What do you think?
Rate this book
The Quality of Mercy
Rebecca Lopez enjoys a life of privilege in Elizabeth's England -- yet she guards secrets she dares not reveal. The beautiful, tempestuous daughter of the queen's own physician, Rebecca is also a converso -- a Jew who practices her prohibited religion clandestinely -- helping others of her banned faith escape persecution and death. And her insatiable hunger for excitement often takes her to the bustling streets of London in male garb to experience the kind of adventure available only to men. But one such outing is leading her into a dangerous viper's nest built of intrigue and foul murder in the company of a dashing young actor who inflames her romantic passions, even as he escorts her toward peril, a charming and fearless would-be playwright who calls himself Will Shakespeare.
656 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
358 people are currently reading
919 people want to read
About the author
Faye Kellerman
179 books2,021 followersFaye Kellerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She earned a BA in mathematics and a doctorate in dentistry at UCLA., and conducted research in oral biology. Kellerman's groundbreaking first novel, THE RITUAL BATH, was published in 1986 to wide critical and commercial acclaim. The winner of the Macavity Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Readers of American, THE RITUAL BATH introduced readers to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, termed by People Magazine "Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around." The New York Times enthused, "This couple's domestic affairs have the haimish warmth of reality, unlike the formulaic lives of so many other genre detectives."
There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman
Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.
There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman
Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
March 20, 2013
This book is so bad that I keep thinking it CANNOT be this bad; the author has a perfectly good mystery series (police procedural) in her Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus LA cop mysteries, so how can this attempt at historical fiction be SO wretched? I have started it at least three times, and I cannot get further than fifty or so pages in. The language is a horrible mish-mash of periods, and certainly not Elizabethan more than in shreds and patches. The characters are obnoxious. The crudity is ridiculous (the characterization of Elizabeth Tudor as being a lewd lesbian predator is particularly noxious and stupid). In all, it makes me wonder whether Jonathan Kellerman ghost-writes his wife's Decker/Lazarus series. A good mystery could be written about conversos in Tudor England, and I'd be glad to read it. This book, however, is very definitely not it.
November 18, 2015
If you've seen Shakespeare In Love you'll have a good idea what this tale covers. Add a Jewish family who practise their faith in secret as it was banned in Britain and Jews were subject to the Inquisition in Europe. A young woman of the family dresses as a man to visit the playhouse.
There is a lot less stage work and play writing than we'd expect; a friend and mentor of Will's is killed early in the tale and Will spends much time alone impractically travelling England's roads to search for his killer. I was surprised that Will could not bring some good friend with him, while deliberately riling a king of thieves seems unlikely and extreme in its outcome. Be prepared for every woman to either be a prostitute or be called one, while there is copious strong language, brief sex and earthy humour of the day that today we don't find funny.
This however tries to be two stories in one and comes out as overlong and compensating for vivid, unpleasant descriptions of the Inquisition in Portugal and Spain with the scant details of the murder. It's easy to see that the main focus is on the Jewish family, few of whom I liked, and the terrors and indignities suffered by such people at this time. We can quickly realise that The Merchant Of Venice, from which comes the title quote, might have been written after Will met a Jewish girl - the stereotype of Shylock is contrasted with the moneylender's daughter 'fair Jessica shall be my torchbearer'. The idea is good and we see a segment of the population not normally considered among the tales of Papist plots against the Crown.
Sorry, but I spotted the American origins of the writer; a creature called a 'ground squirrel' is killed, the term used twice. No ground squirrels would be found, at this time not even grey squirrels in Britain. The native tree-dwelling red is rather small and would not make a complete hat much less all the uses suggested for its body parts.
There is a lot less stage work and play writing than we'd expect; a friend and mentor of Will's is killed early in the tale and Will spends much time alone impractically travelling England's roads to search for his killer. I was surprised that Will could not bring some good friend with him, while deliberately riling a king of thieves seems unlikely and extreme in its outcome. Be prepared for every woman to either be a prostitute or be called one, while there is copious strong language, brief sex and earthy humour of the day that today we don't find funny.
This however tries to be two stories in one and comes out as overlong and compensating for vivid, unpleasant descriptions of the Inquisition in Portugal and Spain with the scant details of the murder. It's easy to see that the main focus is on the Jewish family, few of whom I liked, and the terrors and indignities suffered by such people at this time. We can quickly realise that The Merchant Of Venice, from which comes the title quote, might have been written after Will met a Jewish girl - the stereotype of Shylock is contrasted with the moneylender's daughter 'fair Jessica shall be my torchbearer'. The idea is good and we see a segment of the population not normally considered among the tales of Papist plots against the Crown.
