The Shakespeare Thief: An Elliott Todd Mystery by Lionel Ward
In death, Harry Nielsen looked nothing like he did in life. His handsome, confident countenance had been replaced by a startled and uncomprehending look; a comic-tragic face more to be pitied than admired. That image has stayed with me and intruded on my thoughts countless times over the years and its vividness has not faded with time.
An acquaintance rather than a friend, his death at that time did not affect me deeply on a personal level but it was never-the- less shocking and disquieting, taking place as it did on my own bookshop premises.
Nielsen’s reputation had been gained as a Shakespeare ‘expert’. It was commonly said that he was more knowledgeable than anyone else on the subject and it was for this reason that I had sought him out to talk in my bookshop, Ex Libris, when I discovered that he had written an eagerly awaited new volume, timed to appear on Shakespeare’s birthday, the 23rd April, or Saint George’s Day as some will have it.