All in the Month of May : An Elizabethan Murder Mystery

Kit is a talented young player, setting out on his acting career with the Earl of Oxford's Men.

The lively company is playing at a May Day fair in Welford-upon-Avon, when Kit and his friend Owen discover a young woman's body in the river.

Kit is alone in believing she was murdered. At the nearby manor house, where the company next performs, Kit discovers that the dead girl, Katherine, was maidservant to the lady of the house.

Katherine's ghost comes to him, pleading for justice.

He meets Rosalind, a servant girl at the manor. She was Katherine's friend and, together with Owen, they try to unravel the mystery.

Rosalind is wrongly accused of theft and thrown into Worcester gaol, condemned to hang.

Kit must juggle performances and amateur detective work, jeopardizing his career.

He also has to deal with Geoffrey, a jealous rival who is determined to put a stop to Kit's acting ambitions.

His friend Owen is always there to help him and the wise woman Elinor calls on the spirits of the woods.

Will Kit triumph or will it all come to nothing? All in the Month of May is suitable for children aged nine-12. Author Linda, who is inspired by Margaret Atwood, Sebastian Faulks and Ian McEwan, hopes the story will hook young readers into the world of Elizabethan theatre. "As a teacher, I discovered no 'whodunnit' historical fiction for children, so saw a gap in the market.

I visualise Kit solving crimes as he continues his acting career at the Globe Theatre in Jacobean London," says Linda.