Thirteenth Night: A Medieval Mystery - Hardcover

Gordon, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312200358 ISBN 13: 9780312200350

Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1998

Synopsis

In late December 1200 A.D. a merchant arrives at the tavern near the Guildhall of the Fools' Guild with a message for one the jesters. The message is brief: "Orsino is dead."
Fifteen years before, the jester, using the name of Feste, secretly interceded on the Guild's behalf in a dynastic crisis in the Duchy of Orsino, thus spoiling the plans of Saladin's agent, Malvolio. These events, recorded centuries later somewhat differently in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, led to Malvolio's humiliation and his oath of revenge. Now, with the unexpected death of the Duke of Orsino, Feste suspects murder and sees the hand of Malvolio behind it.
With the backing of the Guild, Feste secretly returns to Orsino disguised as a merchant, to find out what really happened to the Duke and to ferret out Malvolio. But fifteen years is a long time and Malvolio could be disguised as anyone. Only one thing is certain: Feste must uncover and foil the plot before he is found out by Malvolio, who has been planning his revenge on Feste for a long time.

About this title

About the Author:

Alan Gordon is the author of five Fools’ Guild mysteries. His short fiction and essays have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, The Drood Review of Mystery and the Medieval Academy Newsletter. He lives in New York City with his wife, Judy Downer, and son, Robert. By day, he is a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society.

Review:

"Here's a fresh idea: Feste, a minor character in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, is actually a top operative of the Fools' Guild, an organization of professional jesters who double as secret agents. The Duke of Orsino, Twelfth Night's central character, has died under mysterious circumstances, and Feste suspects foul play from the evil Malvolio, whose self-serving plot was foiled in Shakespeare's drama. Feste returns to Orsino, posing as a German merchant, determined to discover which member of the citizenry is a killer in disguise. This exceedingly clever novel is a treat for all mystery fans (especially those familiar with Shakespeare's play); it is delightfully constructed, featuring an intricate whodunnit with political overtones, plenty of intrigue, and a healthy dose of humor. With an idea this original, Gordon, a New York legal-aid lawyer, could have skated through the novel, relying on the court-jesters-as-secret-agents premise to keep readers going. But he didn't; on every level--characters, plot, and style, in addition to premise--this is an outstanding first mystery and, one hopes, the beginning of a fine series." -- Booklist

"Continuing a story first told by Shakespeare is a challenge that would freeze the ink in most writers' quill pens, but Alan Gordon attempts the task with commendable courage and accomplishes it with dismaying ease. Drawing on the same sources as Shakespeare used to create Twelfth Night, a comedy of misunderstandings, misdirection, and cross-dressing, Gordon takes us back to Illyria fifteen years later and gives us Thirteenth Night, a mystery of misperceptions, misdirection, and double crosses. It is a thoroughly enjoyable tale told by a born storyteller, full of sound and fury and a fair amount of juggling." -- Michael Kurland

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martins Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0312200358
• ISBN 13: 9780312200350
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 243