Nicholas Bracewell Book 4 Nine Giants

As book holder and stage manager of Lord Westfield's Men, Nicholas Bracewell is accustomed to solving problems. So when he discovers the corpse of a man, he is determined to unravel its mystery. After several attacks on the company's members, Nicholas suspects a connection - could these apparently accidental events be part of some hidden design? The fiery star of the company of players called Lord Westfield's Men, Laurence Firethorn, is hot for a lady, wife of the Lord Mayor elect. A tryst at London's Nine Giants Inn is arranged. Meanwhile, the lugubrious landlord of the actors' home base is laid even lower by a plot to take over ownership of the inn. A young apprentice actor is subjected to a horrible assault and a waterman pulls a mangled corpse from the Thames. The drama comes to a climax at the annual Lord Mayor's show as his barge moves grandly down the river....