The Mad Courtesan

The Mad Courtesan is the fifth in Edward Marston's Elizabethan theater series featuring stage manager Nicholas Bracewell and the colorful acting troupe Lord Westfield's Men. In this novel, a vicious rivalry erupts between two of the actors: Owen Elias, a surly, envious Welshman, and Sebastian Carrick, the amiable and attractive son of a gentleman, begin to have increasingly realistic duels on stage.
When Sebastian is found in a Clerkenwell alley with his head split open by an axe, an uneasiness grips the company. But as Nick, ever calm and confident, begins to investigate Sebastian's mysterious life and death, he learns that Carrick's acting prowess, weakness for women, and unwillingness to repay loans have made him several enemies, both in and out of the troupe. When Nick digs further, he finds himself embroiled in a web of deception and danger that stretches to the Virgin Queen herself.