The Queen's Gold: A Christopher Marlowe Spy Thriller

by Steven Veerapen

  Nor were beliefs in legendary golden cities the only quirky belief in Renaissance England. Though Dr John Dee does not appear in the novel, his house does. Benjamin Woolley’s The Queen's Conjuror: The Life and Magic of Dr Dee is riveting. During the magus’s trip to Europe in the 1580s with his murky associate, Edward Kelley (and, infamously, their wives) the house and library at Mortlake were indeed ransacked. I’ve invented the charlatan who took up residence to try and make a little money off the infamy of the place. However, I’ve drawn his incantations from real-life spells apparently used in the period to banish toothache and to ‘cure the biting of mad dogs’. For all things magical, see Mary Floyd-Wilson and Garrett A. Sullivan Jr.’s Environment and Embodiment in Early Modern England (Palgrave: 2007).

  As noted, Thomas Lewgar and Christopher Marlowe continued to absent themselves from Cambridge after 1585. I hope that they return for further adventures. If you enjoyed this book, or if you didn’t, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’d be very grateful if you would leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads, or get in touch with me directly on Twitter @ScrutinEye or on Instagram @steven.veerapen.3. To all who have made it this far, thank you.