Sorry, but I spotted the American origins of the writer; a creature called a 'ground squirrel' is killed, the term used twice. No ground squirrels would be found, at this time not even grey squirrels in Britain. The native tree-dwelling red is rather small and would not make a complete hat much less all the uses suggested for its body parts.
January 27, 2010
Couldn't make it through this one. Sorry. The premise of Shakespeare being a detective was unbelievable. The sprinkling of Elizabethan English and historical details, events and objects that seemed to be sprinkled in at random seemed contrived. I wanted to learn more about the plight of the Jews in Europe during Shakespeare's day, but got distracted by the loose morality and Kellerman's nauseating portrayal of Queen Elizabeth. I care about any of the characters, either, and I just couldn't subject myself to it beyond 125 pages. I tried. I really tried.
April 15, 2013
This novel has a mystery, some intrigue, love and adventure. It is set in Elizabethan England where Jews are banned from the country altogether. Rebecca Lopez and her family are conversos, Jewish in secret and Protestant in public. As it says in the back of the book, Rebecca disguises herself as a man so she has some freedom in her restricted life. She meets Shakspeare and adventure, mystery, intrigue abounds. Kellerman successfully describes Elizabethan England and society. Dialogue is realistic and catching. It is one of Kellermann's best.
March 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I hate how Rebecca was molested by the queen when she was young. I found it amusing how she dressed as a male and went out of the grounds. I like how her and Shakespeare found a way to meet and how they had time to have fun together. I like how Shakespeare finds out who murdered Harry. I hated the ending of this book. I can’t believe that Rebecca dies. This was a very good book.
March 31, 2022
I so wanted to like this book. I love Faye Kellerman's writing and I love Queen Elizabeth 1 books. But this was way too much. The characters were too many - the story line about Shakespeare as a detective (?) was better than the one about Rebecca Lopez. But it was all too much. Not a favorite. I am so disappointed.
September 7, 2020
Thoroughly good reading. William Shakespeare and the Inquisition. Plausible historical fiction.
March 26, 2018
DNF - stopped at Ch 16
I must provide a caveat to this post by saying I am on a lengthy fantasy fiction kick for the past 6+ months and decided to read this one-off, non-series book to pass the time until the book I want to read arrives in the mail. I usually love historical fiction because of the real people/places/events referenced that, by the conclusion of the story, make me feel a little bit more knowledgeable about some piece of history, having retained very little from school, but this one failed to captivate my attention.
Maybe I've just read too much about Elizabethan England and Shakespeare at this point, or it could be my frame of mind going into it was totally unexcited and more resigned to reading a book that's been on my shelf for some time collecting dust, but I was totally turned off from this book. To be fair, Kellerman did an excellent job at creating very real characters, because I not only disliked them, I was thoroughly disgusted by them - in other words, her depictions were TOO realistic and TOO detailed for me. Yes, most people are disgusting beasts who lack morals and even an ounce of respect for others, and this is particularly true in 1590s Europe, particularly true for women - and I've read this kind of historical fiction before - but I didn't expect all the detailed thoughts of a sicko wannabe-rapist (who I'm sure is a definitely a rapist, but I don't need the details of how his penis reacts when he thinks of raping Rebecca), the half-mad ravings of Shakespeare (OK, OK, I've read that portrayal of him enough by now), the filth of London City (descriptions of dead bodies on stakes being the least of my concerns in this book), or the rape-y behaviors of Elizabeth (first time I've ever read of anything suggesting her tendencies to use her royal power to take advantage of teenage girls - seriously not judging her interest in females, my issue is all the rape this book is throwing in my face) within the first 100 pages... so Kudos to Kellerman, but this was just too morbid for my liking. I have read AND thoroughly enjoyed books that detail religion and the gruesomeness of medieval living because I enjoyed being educated on both, but at this particular moment in my life, I can't digest any more.
