To Play the Fool
Encyclopedia
To Play the Fool is the second book in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King
. Preceded by A Grave Talent
and followed by the novel With Child
, it describes the investigation into the murder
of a homeless man.
's Twelfth Night, in which Feste the jester is described as "wise enough to play the fool."
Laurie R. King
Laurie R. King is an American author best known for her detective fiction. Among her books are the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes as her mentor and later partner, and a series featuring Kate Martinelli, a fictional lesbian San Francisco, California, police...
. Preceded by A Grave Talent
A Grave Talent
A Grave Talent is the first book in Laurie R. King's Kate Martinelli series. Concerning the search for the murderer of several young girls, it won the 1994 Edgar Award for Best First Novel...
and followed by the novel With Child
With Child
This article is about a mystery novel; for information about human pregnancy, see Pregnancy.With Child is the third novel in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. In the book, a teenaged girl is kidnapped while she was supposed to be in Kate's care...
, it describes the investigation into the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a homeless man.
Plot summary
A homeless man is murdered and Kate must determine the culprit's identity. Everything seems to point to a man whom the homeless community regards as an important religious figure.Characters in To Play the Fool
- Kate Martinelli is a member of the San Francisco Police DepartmentSan Francisco Police DepartmentThe San Francisco Police Department, also known as the SFPD and San Francisco Department Of Police, is the police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California...
. - Lee Cooper is Kate's lover.
- Al Hawkin is Kate's partner at work.
Allusions/references to other works
The title is taken from William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Twelfth Night, in which Feste the jester is described as "wise enough to play the fool."