Elizabethan England is on the brink of war with Spain. While Sir Francis Drake sails to fight for England, Sir Francis Walsingham’s network of spies wage a more secretive war. Nathan Fox is Walsingham’s latest recruit.

Dangerous Times is the first in a new series following the fortunes of thirteen-year-old Nathan Fox. Recruited from the theatre, Nathan trains at Robey’s School of Defence, before joining John Pearce on his first mission to make a treaty with the maritime empire of Venice. Together they must navigate through the political intrigue of the Doge’s court and the pride and passions of Venice’s greatest general, Othello.

 The story has all the essential elements of espionage, including assassins, coded messages, spying and high-adventure with duels of honour and a mighty sea battle. It is also a clever re-telling of Shakespeare’s Othello. The author brilliantly weaves her story into that of Shakespeare’s with the character John Pearce assuming the alias of Michael Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant. The story  reaches its climax as Nathan Fox, privy to Iago’s poisonous plot, desperately tries to prevent Shakespeare’s tragic ending.

The first adventure promises much for the series. It is full of interesting characters with the potential to develop, such as Nathan Fox the inexperienced apprentice, as well as characters with stories to tell like Master Robey and the other tutors. Moreover the premise of the books about a trainee spy allows for plenty of scope for future stories.

Dangerous Times will appeal to readers’ aged 11+. It provides a refreshing historical and literary contribution to the growing number of teenage spy-thrillers. The official website www.nathanfox-dangeroustimes.co.uk  includes extracts from the book as well as historical information about the places, professions and people in the book.

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2008-08-03