I would have powered through if I empathized with any of the characters, but I've read about Rebecca-types before (dressing up as a man is an all-too-common theme for this time period) and just don't care about her (plus I just accidentally read a spoiler on the ending sooo :shrugs:). And for whatever reason (maybe the current state of world affairs) I'm having a difficult time accepting the attitudes of the men in her family without modern bias, regardless of how historically accurate. Her granmama is probably the best character that's been introduced by the time I stopped reading, and she's mostly just referred to. Furthermore, the plots (mysterious murder of Harry Whitman, who will Rebecca be eventually forced to marry, secret espionage to save Spanish Jews from Inquisition) didn't hold my interest in the least. I don't tend to shy away from the hideous histories, but this book is going back on the shelf to collect more dust until I can donate it to the library or someone with a stronger stomach.
I must provide a caveat to this post by saying I am on a lengthy fantasy fiction kick for the past 6+ months and decided to read this one-off, non-series book to pass the time until the book I want to read arrives in the mail. I usually love historical fiction because of the real people/places/events referenced that, by the conclusion of the story, make me feel a little bit more knowledgeable about some piece of history, having retained very little from school, but this one failed to captivate my attention.
Maybe I've just read too much about Elizabethan England and Shakespeare at this point, or it could be my frame of mind going into it was totally unexcited and more resigned to reading a book that's been on my shelf for some time collecting dust, but I was totally turned off from this book. To be fair, Kellerman did an excellent job at creating very real characters, because I not only disliked them, I was thoroughly disgusted by them - in other words, her depictions were TOO realistic and TOO detailed for me. Yes, most people are disgusting beasts who lack morals and even an ounce of respect for others, and this is particularly true in 1590s Europe, particularly true for women - and I've read this kind of historical fiction before - but I didn't expect all the detailed thoughts of a sicko wannabe-rapist (who I'm sure is a definitely a rapist, but I don't need the details of how his penis reacts when he thinks of raping Rebecca), the half-mad ravings of Shakespeare (OK, OK, I've read that portrayal of him enough by now), the filth of London City (descriptions of dead bodies on stakes being the least of my concerns in this book), or the rape-y behaviors of Elizabeth (first time I've ever read of anything suggesting her tendencies to use her royal power to take advantage of teenage girls - seriously not judging her interest in females, my issue is all the rape this book is throwing in my face) within the first 100 pages... so Kudos to Kellerman, but this was just too morbid for my liking. I have read AND thoroughly enjoyed books that detail religion and the gruesomeness of medieval living because I enjoyed being educated on both, but at this particular moment in my life, I can't digest any more.
I would have powered through if I empathized with any of the characters, but I've read about Rebecca-types before (dressing up as a man is an all-too-common theme for this time period) and just don't care about her (plus I just accidentally read a spoiler on the ending sooo :shrugs:). And for whatever reason (maybe the current state of world affairs) I'm having a difficult time accepting the attitudes of the men in her family without modern bias, regardless of how historically accurate. Her granmama is probably the best character that's been introduced by the time I stopped reading, and she's mostly just referred to. Furthermore, the plots (mysterious murder of Harry Whitman, who will Rebecca be eventually forced to marry, secret espionage to save Spanish Jews from Inquisition) didn't hold my interest in the least. I don't tend to shy away from the hideous histories, but this book is going back on the shelf to collect more dust until I can donate it to the library or someone with a stronger stomach.
January 24, 2009
This is an outstanding (and surprising) historical novel set in Elizabethan England, but focusing on the atrocities against Jews during the Spanish Inquisition. Faye Kellerman is mostly known for her fun but formulaic police procedurals. But you should read The Quality of Mercy for it's own merits. Kellerman has cleverly woven in a number of subplots, which I won't reveal as doing so would spoil the fun. Let's just say you're going to recognize all the players on the stage of this mini-epic.
September 19, 2009
Everything Faye Kellerman writes is amazing - I don't know how her husband garners all the fame. Even though his books are great, her's are even better.
This one is a definite departure from her standard detective mystery. As a Shakespeare lover and a fan of mysteries and histories, I felt it was a happy marriage of ideas. I can only hope she write more like this. It's definitely a book I will keep close and read again!
This one is a definite departure from her standard detective mystery. As a Shakespeare lover and a fan of mysteries and histories, I felt it was a happy marriage of ideas. I can only hope she write more like this. It's definitely a book I will keep close and read again!
June 13, 2020
I am re-reading this novel because I first read it several years ago and enjoyed it enormously! I am a long time reader of both Faye and Jonathan, so when I tried her historical novel I was a little apprehensive, but I was immediately engaged in the story. It is a well researched period mystery starring Will Shakespeare. We learn a lot concerning both every day life, and religious repression during Elizabethan times. Very enjoyable!
