Assessment:
Plot: The Jesuit Letter is a quick-paced mystery never lets up from the first scene to the last. This first installment in the series is a hero’s journey in a familiar Shakespearean setting in the sixteenth century. The mystery is steeped in broad themes of religion and politics of the time and is well-researched by the author. There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns, topped off by an ending that is sure to bring readers back time and again.
Prose/Style: The story is told in flashbacks with a formal tone, and has clear and intriguing descriptions of the time period and setting. Hamilton has balanced the nuances of the Elizabethan era with prose and vocabulary that is easy to follow and understand. Shakespearian fans will not be disappointed, yet fans of other genres will not find the writing intimidating.
Originality: Including characters who would have lived during the time period, like a young William Shakespeare, allows the setting and time period to feel authentic. Packaging the circumstances of the time, especially religion, politics and an action-packed mystery, is skillfully done.
Character Development/Execution: The main character is loyal and heroic, and brings out the best in other characters. Young William Shakespeare is a delightful character who not only highlights the setting but also makes the time period feel authentic, lending insight to what it might have been like to live during the time.
Date Submitted: August 20, 2021
HNS Editors Choice - November 2015
HNS Indie Award Short-list - 2016
Christopher Tyburn, the ex-soldier turned actor in Dean Hamilton’s rousingly good debut novel, The Jesuit Letter, is touring the Midlands of England with the Earl of Worcester’s Men, hoping the deadlier dramas of his earlier life had been left behind. But when he accidentally intercepts a letter from a Jesuit priest hiding in Warwickshire, he is suddenly, involuntarily involved in long-simmering Catholic plots against the Crown and must work with locals (most of whom have quite a bit to hide) to clear his name and stay one step ahead of would-be assassins who suddenly want him dead.
Readers familiar with the Elizabethan era’s most famous inhabitant will prick up their ears at the mention of Warwickshire, and they won’t be disappointed: Tyburn is soon dealing with a certain Stratford merchant named John and his bright-eyed, word-spilling young son, William Shakespeare – in fact, Tyburn soon takes rather a liking to the boy, whose fancies and endless talk console him for some of his own personal losses.
Hamilton’s narrative has been researched with obvious vigor, and yet despite the fact that the novel has frequent footnotes, the story flies along to a very satisfyingly gripping ending that will leave readers hoping for more Tyburn adventures.
One of nine historical fiction novels shortlisted for the 2016 HNS Indie Award
Semi-Finalist for the M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction
