In “ The Vavasour Macbeth” we find a novel of mixed genres. Part mystery/light thriller, a dash of romance, intertwined with historical figures and facts. This combination makes for a well-balanced and entertaining read.

While I am still interested in mysteries, my favorite part of this Kindle addition read was the historical fiction aspect with real-life figures Anne Vavasour and Sir Henry Lee. I always enjoy learning anything new about 16th-17th century English history. That for me, sold the book.

Overall, a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

This is an action packed historical thriller. Casey does a great job. The book had me on the edge of my seat.

4 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

I would categorize this book as a mixed genre. It is part romantic, part mystery and has a great deal about Shakespeare and document scholarship.

A vicar's subterranean vault is flooded. As part of the cleanup, the vicar notices some documents that are in very good shape; they have weathered the storm. He contacts a friend named Stephen who specializes in old documents. Together, they discover that the papers are very valuable indeed. They are letters and other papers that have to do with Anne Vavasour and her relationship with Sir Henry Lee in the late 16th and early 7th Century. The Vicar's daughter Margaret gets involved in the adventure. She and Stephen used to have a relationship that was very serious.

The document review and further search becomes deadly when the Vicar is murdered inside his home. While the reader becomes aware of the identity of the killer and his rather sick motive for the crime, Margaret, Stephen and the police are unaware.

Some of the documents turn out to be a rare find of extraordinary importance. They are a transcript of Shakespeare's original writing of his play “Macbeth.”

Anne Vavasour and Sir Henry Lee were real people. He was quite a bit older than she was and she lived to a very old age, especially for the era in which they lived.

This is a good book in some ways. It has a tendency to wander and makes switches of focus that I had difficulty following at times. Margaret and Stephen seemed a little naive about the value of the play, especially Stephen who I assumed is supposed to know about such things. Their relationship made me tired and I more or less skipped over those parts of the book. It is, however, an interesting premise for a novel and I was intrigued by that part. I enjoyed the history that was discussed in the book and found the discussion about scholarly papers interesting.

I want to thank NetGalley and Post Hill Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.