UNTITLED ALAN JUDD PA

A Fine Madness: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Death of Christopher Marlowe by Alan Judd In 16th-century England, espionage and intrigue were the hallmarks of the Elizabethan era. Francis Walsingham, the Queen's chief spymaster, and his team of agents worked tirelessly to uncover plots against the Crown. One operative in particular, a young Cambridge undergraduate with literary genius and controversial beliefs, was relentless in his pursuit of intelligence for the monarch. When this agent, known only by his stage name Kit Marlowe, was killed outside an inn in Deptford, his mysterious death sparked rumours and suspicion that were never satisfactorily resolved. Years later, Thomas Phelippes, a former colleague of Marlowe's, found himself imprisoned in the Tower, but a visit from an emissary of the new king offered him a chance to redeem himself by furnishing every detail he knew about his murdered friend's life and death. As Phelippes recalls the events surrounding Marlowe's death, it becomes clear that there is more to the playwright-spy's story than initially meets the eye. What secrets did Marlowe uncover in his pursuit of intelligence, and what does this have to do with King James's fascination with the famously mercurial playwright?