October 20, 2015
3.5 stars. It took me forever to really get into this book, but it turned out to be worth it. Kellerman is expert at drawing characters as real people, with many shades of grey. Even her worst villains had (a few) redeeming qualities.
I suspect this story may have provided some inspiration for the Shakespeare in Love screenplay.
I suspect this story may have provided some inspiration for the Shakespeare in Love screenplay.
February 3, 2012
Reading books such as Quality of Mercy make me glad that history has left certain mysteries unsolved. Centuries of creative speculation have created some incredibly enjoyable literary works both on paper and the screen.
Many of history’s mysteries revolve around the foremost playwright of the English language—William Shakespeare. Scholars have speculated for ages about who the dark lady of his sonnets were. They have also debated on whom he based his play “The Merchant of Venice,” for while today we often consider that play anti-Semitic, he portrayed a Jew with redeemable qualities during a period where Jews were universally hated and persecuted. There were Englishmen who would have scarce believed that they shared the same human form as a Jew or that a Jew could be anything more than the basest of criminals.
Faye Kellerman serves up a rendition of these mysteries by tying in another one from the time. Dr. Roderigo Lopez, personal physician to Queen Elizabeth was accused of treason by his enemy Essex. One of the damning pieces of evidence was a letter that referred to pearls, musk, and amber. His accusers claimed that they referred to poison, arms, and ships. Kellerman comes up with a more compassionate and intriguing explanation.
Kellerman’s novel is an intricate one that features William Shakespeare and a young Jewish girl named Rebecca Lopez. Guest appearances are made by Queen Elizabeth, Dr. Roderigo Lopez, Manuel de Andrada, Don Antonio, Burbage, and members of the Portuguese royalty and church hierarchy.
Departing from Her Series
Faye Kellerman has made her fortune with her Rina Lazarus-Peter Decker mystery series. In those mystery novels, she explores the life of an orthodox Jew and how she fits into modern society. In that sense, Quality of Mercy is not much of a departure. However, she has created very different characters as well as changed the setting and the year. The novel opens in Lisbon in 1540 and then quickly switches to London of 1593.
Kellerman retains her suspenseful storytelling voice. She redraws a world we think we know to let us see layers previously unsuspected. To get her story, she mixes religion, mystery, sex, persecution, and a love that is both passionate and enduring.
Plight of the Jews
At no point in this novel can the plight of Elizabethan Jews be ignored. Indeed, it might be said that the entire purpose of the novel is to paint a vivid picture of the life Jews led in the sixteenth century.
The novel opens with a graphic scene from the Portuguese inquisition. We see the cruelty of the Grand Inquisitor and the bloodthirstiness of the crowds. Kellerman does not spare her readers the slightest grisly detail and if your passions are not aroused by the end of the first chapter, it might be better to put the book down and pick another one.
As a Christian, I found it a difficult book to read, for there is no denying the hatred and hypocrisy of the Christians portrayed in this book. It is little comfort that they are merely poor representatives of the faith, for there is much historical accuracy in Kellerman’s account. But closing my eyes does not eliminate the past and seeing the bitter fruits of hatred can help ward it off in the future.
The novel then moves to London where we meet Rebecca and her family. They are conversos--Jews who have publicly converted to a Christian religion. In secret, they pass along their traditions and practice their rituals. They keep kosher even though refraining from eating pork is considered a crime. We discover that her family is engaged in what they refer to as “the mission”—smuggling Jews out of Portugal and to safer countries. This smuggling is made more difficult by the fact that England is enemy to some of the countries wherein lie the safe havens. This is the explanation that Kellerman gives for the damning letter brought in evidence against Lopez. Pearls, musk, and amber are code words for Jewish men, women, and children.
Historical Framework
If you have an interest in the Elizabethan period, this novel is filled with rich treats for you. Kellerman portrays royalty and courtly intrigue with a detailed pen. If you’re a fan of Queen Elizabeth, you may find her characterization of the queen a little difficult to swallow. She is certainly not portrayed favorably, though there are some exciting scenes of tight dialog with her.
Kellerman also explores the persecution of Catholics in England. Indeed, religious intolerance seems the credo of the day as anyone disagreeing with the current rulers face horridly fatal fates.
In a lighter mode, we also get to enter the Unicorn theater and meet the players and producers of London’s greatest theater. We get to stand down front with Rebecca as she watches the plays and then see Shakespeare as he struggles with his “books” and paid poetry writing. Shakespeare also recounts how he was first sponsored into the theater as he searches for the murderer of his mentor Harry.
