The debut novel by BAFTA and Emmy award-winning co-writer of BBC One's Outnumbered Guy Jenkin.

'One of the best historical fiction books of 2025' THE TIMES

'A delightful cross between Wolf Hall and Blackadder' THE EXPRESS

Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2025

'Clever, funny, ingenious and endearing' Lissa Evans

'The most audacious plot ever... gritty, engrossing and great fun' Beth Morrey

'A great story, fast, dramatic, funny, full of the sounds and smells of Elizabethan London' Andy Hamilton

It’s 1593, Elizabeth I is Queen and everyone is terrified of the worst outbreak of plague in a generation. Shakespeare has only written six plays and is lagging behind his friend Christopher Marlowe, London’s leading playwright.

When Marlowe is stabbed to death in mysterious circumstances, rumours abound – but the one that won’t go away is that Shakespeare did it to remove his greatest rival. Will is determined to clear his name, and teams up with his old flame, Marlowe’s sister Ann, who has plenty of secrets of her own.

In their search to solve the crime, Will and Ann uncover a dark world of treachery, murder, and corruption – which in turn provides Shakespeare with scenes and characters which will appear in his greatest plays. Murder Most Foul is a dark, witty and fast-paced novel, from one of Britain’s best-loved screenwriters.

'An ingenious, funny and erudite thriller' John O'Farrell

'Funny, thrilling and full of wonderful easter eggs for Shakespearean theatre fans... a treat from start to finish' David Greig