TO BE HAMLET

"The first pages echo Hilary Mantel’s brilliant trilogy; they made me sit up in amazement. The pages following are beautifully written, like the proverbial warmed knife through butter. 

     "This is literature of the very highest quality— there can be no equivocation on this point.

     "I was profoundly impressed by story and writing. The prose is rich and smooth with one telling phrase after another. The scenes which take place within the Star Chamber are (and I rarely, if ever, use this expression): 'a touch of genius.' 

     "To Be Hamlet is 'a consummation devoutly to be wished.'"

—Brian McCredie, Literary Editor and Author of "The Bee Keeper's Tale," "Tales of the Wild, Wild Gobi," & other books 

"I read To Be Hamlet in a day— I don't think I've read a 300-page book in a single day ever. It was imaginative, enlightening, suspenseful, and excellently crafted. I loved the book's language, and I appreciate the history. It is a story of intrigue: engaging, gripping throughout, and very well-suited to cinematic treatment. Reminds me of The Da Vinci Code. 

     "Beautifully done!"

—Robert Stoller, Film Actor & Executive Film Producer at Art In Motion 

"Author Jeff Schnader takes the reader on a rollicking journey in To Be Hamlet as protagonist Dr. Fox explores the scholastic question, “Did the mysterious William Shakespeare write the Shakespearean canon? And if he didn’t, who did?

     "This novel is filled with intrigue and compelling characters, enveloping the reader in its plot completely. It is a contemporary whodunit that grapples with uncovering obscure ancestors, murderous villains, brusque detectives, and seductive siblings until the whole Shakespearean question crumbles like a page of 16th Century parchment. The fabric was rich; descriptions were compelling.

     "I had a hard time putting it down; I read it in under two days. 

     "It is brilliant—a masterpiece!"

—Liz Carson Keith, MSEd, Author of "From Scones to Corn Pones" & "The Virginia Governess"

"To Be Hamlet is a provocative page-turner from the first page to the last, its plot masterful, its prose beautifully descriptive. One encounters numerous characters whose psychological profiles are handled brilliantly. I was left breathless!"

—Victoria Fedrigotti, Published Curator, Art Critic & Art Historian, & Columbia Fiction Foundry Member

"Combining sparkling intelligence with an acute point of view, To Be Hamlet is seamlessly woven together in an incredible, can’t put down, page turner."

—Rosemary Feit Covey, Renowned Artist, Printmaker, & Wood Engraver, with works in permanent collections in major museums

"With plot twists worthy of both Shakespeare and Hitchcock, murder, betrayal, serendipitous romance, long-buried secrets & mistaken identities populate Jeff Schnader’s To Be Hamlet. 

    "An intriguing thriller that pits Stratfordians against Oxfordians, in a conflict both scholarly and homicidal, after long-hidden evidence is discovered that might at last reveal the true identity of the Bard."

—Steven Mayfield, award-winning author of "The Penny Mansions," "Treasure of the Blue Whale," & other books

"I thoroughly enjoyed To Be Hamlet. Impressively researched, this book reminded me of The Da Vinci Code in its unraveling of a murder mystery while offering clues on the authorship of the sonnets and plays ascribed to William Shakespeare. 

    "Bravo the author!"

—Lawrence R. Sussman, Attorney

"Lots of action, suspense, mystery... I didn’t want it to end. I loved the characters and all the twists and turns— a page turner!"

—Jane Grayson, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist

"I enjoyed the book most for the way it brings Shakespeare's plays into the present through plot and characters. It's got an original concept, and the Shakespeare mystery is engaging."

—Aaron Kaiserman, PhD, English Literature Faculty, University of Ottawa