Love and Laughter
So far, I’m afraid I’ve made the book sound completely dark and foreboding. But it is not so heavy as that. There is throughout the novel a great sense of playfulness and devoted love. Kellerman explores many aspects of love:
* The love of a grandmother for Rebecca
* Love between brothers
* The forced love in an arranged marriage
* The love of a people for their heritage and their God
* The love between two lovers whose love must be always denied
Nor does Kellerman shy away from the “unmentionables.” There is plenty of sex in this book—between cousins, between men, between women, and between lovers. There is even a despicable scene where a father sells his 13-year-old daughter to be used by a snake of a man.
Why Would I Recommend This Book to Someone?
First, Kellerman makes brilliant speculation on some of history’s mysteries. She does so passionately with characters that you’ll both love and hate. This book made me laugh and it made me cry. The book is filled with adventure as Rebecca and Will Shakespeare travel the countryside to solve a murder and further her family's mission. There are suspenseful moments worthy of any thriller as Shakespeare is captured by a mob-like gangster and threatened. It is heart-wrenching to watch as Rebecca and her family desperately try to save Dr. Lopez from the accusations of treason and the machinations of their enemies.
Publisher’s Weekly called it “A spectacular epic—romantic, bawdy, witty and abounding with adventure…Brilliantly original and breathtaking in its scope.” I second that assessment. Kellerman tells a great story and I was immensely moved by it.
Many of history’s mysteries revolve around the foremost playwright of the English language—William Shakespeare. Scholars have speculated for ages about who the dark lady of his sonnets were. They have also debated on whom he based his play “The Merchant of Venice,” for while today we often consider that play anti-Semitic, he portrayed a Jew with redeemable qualities during a period where Jews were universally hated and persecuted. There were Englishmen who would have scarce believed that they shared the same human form as a Jew or that a Jew could be anything more than the basest of criminals.
Faye Kellerman serves up a rendition of these mysteries by tying in another one from the time. Dr. Roderigo Lopez, personal physician to Queen Elizabeth was accused of treason by his enemy Essex. One of the damning pieces of evidence was a letter that referred to pearls, musk, and amber. His accusers claimed that they referred to poison, arms, and ships. Kellerman comes up with a more compassionate and intriguing explanation.
Kellerman’s novel is an intricate one that features William Shakespeare and a young Jewish girl named Rebecca Lopez. Guest appearances are made by Queen Elizabeth, Dr. Roderigo Lopez, Manuel de Andrada, Don Antonio, Burbage, and members of the Portuguese royalty and church hierarchy.
Departing from Her Series
Faye Kellerman has made her fortune with her Rina Lazarus-Peter Decker mystery series. In those mystery novels, she explores the life of an orthodox Jew and how she fits into modern society. In that sense, Quality of Mercy is not much of a departure. However, she has created very different characters as well as changed the setting and the year. The novel opens in Lisbon in 1540 and then quickly switches to London of 1593.
Kellerman retains her suspenseful storytelling voice. She redraws a world we think we know to let us see layers previously unsuspected. To get her story, she mixes religion, mystery, sex, persecution, and a love that is both passionate and enduring.
Plight of the Jews
At no point in this novel can the plight of Elizabethan Jews be ignored. Indeed, it might be said that the entire purpose of the novel is to paint a vivid picture of the life Jews led in the sixteenth century.
The novel opens with a graphic scene from the Portuguese inquisition. We see the cruelty of the Grand Inquisitor and the bloodthirstiness of the crowds. Kellerman does not spare her readers the slightest grisly detail and if your passions are not aroused by the end of the first chapter, it might be better to put the book down and pick another one.
As a Christian, I found it a difficult book to read, for there is no denying the hatred and hypocrisy of the Christians portrayed in this book. It is little comfort that they are merely poor representatives of the faith, for there is much historical accuracy in Kellerman’s account. But closing my eyes does not eliminate the past and seeing the bitter fruits of hatred can help ward it off in the future.
The novel then moves to London where we meet Rebecca and her family. They are conversos--Jews who have publicly converted to a Christian religion. In secret, they pass along their traditions and practice their rituals. They keep kosher even though refraining from eating pork is considered a crime. We discover that her family is engaged in what they refer to as “the mission”—smuggling Jews out of Portugal and to safer countries. This smuggling is made more difficult by the fact that England is enemy to some of the countries wherein lie the safe havens. This is the explanation that Kellerman gives for the damning letter brought in evidence against Lopez. Pearls, musk, and amber are code words for Jewish men, women, and children.
