Winter approaches and Westfield's Men are out of work. When their widowed patron decides to marry again, he chooses a Danish bride with vague associations to the royal family. Since the wedding will take place in Elsinore, the troupe is invited to perform as guests of King Christian IV. One of the plays they select is "The Princess of Denmark"---and it will prove a disastrous choice. Westfield's Men soon find themselves embroiled in political intrigue and religious dissension. Their patron, who has only seen a miniature of his future bride, is less enthusiastic when he actually meets the lady, but he can hardly withdraw. Murder and mayhem dogs the company until they realize that they have a traitor in their ranks. It is left to Nicholas Bracewell to solve a murder, unmask the villain, and rescue Lord Westfield from his unsuitable princess of Denmark.

"At the start of Marston's spirited 16th entry in his Elizabethan Theater series (after 2005's The Malevolent Comedy), book-holder Nicholas Bracewell and the Westfield Men sail for Denmark with their twice-widowed patron, Lord Westfield, who has been enticed into marriage with Sigbrit Olsen, an alleged beauty he has seen only in a miniature painting given him by his shady business agent, Rolfe Harling. After narrow escapes from storms and pirates, Bracewell and company arrive in remote Elsinore, where Harling is murdered in the castle basement and unknown ruffians assault veteran actor Owen Elias. Bracewell's sleuthing skills again prove up to the task as he begins to suspect a ruse after Westfield's comely fiance avoids seeing her future husband for days preceding their wedding date. A coded message found inside a chess piece adds to the suspense." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)