Revised Version: The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Ted Bacino

by Ted Bacino

How could Christopher Marlowe, who was gay and a known spy as well as England's foremost playwright, be suspiciously murdered and quickly buried in an unmarked grave, just days before he was to be tried for treason? How could William Shakespeare, an unknown actor who "held horses for the gentry while they watched the plays", become England's star playwright virtually overnight?

"The Shakespeare Conspiracy" is a comedy-thriller that intertwines the two mysteries. It's a wild ride through the gay London theatre world as the city fights the black plague, the hunt for Catholics, and the questions about Marlowe's murder.

Marlowe and his patron/lover, Sir Thomas Walsingham, realize that the sentence for heresy is always death. So, they fake Marlowe's murder and arrange for an unknown actor from Stratford to front the new works by Marlowe. But, Constable Maunder finds it all too suspicious and decides to investigate.

The novel is based on real people and actual events.

The novel has been made into a play that has been produced Off Broadway and in various major cities.
The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Ted Bacino

293 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2021

About the author

Ted Bacino has had a wild career as a newspaper reporter, high school and college educator, executive-assistant Secretary of State in Illinois, and vice-president of a chain of banks. He has also directed more than 100 musicals for three colleges, a dinner-theater, and Starlight Theater. As a writer he has lived in Germany, London, Venice, and Paris. He is now 82 years old and resides in Palm Springs, CA. He has a BA and MA from Northern Illinois University and a KSG from Harvard.