Philip Gooden

Una brumosa mañana del año 1602, Nick Revill, actor en la compañía de teatro Chamberlain, recibe la inesperada visita de un amigo de la infancia llamado Peter Agate. Este le revela su intención de abrirse un hueco en la escena teatral londinense y Revill hara lo posible para que forme parte de la obra que prepara su compañia, nada mas y nada menos que Troilo y Cresida de William Shakespeare. Poco despues de la llegada de Peter Agate a la compañia Chamberlain, una serie de violentos asesinatos acabaran por conducir al intrepido Revill a un paso de la horca. La unica alternativa para librarse de una muerte segura sera escapar de la prision y atrapar al verdadero culpable.Almas para el olvido es el cuarto libro de la saga de misterios shakespeareanos ideada por Philip Gooden. Esta saga, conocida como la saga Revill en honor a su protagonista, esta formada por seis libros, seis historias cerradas que pueden leerse de forma independiente. El protagonista es Nick Revill, un actor de la compañia teatral de Shakespeare que acaba ejerciendo de investigador casual ante la ola de misterios, pasiones y crimenes sin resolver en los que se ve envuelto.

Una saga de crímenes y misterios shakespeareanos.

En el verano de 1604, años después de la derrota de la ArmadaInvencible, una lujosa comitiva española remonta el Támesis.Aunque los españoles vengan a negociar un tratado de paz, las opinionesde los ingleses, mas alla de la voz oficial, y donde no llegan sus oidos, estan lejos de ser unanimes.La compañia teatral en la que trabaja Nick Revill va a participar brevemente en las celebraciones, ya que Ben Jonson, el rival de Shakespeare, organiza una mascarada en la Casa Somerset en la que la Paz va a ser interpretada por la mismisima reina de Inglaterra. La alegoria adquiere enseguida el aire enrarecido de una imprecisa conspiracion. Y cuando muere uno de los participantes en lo que a todos, menos a Nick, les parece un desgraciado accidente, la desconfianza impalpable que lo ha acechado desde que cruzo la entrada de la Casa Somerset empieza a tomar cuerpo.

La compañía Chamberlain tiene un nuevo encargo, representar Sueño de una noche de verano ante una de las familias más notorias de la Inglaterra del siglo XVII, los Elcombe. Todo se complica ante la aparicion de un cadaver a pocos dias de la boda del hijo mayor.Junco con Adam Fielding, juez de paz y amigo intimo de la familia Elcombe, Nick Revill se vera de nuevo envuelto en la investigacion de una serie de asesinatos sin conexion aparente pero que esconden un gran secreto. Amor, poder y fortuna se unen en una trama perfectamente hilada, que mantendra el suspense del lector hasta el ultimo minuto de un final sorprendente.

Nick Revill, un joven aspirante a actor, ingresa en la compañía Chamberlain’s Men recién llegado a Londres. Tras pasar por diversas vicisitudes, un joven de negro invita a Nick a alojarse en su mansi

Últimos coletazos del reinado de Isabel I y no hay heredero directo al trono; la traición y la rebelión flotan en el aire. El conde de Essex se prepara para defender el trono, pero... ¿quiere en realidad apoderarse de la Corona? Cuando la compañia en la que trabaja Nick Revill recibe el encargo de interpretar Ricardo II, Nick recibira la orden del gobierno de investigar que esta pasando y de adentrase en un mundo de conspiracion y asesinatos misteriosos.

The English language that is spoken by one billion people around the world is a linguistic mongrel, its vocabulary a diverse mix resulting from centuries of borrowing from other tongues. From the Celtic languages of pre-Roman Britain to Norman French; from the Vikings Old Scandinavian to Persian, Sanskrit, Algonquian, Cantonese and Hawaiian amongst a host of others we have enriched our modern language with such words as tulip, slogan, doolally, avocado, moccasin, ketchup and ukulele. May We Borrow Your Language? explores the intriguing and unfamiliar stories behind scores of familiar words that the English language has filched from abroad; in so doing, it also sheds fascinating light on the wider history of the development of the English we speak today. Full of etymological nuggets to intrigue and delight the reader, this is a gift book for word buffs to cherish as cerebrally stimulating as it is more-ishly entertaining. Philip Gooden writes books about language as well as historical crime novels. The former include "Whos Whose? A No-Nonsense Guide to Easily-Confused Words", "The Story of English", and (as co-author) "Idiomantics" and "The Word at War".

Born as a Germanic tongue with the arrival in Britain of the Anglo-Saxons in the early medieval period, heavily influenced by Norman French from the 11th century, and finally emerging as modern English from the late Middle Ages, the English language has grown to become the linguistic equivalent of a superpower.Worldwide some 380 million people speak English as a first language and some 600 million as a second language. A staggering one billion people are believed to be learning it. English is the premier international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy, and also on the Internet and is thought by many to be well on the way to becoming the worlds first universal language. Philip Gooden tells the story of the English language in all its richness and variety. From the intriguing origins and changing definitions of common words such as OK, beserk, curfew, cabal and pow-wow, to the massive transformations wrought in the vocabulary and structure of the language by Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquest, through to the literary triumphs of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and the works of Shakespeare, right up to the profound and surprising effect electronic media, and in particular the Internet, has had on its development.

Another clever criminal plunge into historyGuardianElizabeth I approaches the end of her illustrious reign, the plague is raging in London, and the Privy Council has ordered the theaters closed. Still, author Philip Goodens fifth novel in the popular Shakespearean series brings us a great mystery as actor-sleuth Nick Revill and the Chamberlains Men travel to Oxford, where a local physician, Dr. Hugh Fern, has commissioned a private performance of Romeo and Juliet.While Ferns motive is obscure-an attempt to reconcile two feuding families to the prospect of a marriage, perhaps; or maybe simply a ploy to get himself a role in the production-his fate is not. Indeed, he is decidedly dead, when his body is discovered during a performance at the Golden Cross Inn. No matter that the deceased lies inside a locked room or that the pestilence has followed the Chamberlain troupe from London, Revill is convinced Fern has not succumbed to natural causes.Nor is Ferns death the only one that rouses Revills suspicions. The mysteries multiply as a strange band of men in cowls patrols the town at night, a simple carter meets a baffling end, and a corpse changes its shoes.The fifth Shakespearean murder mystery in the Nick Revill series, set during the reign of the formidable Elizabeth I.Praise for Philip Gooden:Highly entertainingSunday TimesThe witty narrative, laced with puns and word play so popular in this period, makes this an enjoyable racy taleSunday TelegraphThe book has much in common with the film Shakespeare in Love - full of colourful characters . . . but the book has an underlying darknessCrime TimeHistorical mystery fans are in for a treatPublishers Weekly

Another clever criminal plunge into historyGuardianElizabeth I is nearing the end of her reign with no direct heir and plots and rumours of rebellion abound. The Queens former favourite, the Earl of Essex, appears to be eager to protect the throne, but some believe he intends to seize it. In the world of the theatre, the Chamberlains Men are approached by a member of Essexs inner circle.He offers them money to put on a special performance of Shakespeares "Richard II" - the treasonous drama of monarchy deposed and murdered. And player Nick Revill finds himself forced to act as a government spy and keep watch on his own company. But then the murders start.The second historical murder mystery in the Nick Revill series, set in the bustling theatrical world of William Shakespeare.Praise for Philip Gooden:Highly entertainingSunday TimesThe witty narrative, laced with puns and word play so popular in this period, makes this an enjoyable racy taleSunday TelegraphThe book has much in common with the film Shakespeare in Love - full of colourful characters . . . but the book has an underlying darknessCrime TimeHistorical mystery fans are in for a treatPublishers Weekly

Another clever criminal plunge into historyGuardianOn a foggy morning in 1602, a boyhood friend of Nick Revill arrives in London. When Peter Agate announces that he wants to try his hand at acting, what can Nick do but offer him a part with his own company, the Chamberlains Men, who are putting on a private production of Shakespeares Troilus and Cressida for the lawyers of Middle Temple.Yet within days Peter Agate is dead, stabbed to death at Nicks lodgings - the beginning of a sequence of violent deaths, each somehow implicating Nick himself. To avoid the hangmans noose Nick must discover the real murderer among a cast of suspects, including an aristocratic brother and sister, a troublemaker from a rival company and an ex-actor who once saw the Devil himself on stage...The fourth historical murder mystery in the Nick Revill series, set in the bustling theatrical world of William Shakespeare.Praise for Philip Gooden:Highly entertainingSunday TimesThe witty narrative, laced with puns and word play so popular in this period, makes this an enjoyable racy taleSunday TelegraphThe book has much in common with the film Shakespeare in Love - full of colourful characters . . . but the book has an underlying darknessCrime TimeHistorical mystery fans are in for a treatPublishers Weekly