Historical Framework
If you have an interest in the Elizabethan period, this novel is filled with rich treats for you. Kellerman portrays royalty and courtly intrigue with a detailed pen. If you’re a fan of Queen Elizabeth, you may find her characterization of the queen a little difficult to swallow. She is certainly not portrayed favorably, though there are some exciting scenes of tight dialog with her.
Kellerman also explores the persecution of Catholics in England. Indeed, religious intolerance seems the credo of the day as anyone disagreeing with the current rulers face horridly fatal fates.
In a lighter mode, we also get to enter the Unicorn theater and meet the players and producers of London’s greatest theater. We get to stand down front with Rebecca as she watches the plays and then see Shakespeare as he struggles with his “books” and paid poetry writing. Shakespeare also recounts how he was first sponsored into the theater as he searches for the murderer of his mentor Harry.
Love and Laughter
So far, I’m afraid I’ve made the book sound completely dark and foreboding. But it is not so heavy as that. There is throughout the novel a great sense of playfulness and devoted love. Kellerman explores many aspects of love:
* The love of a grandmother for Rebecca
* Love between brothers
* The forced love in an arranged marriage
* The love of a people for their heritage and their God
* The love between two lovers whose love must be always denied
Nor does Kellerman shy away from the “unmentionables.” There is plenty of sex in this book—between cousins, between men, between women, and between lovers. There is even a despicable scene where a father sells his 13-year-old daughter to be used by a snake of a man.
Why Would I Recommend This Book to Someone?
First, Kellerman makes brilliant speculation on some of history’s mysteries. She does so passionately with characters that you’ll both love and hate. This book made me laugh and it made me cry. The book is filled with adventure as Rebecca and Will Shakespeare travel the countryside to solve a murder and further her family's mission. There are suspenseful moments worthy of any thriller as Shakespeare is captured by a mob-like gangster and threatened. It is heart-wrenching to watch as Rebecca and her family desperately try to save Dr. Lopez from the accusations of treason and the machinations of their enemies.
Publisher’s Weekly called it “A spectacular epic—romantic, bawdy, witty and abounding with adventure…Brilliantly original and breathtaking in its scope.” I second that assessment. Kellerman tells a great story and I was immensely moved by it.
August 22, 2025
I'd read a Faye Kellerman mystery ages ago and remember liking it, so I was excited when I saw that she had written a novel set in Elizabethan London and it seemed to be my answer for a challenge for a book with a queen, as well.
Kellerman had researched about Doctor Roderigo Lopez who had been Queen Elizabeth I's doctor and learned that Shakespearean scholars believe that Shylock of The Merchant of Venice was based on Lopez. It seemed to be an excellent choice. It wasn't.
We have a plot which links Lopez's daughter Rebecca to Shakespeare, an extraneous mystery in which Shakespeare attempts to find the murderer of his mentor and another with the Lopez family helping Spanish families escape the Inquisition.
Staunching the excitement were way to numerous love scenes (nothing remotely x-rated) in which declarations of love seem to be unending. I'm sure that well over 30 pages of "I love you" could have been edited out.
To put it all simply, this was not a good book.
Kellerman had researched about Doctor Roderigo Lopez who had been Queen Elizabeth I's doctor and learned that Shakespearean scholars believe that Shylock of The Merchant of Venice was based on Lopez. It seemed to be an excellent choice. It wasn't.
We have a plot which links Lopez's daughter Rebecca to Shakespeare, an extraneous mystery in which Shakespeare attempts to find the murderer of his mentor and another with the Lopez family helping Spanish families escape the Inquisition.
Staunching the excitement were way to numerous love scenes (nothing remotely x-rated) in which declarations of love seem to be unending. I'm sure that well over 30 pages of "I love you" could have been edited out.
To put it all simply, this was not a good book.
July 27, 2018
At first I gave this book 3 stars, but then I read some of the negative reviews, thought “Damn! They’re right!!” and subtracted one.
