The early 1600s in London, a time of significant change. Elizabeth I is dying, with James VI of Scotland waiting in the wings to unite England and Scotland. The long war with Spain is coming to an end and as a result, tensions are running high both on the streets and in the corridors of power. And walking those streets – and sometimes those corridors – is Constable Hardy Drew of the Bankside Watch.

Constable Drew has a reputation of solving the unsolvable and finds himself charged with solving twelve cases, some of which could change the direction of history if left unsolved – or in some cases, solved…

I was rather excited about this one – I’m a massive fan of Peter Tremayne’s Sister Fidelma novels and short stories – and the promise of twelve Shakespearean-themed mysteries intrigued me.

Let’s start with the good part – the snapshots of history are great. Taking minor events or potential pivot points in the death of Elizabeth and the succession of James shows aspects of the story that even those who covered it in school might not be aware of. The picture of Tudor/Stuart London is great too.

But…

First of all, “Shakespearean Murder Mysteries”… Now I’m no English scholar, but taking quotations as the titles of the stories, and getting someone to say that quotation at some point doesn’t make it a Shakespearean mystery. Admittedly, I don’t know much about A Winter’s Tale, for example, but I do know Henry V, for one, and if there was any parallel to the play in the story “The Game’s Afoot”, I missed it completely.

And the mysteries themselves, more importantly, never grabbed me. I wasn’t pondering who did it, more as to when the next story would start. They just didn’t grab me at all.

So another notch on the disappointing reads tally for this month. The problem with several duffers in a row is that it makes me less inclined to pick up anything in case it’s not great. Any recommendations, anyone?

Oh, and Hardy Drew? Seriously?