By Any Other Name

Gr 9 Up–London, 1593. When 16-year-old Will Hughes’s voice cracks in the middle of a performance, his days playing the women’s roles in theatre productions are over. Desperate for work, he meets with his friend, playwright Christopher Marlowe, to seek out new roles. Unfortunately, Marlowe is murdered before Will’s eyes, and he’s the prime suspect. Suspecting that Marlowe may have been one of Queen Elizabeth’s spies, Will finds himself in tangled in a treason plot more twisted than any play he’s performed in. This historical fiction mystery features espionage, court intrigue, and queer romance. Readers will find themselves immersed in Elizabethan life and culture due to Cotter’s excellent worldbuilding and intriguing characters. While recommended for readers of Mackenzi Lee and Virginia Boecker, this novel is slightly more serious, and some readers may be put off by the numerous twists and dragged-out ending.