The story has an interesting premise - a romance and mystery involving William Shakespeare and a young Jewish woman who is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s personal physician. But the book ultimately fails because the author packs too many plot lines in without developing characters sufficiently, and relies on handy resolutions that read like afterthoughts. The mystery plot line, in which Shakespeare assumes the role of amateur detective trying to solve his friend’s murder, is dull and does not mix well with the other elements of the story. It’s as if Kellerman dreamed up the murder plot as a device to bring her main characters together and lost interest in it, but felt obligated to turn back to it every once in a while. By the time she revealed the killer’s identity, I didn’t even care.
The story has an interesting premise - a romance and mystery involving William Shakespeare and a young Jewish woman who is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s personal physician. But the book ultimately fails because the author packs too many plot lines in without developing characters sufficiently, and relies on handy resolutions that read like afterthoughts. The mystery plot line, in which Shakespeare assumes the role of amateur detective trying to solve his friend’s murder, is dull and does not mix well with the other elements of the story. It’s as if Kellerman dreamed up the murder plot as a device to bring her main characters together and lost interest in it, but felt obligated to turn back to it every once in a while. By the time she revealed the killer’s identity, I didn’t even care.
July 15, 2017
This is my second review of Quality of Mercy!
My first was written when I had read only 50% of the novel. Rather than repeat my statements shared them, I'd like to now say Faye Kelman is a great story teller! Her descriptions of people, the countryside, events, and speech (idiomatic for Elizabethan times ) had me feeling that I was there rather than in the 21st century! This is definitely a story worth your reading time.
Cautionary Note: Kellerman does not hold back in her descriptions. The sexual scenes are discrete but the scenes of violence are vividly explained. However, the types of violence have been documented (elsewhere) as part of the time period and not necessarily based on the author's imagination.
My first was written when I had read only 50% of the novel. Rather than repeat my statements shared them, I'd like to now say Faye Kelman is a great story teller! Her descriptions of people, the countryside, events, and speech (idiomatic for Elizabethan times ) had me feeling that I was there rather than in the 21st century! This is definitely a story worth your reading time.
Cautionary Note: Kellerman does not hold back in her descriptions. The sexual scenes are discrete but the scenes of violence are vividly explained. However, the types of violence have been documented (elsewhere) as part of the time period and not necessarily based on the author's imagination.
November 28, 2017
I had such high hopes for this book, and unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. The plot involving Shakespeare looking for his mentor's killer was the best part and would have made a great (and much shorter) story by itself, but woven in with Rebecca's family affairs it honestly just took away from the story as a whole. The two plots had little to do with one another, besides the fact that Shakespeare and Rebecca were lovers.
As a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's writing, the writing in this book fell flat to me. If you are a fan of Gregory's novels, I'd be willing to bet this book is not for you. I wanted so badly to enjoy this book, but sadly feel that I just wasted hours that could've been spent on more entertaining and well-written historical fiction books.
As a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's writing, the writing in this book fell flat to me. If you are a fan of Gregory's novels, I'd be willing to bet this book is not for you. I wanted so badly to enjoy this book, but sadly feel that I just wasted hours that could've been spent on more entertaining and well-written historical fiction books.
October 11, 2018
I have read many of Faye Kellerman's books and they are fun, but this one is excellent. It is a captivating story of Jewish conversos (acting as Protestants) in England, their daring attempt to save their fellow Jews from the Inquisition in Portugal, their integration ( or not) into London society), a loving relationship between the heroine and her grandmother (who lived through the Inquisition), and also with her difficult father (Rogerio Lopez - who is an historical figure.) It is also a love story - filled with poetry and romance - between the heroine and Shakespeare and a murder mystery involving Shakespeare's mentor Harry. I was on the edge of my seat for much of it, and the romance was a balm for my soul - amidst all the muck going on around it. A great read!
March 8, 2021
Besides being a feminist swashbuckler, this historical tale of a converso daughter of the Royal physician is not only possible but comes very very close to the true story of my husband‘s family in which there really was a closeted jew who was the doctor of the royal family. Even though I adore Faye Kellerman‘s murder mysteries, from the very first, this one is so unique and special And kept me riveted page after page that I could hardly sleep until it was finished, and then I was very sad not to be able to lose my memory and start reading all over again. Thank you Faye, for such a good read, Dr. Judith Mitrani
May 21, 2021
A great Historical Fiction Novel.This story involves William Shakespeare who meets a girl (Rebecca) that is Jewish but needs to hide her religion to survive.This takes place in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and has many historical figures in The story is how Shakespeare is searching to find the murder of his mentor and friend and encounters Rebecca dressed as a man and the two have a duel but something keeps Shakespeare from killing her. He soon meets her again and realizes who she is.They soon have a relationship. The historical figures include Queen Elizabeth Dr.Roderigo Lopez (actual queen Physician)
many others.
many others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2022
I believe this may be Faye Kellerman's Tour de force. This is unlike anything I've come across from this authour, which isn't a bad thing since I find some of Kellerman's usual crime thrillers a bit formulaic and humdrum. This is whole new level in complexity, scope and imagination. I'm not sure why I liked it so much when I probably shouldn't like it all. Sometimes you just get surprised by a book, and that's a nice thing. Be warned that there is some harsh language in here and the description of Elizabethan life made me want to shower constantly. Guess that says a lot about the writing though.
