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Blood and Ink

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Blood and Ink

By: DK Marley
Narrated by: Jon C. Dixon
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About this listen

In the tradition of The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber, the debut historical fiction novel Blood and Ink tells the story of Christopher (Kit) Marlowe, the dark and brooding playwright of Queen Elizabeth's court. Marlowe sells his soul to gain the one thing he desires: to see his name immortalized.

Inspired at an early age on the banks of the Stour River, his passion for a goose quill and ink thrusts him into the labyrinth of England's underworld - a secret spy ring created by the Queen's spymaster, Sir Frances Walsingham. Kit suffers the whips and scorns of time as he witnesses the massacre of Paris, the hypocrisy of the church, the rejection from his 'dark lady', the theft of his identity as a playwright, and wrenching loss breathing life into many of his unforgettable characters.

As he sinks further into the clutches of Walsingham, a masque is written by his own hand to save his life from shadowing betrayers, from the Queen's own Star Chamber, and from the Jesuit assassins of Rome, thus sending him into exile and allowing an unknown actor from Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare, to step into his shoes. And so begins the lie; and yet, what will a man not do to regain his name?

©2010, 2018 D K Marley (P)2018 D K Marley
Historical Fiction Fiction England Middle Ages Royalty

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All stars
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Loved this, enjoyed every minute well written by D K Marley and wonderfully narrated by John Dixon

Blood and Ink

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A great story from DK Marley and the characters were so vividly bought to life by Jon Dixon's narration. I would highly recommend this and will be seeking out further works by both of them.

Cracking!

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This is a masterpiece of a book, with a most wonderful tapestry of story, richly woven and laden with history. (I think I will have to read the actual book now!) As well as the fascinating premise of the story wound around Shakepeare and Marlowe, one of the things I most enjoyed was the sense of period and place. The language and quality of the writing, both descriptions and dialogues, as well as Jon Dixon's voice, brought this home. I like my audiobooks theatrical and this one delivered. My only small complaint on the narration was the voice chosen for Shakespeare himself, not so much the accent, which I appreciated having a flavor of OP (original pronunciation), but the character of the voice. Otherwise though, both the writing and the narration make for an immersive and high quality historical fiction experience. Very much recommended.

A Tour de Force!

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Really enjoyed listening to this and will be passing the link to friends.
Well worth giving a good listen.

Top notch listening

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my first audio book and I was highly pleased...it was narrated verry good ..highly recomend

v.good listen

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