I would like to thank NetGalley, GD Harper and BooksGoSocial for Providing Me with This Arc!

As a Shakespeare enthusiast, this was an automatic must-read for me and it was a marvel! This is a speculative historical novel with VERY detailed research. It follows William Shakespeare and Alice Arden. Alice was tried, convicted, and burnt at the stake for conspiring in the murder of her husband Thomas Arden. This book follows both Shakespeare and Alice and their separate family dynamics. It follows Shakespeare's increased interest in the murder and how it came to inspire the (rumoured to be his first) play - Arden of Faversham. I loved every detail of this book and how the author provided not just a historical fiction novel but also presented the reader with the real documents, real photographs and real excerpts that inspired this book. We also get references to other Shakespeare's plays. The writing was exquisite and I will definitely be reading more from this author again.

Update: October 18 posted to TikTok, added link below.
My personal rating: 4.5
Arden leads with strong premises about an infamous murder and Shakespeare's early career. Once it got to the murder, it captivated me. Harper brings the time and the places to life in his detailed narrative. I found the characters and the strange relationships and rivalries fascinating. There are moments when honor, courage, and love shine through.

This is the most comprehensive account I've read of Shakespeare's life and his development as an actor and playwright. Harper brings a great deal of insight and skill to his portrayal of the tensions of the time. The young playwright faces challenges of earning a living, caring for his family, dealing with censorship, plagues, and enemies.In an earlier timeline, we follow Alice Arden and the events that led to her involvement in a notorious murder. This case exposes a great deal about the uses of power, the law, the extremes of punishment–and both its hidden and public uses in this place and time.

It's notable that Harper had access to discoveries from recent years and did a great deal of research with original source materials. Although Arden is fiction, he took great care with historical accuracy and included excellent notes. The photos and illustrations were an unexpected bonus.For me, the early chapters felt slow. Once the story gained momentum, I became enthralled. The many parts of the tale came together in a satisfying climax and conclusion. The core issues felt timeless. There's scandal, striving to please parents and people of influence, desire, resentment, compromises made for social standing, greed, arrogance, corruption, grudges, betrayal, and vindictiveness. Little has changed in hundreds of years.

****Possible mild spoilers****




A love triangle and a possible homosexual relationship play a part in the story, and a disturbing event during Alice's imprisonment is treated with sensitivity. The awareness of the social, legal, economic, and familial restrictions on women in this era make this a particularly valuable book. These factors intensify the novel's emotional impact as a long-hidden truth comes to light. Bravo.

Highly recommended for readers of Historical Fiction, fans of Shakespeare, and patient aficionados of true-crime-based mysteries.

My thanks to Books Go Social and the author for the ebook review copy via NetGalley for consideration. These are my unbiased opinions.

Thanks to NetGalley and GD Harper for this copy of "Arden."

With a subtitle like "The Astonishing Untold Story of Shakespeare's First Play," I couldn't wait to read it. Shakespeare stories are so interesting to me because the plays are brilliant and there's not much known about this genius' life, so fictionalizations could be reality (we just don't know...)

The story is really a mystery within a mystery, told in a very easy-to-read, engaging, and suspenseful style. There's the mystery of the murder of Thomas Arden and the mystery of the authorship of the "Arden of Faversham" play.

Many thanks to author Harper for beginning with a Cast of Characters and a Chronology of (recorded historical) Events. This made such a huge difference as it helps me to appreciate the plotting and weaving of character "fictional" actions around the recorded ones to make it feel more real.

Also many thanks for the pictures in the middle of the book - the meticulous research was so impressive! And of course now I want to read the "Arden of Faversham" play.