Synopsis:

In 1593, the brilliant and controversial young playwright, Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death in a Deptford lodging house officially in a quarrel over the bill or recknynge. For the first time tracing Marlowe's shadowy political and intelligence dealings, Charles Nicholl uncovers critical new evidence about that fatal day. Also providing an enthralling revelation of the extraordinary underworld of Elizabethan crime and espionage, the secret theatre, Charles Nicholl penetrates four centuries of obscurity to expose a complex and chilling story of entrapment and betrayal.