J.L Carrell – The Shakespeare Secret (Literature Review)

“If you open it, you must follow where it leads.”

J.L. Carrell’s thriller, The Shakespeare Secret, has drama worthy of The Bard himself.

A university professor and part time director for the local acting troupe, Kate Stanley lives and breathes Shakespeare. But she never imagined living in one of his plays … until now.

When her mentor and best friend, Roz, is found dead after a fire at The Globe, where Kate just happens to be directing a production of Hamlet, the authorities mark it down as chance, a tragic accident. But Kate knows something they don’t, a secret Roz divulged before she died.

As Kate delves into the mystery of Roz’s untimely demise, she can’t help but notice the comparisons the so-called accident has to certain events in Britain’s history, particularly that of the Elizabethan period, when The Globe mysteriously burned to the ground in the early 1600s. And there are other things too, clues that keep popping up, making the connection to her beloved Shakespeare stronger and stronger as the days pass. The only question is, can she unravel them and find her friend’s killer before time runs out?

Published in 2007, The Shakespeare Secret has drawn many a comparison to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, the blockbuster novel that was all the rage when the book was first released. Publisher’s Weekly went so far as to say The Shakespeare Secret has “plot twists worthy of The Da Vinci Code. This spirited and action-packed novel delivers constant excitement.”

Admittedly, I was never able to get into The Da Vinci Code phenomenon, so I have to disagree with that assessment slightly. That said, I do agree with the latter part: The Shakespeare Secret has all the intrigue lovers of this genre crave. Combine that with Shakespearian literature – something which I am quite partial to and you’ve got a fantastic historical thriller.

Though the book does have quite a focus on Elizabethan history, with some chapters featuring flashbacks from the 1600s and even passages from Shakespeare’s work, you don’t need to be a scholar to enjoy this novel. That is one thing that Carrell has done quite well, the mix of old and new.

I read this book after completing a short course on Shakespeare, so while I did have a tiny advantage with the content, I had not read much of the work mentioned in the book, so my understanding was limited at times. As a university professor herself, overcoming this is easy for Carrell. She maintains the novel’s readability by making the characters experience the same confusion readers may feel, examining the “old English” language and phrases in a way that flows and does not make the reader feel judged for their ignorance.

So too, Kate herself is pretty likeable and I really took to her from the very beginning, egging her on until the very end, just as you would with the likes of Alex Cross, Lincoln Rhyme and yes, even Robert Langdon.

The Shakespeare Secret is a unique take on the thriller genre, whilst at the same time drawing in fans of the historical genre. If you’re looking for a mystery with a little more intellect than those old “good cop challenges evil and wins” novels, this may be the one for you.

[Editor/Author Note: This review was originally published by The Australia Times.]