Power Play

While working in a British library, Professor Harry Winston discovers a lost play by Shakespeare. But how does one authenticate such a finding in the face of skeptical even hostile fellow scholars? In a version of detective story, he does that and sits atop the academic pyramid. But like Icarus or Humpty Dumpty, he has a great fall. He runs afoul of the puritanical moral code of the nasty little college where he has taught for years. Will he decide to drag anyone with him in his downward journey? Has he mastered the “tuck-and-roll” technique sufficiently to survive? He wonders. The novel incorporates the “Shakespeare” play, the story of Aumerle, Earl of Rutland, friend of Richard II, foe of the usurping Henry IV. The play includes several scenes between Falstaff and Prince Hal. Those who enjoy Shakespeare can decide just how authentic the lost play is.