Mouse Heart

When Walter—a boy who’s part of Mouse’s theatre troupe—is accused of murder, Mouse is sure he could never have done it. He’s hauled off to Newgate Prison, and Mouse and the rest of the troupe of the Moth theatre are left to find a way to free him. Mouse’s mentor Valentina tells her that if she takes a message to the mysterious Captain Teach, he’ll be sure to help them in their plight—but Mouse doesn’t see any evidence that he’s doing anything. She listens in on the Crown officers Jameson and Stuart discussing the case and goes to see the only witness, Mr Dale. He writes her a statement which confirms that the person fleeing the scene of the crime did not match Walter’s description. The plot thickens when Mouse finds a bloodstained red wool blanket which matches the one the suspect was seen wearing—inside the Moth theatre! 

Mouse’s suspicion that someone inside the Moth committed the murder sharpens when the statement goes missing and another actor, Ambrose, turns up dead. She doesn’t want to believe that Valentina is behind all this, but she’s starting to realise that this plot is bigger than just one murder—the first victim, Lady Grey, was a close confidant of the Queen. And Queen Anne is set to perform at the Moth in just a few days! Could Valentina be plotting an assassination and murdering people to cover her tracks?

In a swashbuckling duel over the burning stage of the Moth, Mouse manages to defeat Valentina, save the queen, and win Walter’s freedom. Help comes from an unlikely corner in the form of Eve, a girl who has always despised Mouse for her closeness to Valentina. Kwadwo, a Black man who also helped the Queen in her time of need, wins his emancipation and is finally able to walk free. 

This is a stunningly original murder mystery drawing on a variety of historical settings and figures. The Moth theatre is described as a glimmering palace, and the stinking streets and waterfront of Bristol come vividly to life. The mystery is well-plotted and Mouse’s acting skills are crucial to the investigation. An authors’ note at the end provides further information about the historical influences of the novel. 

murder mystery, investigation, assassination plot, actors, theatre, Shakespeare, justice, truth

1. Several people die over the course of the novel, though the deaths are not described in detail. “A blade is raised and a scream splits the empty quayside” (p. 3). “I realise I’m looking at Mr Dale. And he’s definitely dead” (p. 144). “There, curled on his side, a thin line of blood from his ear across to a pool that has formed by the stones of the quay, is Ambrose” (p. 210). “Her eyes stay open as she falls. They reflect the fire. Red, like her hair” (p. 277). 2. Kwadwo was brought to England as a slave (p. 34). 3. A woman in Newgate Prison yells at Mouse to come closer, and offers to tell her fortune (p. 43). 4. Mentions that adults often drink at the theatre (p. 48, 125).