May 21, 2025
Found this one a bit of a long haul, have no idea why Shakespeare was supposed to be the hero, did enjoy the history behind the Jews hiding in England and some of the things they did to survive the inquisition. Long and convoluted story about a player who is killed in the North of England which sends Shakespeare on a journey of discovery only to find himself involved in several other intrigues and a Jewess who has sneaked out of home in her brothers clothing. Just found it difficult to relate to the characters and while not exactly boring this book never ignited my imagination either. Pass mark only.
September 25, 2019
Quality of mercy-sakes
Interesting and inventive historical fiction based on an intriguing collection of facts about Elizabethan Jewry. The Shakespearean aspect was fun if fanciful. But the amount of gore was excessive and detracted from the narrative. Way too much focus on bulging pants and the gruesome murder of whores. Became gratuitous and ultimately silly. But I’ll never watch Merchant of Venice in quite the same way! Clever idea ms Kellerman...
Interesting and inventive historical fiction based on an intriguing collection of facts about Elizabethan Jewry. The Shakespearean aspect was fun if fanciful. But the amount of gore was excessive and detracted from the narrative. Way too much focus on bulging pants and the gruesome murder of whores. Became gratuitous and ultimately silly. But I’ll never watch Merchant of Venice in quite the same way! Clever idea ms Kellerman...
December 1, 2019
I struggled to engage with this story in the beginning and almost put the book aside several times. Finally, well into the story, I was interested and eager to continue reading. I love historical fiction and the merging of Shakespeare and the Jewish life at the time was appealing. Would give the book a 2.5, given my lack of interest in the beginning.
February 14, 2024
A fun book
Overall, this book is fun. There is a murder mystery, a love story, a tragedy and several references to the writings of William Shakespeare. I'm not an expert on Elizabethan history, but I think there are also some anachronistic references, especially in the language spoken. Perhaps they were intended as Easter Eggs, to give the reader something to look for.
Overall, this book is fun. There is a murder mystery, a love story, a tragedy and several references to the writings of William Shakespeare. I'm not an expert on Elizabethan history, but I think there are also some anachronistic references, especially in the language spoken. Perhaps they were intended as Easter Eggs, to give the reader something to look for.
June 26, 2025
this is the second time I’ve tried to read this book. Faye Kellerman is one of my favorite authors, but this story is so different and the style of writing is so different that I just cannot get into it. I’ve tried twice and I finally came to the conclusion that it’s not great writer other people might like it, but this one’s driving me crazydid not finish it even though it says red.
January 17, 2019
Interesting but convoluted way to explain how the Jews lived during Elizabethan England. Did not finish book. By page 100 their were too many characters each kind of working toward their own plan, that likely does come together, but not in time for me.
July 29, 2019
I think it's a good thing that Mrs. Kellerman turned her attention to writing strictly crime movels. The protagonist, while a woman of considerable medical skill (for that time), comes across as a rather ditzy young woman who has problems making decisions; and when she does make up her mind to do more than react, she causes more problems for herself. There were also too many subplots to keep track of. And since this was a story that book place in the Shakespearian era, why didn't Ms. Kellerman provide glossary of the words that were used in the book? I'm still trying to figure out what "behalfed" means! This was a slow read, and I did think about not finishing it all. Better stickwith her Lazarus/Decker novels.
April 20, 2021
Very disappointed...not what you would expect from Faye Kellerman. I was hoping for a really good historical fiction read and what I got was poor writing, story lines that were choppy and didn't relate to each other and as far as I could tell were totally made up and not based on any facts.
May 17, 2021
The premise of Shakespeare and a Jewish woman, perhaps the dark lady of the sonnets, is potentially fascinating. However, I found the book quite long winded and even though the Shakespearean language was appropriate, it too became tedious.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews