Dominique Y. (NaughtyLittleMinx) reviewed on 9/29/2005 + 103 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

The deaths of two impoverished brothers one found murdered in her own back yard draw 17th-century playwright Aphra Behn into royal court intrigues in this atmospheric debut. Aphra has troubles of her own, including a soured love affair with a drunken attorney, a doltish lead actress foisted upon her by the dissolute Lord Rochester and enough debts to get her arrested. But one of the dead men is Matthew Cavell, who once helped her in a great hour of need, so she feels bound to organize a proper funeral for him. Meanwhile, the paramours of King Charles II vie for power in the palace. One of them, Nell Gwyn, brings her friend Aphra into the royal orbit. Are the Restoration religious and political battles connected to the puzzling interest of some nobles in the deaths of the two destitute men?

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