Allison Epstein's "A Tip for the Hangman," the movie

Featured at My Book, The Movie: A Tip for the Hangman: A Novel by Allison Epstein.

The entry begins:

A Tip for the Hangman is a historical fiction spy thriller set in 1500s England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The main character, Kit Marlowe, is a grad-student-turned-spy who finds himself undercover in the household of Mary Queen of Scots, trying to uncover a Catholic-led plot to assassinate Elizabeth.

Even though most of my characters are real historical figures, they’re mostly behind-the-scenes players who didn’t get their portraits painted often. There’s only one existing portrait of Marlowe, and scholars aren’t even really sure it’s him! So I had some freedom to play with my actor lookalikes.

In my dream cast, Kit himself is played by Timothée Chalamet. They’re both small, scrappy, poetic types who look like they’ve just wandered in from the local tavern without brushing their hair. And since Chalamet has already played Henry V, I can imagine him wandering back into old-time England for the role.

Sir Francis Walsingham, the intimidating spymaster who oversees Kit’s missions, is definitely...[read on]

Visit Allison Epstein's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Tip for the Hangman.

--Marshal Zeringue