Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter - Available

By Any Other Name

by Erin Cotter
James Meunier
Audiobook
2 of 3 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 3 copies available
"A high-stakes, high-drama mystery...led by a plucky, determined hero I would have followed anywhere...[A] romantic, delightful romp!" —Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

A down-on-his-luck actor and an English lord reluctantly team up to solve the murder of Christopher Marlowe in this Shakespearean-era "quippy, heart-wrenching debut...ideal for fans of Mackenzi Lee and F.T. Lukens" (Kirkus Reviews).
London, 1593. Sixteen-year-old Will Hughes is busy working on Shakespeare's stage, stuffing his corsets with straw and pretending to be someone else. Offstage, he's playing a part, too. The son of traitors, Will is desperate to keep his identity secret—or risk being killed in the bloody queen's imperial schemes. All he wants is to lay low until he earns enough coin to return to his family.

But when his mentor, the famous playwright Christopher Marlowe, is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Will's plans are hopelessly dashed. What's worse, Marlowe was a spy for the queen, tasked with stalking a killer rumored to be part of an elusive order of assassins, and his secrets and untimely death have put Will under a harsh spotlight. Then, when Will unwittingly foils an attempt on the queen's life, she names him her next spymaster.

Now, to avoid uncomfortable questions, prison, or an even more terrible fate, Will reluctantly starts his new career, which—yes—will secure him the resources to help his family...but at what cost? Adding insult to injury is the young Lord James Bloomsbury, Will's new comrade in arms, whose entitled demeanor and unfairly handsome looks get under Will's skin immediately.

Together, the two hunt the cunning assassin, defend the queen's life, and pray to keep their own...all while an unexpected connection blossoms between them.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 10, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781797167862
      • File size: 359944 KB
      • Duration: 12:29:52

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 4, 2023
      Struggling teen actor Will Hughes unintentionally becomes embroiled in a high-stakes murder mystery in Cotter’s careening adventure romance debut, set in 1593 Elizabethan England. Sixteen-year-old Will gets by playing female leads under the mentorship of playwright Christopher Marlowe at the infamous Rose Theater in London. But even offstage he must assume a role, having adopted his name as a pseudonym to hide the fact that he is the gay son of anti-monarchist parents, from whom he was kidnapped as a child. Determined to earn enough money to return to them, Will agrees to oversee an illegal playhouse for attractive Lord James Bloomsbury in exchange for gold. After witnessing Christopher’s murder, Will—enlisted as a spy for the queen he detests—finds himself masquerading as English nobility as he pursues an unknown assassin and tries to quell his undeniable attraction to James. Sharp-tongued Will is riveting as the earnestly melodramatic and ill-fated hero whose tumultuous and forbidden romance with James pulses beneath every scene. Cotter weaves deep research on historic events and figures such as William Shakespeare and Irish pirate queen Gráinne Ní Mháille into this leisurely and delightfully wrought tale of love and deceit. Main characters present as white. Ages 14–up.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      James Meunier gives an absorbing performance of this twisty historical adventure. Will Hughes is a young actor who is making a paltry living on the stage in 1590s London. He's also living under an assumed identity; his real name is Elias Wilde, and his family rose up when Queen Elizabeth's soldiers stole their land. When Elias's friend, Christopher Marlowe, playwright and spy for Queen Elizabeth, is brutally murdered, conflicted Elias is swept up in trying to prevent a plot against the queen--and falls into a forbidden romance with young Lord James Bloomsbury. Meunier's narration adds to the novel's rich atmosphere as he differentiates between upper- and working-class English accents, gives voice to Irish pirates, and delivers every exclamation of "Zounds!" with relish. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading
Check Out What's Being Checked Out Right Now