Shakespeare’s Vengeance is a work of fiction in the historical fiction and mystery subgenres. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by author André Costa. Set in the Prohibition Era, the book follows actor Thomas Barese as he joins a secretive group of his fellow performers who gather regularly to perform the works of Shakespeare and honor Dionysus. As Thomas gets ready to tread the boards once more, he rediscovers a lost love that inspires him to try to give the performance of his life alongside the strange company of actors he has joined.

This was a fascinating thriller with the descent into obsession serving as a catalyst for a mystery that became more and more sinister the more Thomas allows himself to be drawn into the world of the Dionysus worshipers. Author André Costa is able to spin a riveting tale of passion blinding a person to the danger around them through the use of outstanding prose that distorts and warps the world of the performance the more Thomas is drawn in. As the passion for performance overwhelms, we feel how the sense of unreality in the world creates a subtle dread that creeps into the story and underpins the mystery. Overall, Shakespeare’s Vengeance is a constantly enticing mystery tale that hooks readers in with a grounded and well-considered protagonist and a powerful depiction of their descent into a cult-like world of theater. A bold and exciting mystery thriller, I recommend this book to all fans of the genre.

The day before Thomas Barese is due to marry his fiancée, he meets Lisa Stanton and, after a few hours of talking, they fall in love. Lisa gives Thomas her number, but when Thomas gets home, the number is gone, so Thomas continues with his marriage to his fiancée. After a few years' sabbatical from the theater, Thomas is invited by his lifelong friend Richard Kaplinsky to join a secret fraternity of actors who meet regularly to celebrate Dionysus, the god of theater. He participates in a unique performance of Shakespeare's most famous work, Romeo and Juliet. The actors are required to enact the tragedy without knowing their characters beforehand. They may resort to improvisation, but they must never change the course or outcome of the original play. As he is about to face the stage again, he finds a love he thought was lost to him.

André Costa's Shakespeare's Revenge is a fast-paced story with a modern twist to the classic Romeo and Juliet. A story full of love, crime, mystery, and an appreciation for Shakespeare's writing. Costa's writing is witty in that Thomas and Lisa's story parallels Romeo and Juliet's. Costa gave care to all the characters as did Shakespeare in his plays, and the characters were devoted to fulfilling the roles of their represented characters. This story is sure to knock your socks off and keep your eyes glued to the pages until the very end. It is full of twists and turns with a dramatic finish. André Costa's Shakespeare's Revenge is a must-read for drama, theater, and mystery lovers.

Shakespeare's Vengeance by André Costa is a compelling historical tale with a deep sense of mystery. Travel back to New York City in 1929. The Statue of Liberty is just fresh from being declared a national monument, Charleston hot jazz is sweeping through the ballrooms, and the League of Nations appears to be an antidote to fascism. It is also a time of Prohibition, a tyranny for many actors of the era. A secret fraternity of actors is formed as a radical response to neutralize this law. Thomas Barese, a former actor now working in law enforcement, is invited by his old friend to join this group of thespians with Dionysiac leanings in their performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Thomas thinks why not? He has been living a dull life and wants to rekindle his acting days. In doing so, he will once again encounter Julia Boisson, a woman he had known in the past. As a novice in the thespian group, he is about to reconnect with an old passion that will make him examine inhumanity and confront a new drama.

André Costa’s Shakespeare’s Vengeance is like entering a dream that evolves into a nightmare. Its hero gets another chance to relive his thespian days and unexpectedly meets the woman he was once drawn to. However, he wakes up at just the right moment with the thought that reality is a stage in itself. The novel has the structure of a thriller, with conspiracies and crime taking place. Similarly, it resembles a nightmare inhabited by strange characters that make a considerable impression on the cop side of the hero. The denouement at the end of the story is something that works—it intrigues you in the way it reconciles horror and mystery. Costa’s best achievement in the novel is finding the time period in which to place his plot. It conveys something that is mysterious, romantic, and unsettling. Costa pays attention to every element in his story to give you a reading experience that feels like a waking dream. It is the type of story that lovers of mystery tales will enjoy.

Shakespeare’s Vengeance by André Costa is an interestingly unique historical drama set in New York City in the late 1920s. Former actor Thomas Barese had walked away from his dear acting friend, Richard, and his beloved stage five years earlier, as a present to his soon-to-be wife. He had agreed to give up his love of the spotlight to settle down with his fiancée and find a job that paid well and allowed him to support his future family. Two children and a broken marriage later, Thomas decides it is time to embrace his first true love again, acting. Making contact with his old friend, Richard, he discovers his friend is now part of an experimental theater group that performs tragedies, solely for themselves, without an audience, as an homage to the Greek God of theater, Dionysus. He begs Richard to introduce him to the group and asks to be considered for admission to the august group of players. When Thomas finally is admitted to the “secret society,” he is shocked to discover he knows one of the other members of the six-person acting troupe. He is asked to perform the role of Romeo in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and so begins a performance that will electrify, shock, and confound his fellow thespians.

I would definitely classify Shakespeare’s Vengeance as a slow burn. It does grow rapidly on the reader, though, and I guarantee you will struggle to put it down once you get into it. Author André Costa has created a brilliant story here that exposes our human condition beautifully at each turn. Each of the six-member acting troupe has something enlightening to show us about ourselves, all done through the discussion and performance of certain scenes from Romeo and Juliet. I was one reader who was lulled into the enjoyment of the narrative without grasping the subtext underneath that ultimately shocked me, so definite kudos to the author there. The characters are all beautifully overdrawn and instantly recognizable, especially to anyone who has spent any time in an acting situation, even amateur dramatics. I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did and I give all credit to the author for drawing the reader into a love story within a love story and exposing the smallest of things that can make massive changes in the direction of our lives. I particularly enjoyed the character of Aurelius who was the archetypal aging gay thespian we have all come across at some time and was so beautifully portrayed by the author. If you like your stories a little unconventional and with plenty of hidden depths, I would highly recommend this read.