serious of historical crime series such as:

• The Bracewell Mysterious (an Elizabethan Series) 
• The Captain Rawson Series 
• The Restoration Series (Domesday Book) 
• The Railway Detective Series 
• The Home Front Detective Series. 

The book that I am reviewing is book 11 from The Bracewell Mysteries. Though I really should have started with the first book The Queen’s Head to find out the back story of the Westfield’s Men, Marston makes my job easier. Within the first chapter of The Devil’s Apprentice the reader is introduced (or reintroduce if you’ve been following the series) to the main characters. Nicholas Bracewell the theatre book holder, leading actor Lawrence Firethorn, Edmund Hoode the playwright, the clown Barnaby Gill and actor Owen Elias, each distinct in character.

So who is the Devil’s Apprentice? The reader and with Lawrence’s constant conviction believes it to be the newly appointed apprentice Davy Stratton. After all as soon as they arrive in Essex’s for their work Davy begins to act strange and cause mischief within the company and on numerous occasion sneaks out. Alas, Nicholas sees this situation differently by piecing the clues together. The new play, The Witch of Colchester, written by a disgruntled lawyer Edgiys Pyre, is full of witchcraft and malady that Lawrence, playing the lead role is affected by the play by losing his voice and experiencing uncontrollable fits. The Puritans leader Reginald Orr in Essex regards theatre people as devils incarnate and would do anything to send them back to Hell. At the home of Sir Michael Greenleaf where Westfield’s Men stage six plays in ten days, the household steward Rombard Taylard has a shady past and Jerome Stratton’s harsh temperament to make Davy work with the theatre company.

Clearly, Marston has a reverent passion for 16th century England. Themes such as Puritans, church, witchcraft and fornication is a great mix. He without a doubt captures the gentlemen mannerisms of that era from Nicholas. He is a likeable character, charming, polite, analytical (which makes him such a great detective), he distinctively has a profound and close friendship with Lawrence and Owen but is courteous and helpful to the other members. There is also a substantial balance of description of emotions and surroundings with cleverly put together dialogue.

So I can keep on praising the book but I have to say things which I didn’t like. The climax or the revelation to the mystery surrounding Davy’s continence disappearance is revealed and I felt that it was rushed into the last chapter 12. Nicholas confrontation with Taylard was a bit predictable for we all know the protagonist would get the upper hand.

I’m going to start reading the Bracewell mysteries starting with book 1 The Queen’s Head. I would definitely recommend this story to other history buffs with a passion for crime stories.

Rating: 4/5
First publication: August 20th 2001, St. Martin's Minotaur
Second Publication: February 13th 2014, Allison and Busby
Genre: History/Mystery