A Piece of Malice

Can the wisdom of Shakespeare be used to unravel the brutal murder of a young actress?

It's not a question that normally crops up in a murder inquiry, but when Shakespearean actor Jake Benatsky asks for actress Emma Marwick's help in investigating the violent death of their co-star, there's no avoiding it. That's because Jake has a peculiarity: he only ever speaks in Shakespearean dialogue. To everyone. The quotations he uses are readily understood, often scarcely noticeable as Shakespearean, but it's still weird. Especially since he won't even acknowledge what he's doing, much less explain why.

Emma reluctantly accepts, little suspecting that the investigation will drag them from the cocooned world of classical theatre through the seedy netherworld of sexual exploitation to the upper reaches of political power. Nor that it will force her to confront some very tough questions. Questions such as: Who is she, really? Who is Jake? And what chance do they have against the powerful forces that lie behind this barbarous crime?