The Queen's Player

The Lost Years of William Shakespeare Book 2

Murder and Conspiracy in Elizabethan London

'A wonderful read for enthusiasts of theatre, history, and Shakespeare.' - Historical Novels Review

'Meticulously researched and intensely realized' - Prairies Book Review

'The Queen's Player's blend of history, mystery, and biography places it a cut above fictional explorations in any of these genres.' - Midwest Book Review

June 1587, and William Shakespeare, newly returned from his adventures in Italy, has at last entered on the career that will define his life by joining one of London’s leading acting companies, The Queen’s Men. An unexpected death while the company is on tour seems about to give him his big break, but instead he finds himself drawn back into the murky world of espionage in a year when England faces the challenge of the Spanish Armada and possibility of invasion. Using only his wits and his pen (and with a little help from friends old and new) he must navigate the treacheries of Elizabethan politics and get to the bottom of a plot that threatens England's stability at a crucial moment in her history.

Alive with period detail, this meticulously researched second novel in Anthony Wildman’s Lost Years series takes the reader deep into the world of Elizabethan theatre just as it is entering upon its golden age, when giants such as Christopher Marlowe and Robert Greene were turning the world of English literature on its head.