A Tip for the Hangman

Praise

“In her stunning debut, A Tip for the Hangman, Allison Epstein delivers a vivid and plausible reimagining of how Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe — noted sixteenth-century English playwright and reluctant spy — thwarted several imminent plots against the Crown. With wit and humor, Epstein expertly weaves in authentic social, political and religious details, creating a compelling and evocative story that soars. Fans of thrilling historical fiction will be highly engaged by this fast-paced read.”
–Susanna Calkins, author of the award-winning Lucy Campion historical mysteries

“Debut author Allison Epstein delivers an absolute tour de force in A Tip for the Hangman. This masterfully researched, beautifully written novel takes the reader inside the spy networks, taverns, theatres, and halls of power of Tudor England, with the irreverent Christopher Marlowe as our guide. Epstein is a talent to watch, and A Tip for the Hangman is not to be missed!”
–Alyssa Palombo, author of The Borgia Confessions

“Allison Epstein’s stunning debut creates its own genre: hard-boiled Elizabethan noir. Her imaginative take on Christopher Marlowe is virtuoso on many levels. The historical details are precisely placed yet never overwhelming, and her London is perfectly rendered in all its pungence and pageantry. But the double-crossing, the moral ambiguity, and the bloodlust all give fresh legs to a literary mystery that has as much Philip as Kit Marlowe in it. With equal ease, Epstein can describe Whitehall backstabbing and bawdy pub brawls, the sign of a gifted writer who is in command of her prodigious talent.”
–Lee Irby, author of Unreliable

“Anyone who likes Elizabethan bad boys, theater, spies, high intrigue, suspense, and sex is going to be delighted by A Tip for the Hangman. The writing goes down like a pint of good ale on a hot day and the characters are excellent company to enjoy it with. Christopher Marlowe himself would have loved it. I certainly did.”
–Delia Sherman, author of The Porcelain Dove

“The Christopher Marlowe book we’ve been waiting for! Here is the sexy, witty, self-destructive genius who can’t stay out of trouble, blazing through an Elizabethan period that comes vividly to life in Epstein’s brilliantly-researched novel. Epstein’s sentences shine, with nothing fussy or ‘Ye Olde’ about them. More than once I was stopped dead by a sentence that nailed me in my tracks with its insight and clarity. And the ending is a tour de force.”
–Ellen Kushner, author of Swordspoint