Highly entertainingSunday TimesMidsummer 1601. Nick Revill and his fellow actors in the Chamberlains Men are journeying across the Wiltshire Downs for a country-house presentation of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream.It should be a pleasant, well-paid jaunt to celebrate a noble marriage, but when the actors arrive at their destination, Instede House, they enter a tense atmosphere. Lord Elcombe is pushing his older son into a marriage that the son seems set against, while in the nearby woods a wild man called Robin talks in riddles of long-hidden family secrets. In another quarter of the great estate lodges a travelling band of fire-and-brimstone morality players called the Paradise Brothers. The first death, when it occurs, looks like suicide, but Nick isnt so sure . . . Then a second murder happens right under his nose . . . and turns the Dream into a nightmare.The third Shakespearean murder mystery in the Nick Revill series, set during the reign of the formidable Elizabeth I.Praise for Philip Gooden:Another clever criminal plunge into historyGuardianThe witty narrative, laced with puns and word play so popular in this period, makes this an enjoyable racy taleSunday TelegraphThe book has much in common with the film Shakespeare in Love - full of colourful characters . . . but the book has an underlying darknessCrime TimeHistorical mystery fans are in for a treatPublishers Weekly

Once upon a time, the worst words you could utter were short, simple and tended to be four letters in length. Now things are more complicated. To be insulted as a snowflake or an expert is arguably worse than being called a **** or a **** or even a ****.So what are todays bad words and how are they different from yesterdays taboo expressions? This entertaining guide to the shifting sands of bad language is indispensable in an increasingly divided world in which abuse becomes ever more widespread and vituperative.Philip Gooden shows how and why taboo words and contentious expressions, including those four-letter ones, were first used in English. He discusses the ways such words have changed over the years and explores how a single syllable or two may possess an almost magical power to offend, distress or infuriate.Bad Words investigates the most controversial and provocative words in the English language in a way that is both anecdotal and analytical. Combining intrigue and scandal, the book delves into expressions connected to religion, ethnicity, nationality, politics, swearing and oaths, and includes contemporary issues like political correctness and elitism.

Highly entertainingSunday TimesIts the summer of 1604 and the Spanish are in London. Many years after the ill-fated Armada, they are negotiating a peace treaty with the English. Nick Revills acting company is given a ceremonial role at the celebrations, but not everybody welcomes this outbreak of peace. In the shifting world of the court there are factions. In the Tower of London sits that implacable enemy of the Spanish, Sir Walter Raleigh, and he has friends on the outside who may try to sabotage the negotiations.Nick, meanwhile, is trying to get on with his playing. Invited by Shakespeares rival, Ben Jonson, to take part in a masque at Somerset House where the Spanish are lodged, Nick is caught up in a conspiracy. During a rehearsal the courtier Sir Philip Blake dies an apparently accidental death when he tumbles from a Deus ex machina chair which is lowering him to the stageThe sixth Shakespearean murder mystery in the Nick Revill series, set during the reign of the formidable Elizabeth I.Praise for Philip Gooden:Another clever criminal plunge into historyGuardianThe witty narrative, laced with puns and word play so popular in this period, makes this an enjoyable racy taleSunday TelegraphThe book has much in common with the film Shakespeare in Love - full of colourful characters . . . but the book has an underlying darknessCrime TimeHistorical mystery fans are in for a treatPublishers Weekly

Highly entertainingSunday TimesIn the last decade of Elizabeth Is reign, Nick Revill, an aspiring young actor, comes to London seeking fame and fortune. Once there he gains employment with the Chamberlains Men.Thrown out of his digs over an unfortunate accident, Nick is offered lodgings at a wealthy Thameside mansion by a black-clad youth whose father has just died and whose mother has remarried his uncle. Pondering on the similarities between the young mans story and William Shakespeares newest tragedy, Hamlet, Nick is charged with the task of finding out whether foul play was involved in the death of the old man and hasty remarriage of his young, lusty wife.As Nick works his way ever closer to the truth, the finger of suspicion begins to point to his enigmatic employer Mr William Shakespeare - actor, author and shareholder in the Chamberlains Men . . .The first gripping historical mystery in the Nick Revill series, set in the bustling theatrical world of William Shakespeare.Praise for Philip Gooden:Another clever criminal plunge into historyGuardianThe witty narrative, laced with puns and word play so popular in this period, makes this an enjoyable racy taleSunday TelegraphThe book has much in common with the film Shakespeare in Love - full of colourful characters . . . but the book has an underlying darknessCrime TimeHistorical mystery fans are in for a treatPublishers Weekly