Invitation to a Funeral: A Tale of Restoration Intrigue

The deaths of two impoverished brothers--one found murdered in her own back yard--draw 17th-century playwright Aphra Behn into royal court intrigues in this atmospheric debut. Aphra has troubles of her own, including a soured love affair with a drunken attorney, a doltish lead actress foisted upon her by the dissolute Lord Rochester and enough debts to get her arrested. But one of the dead men is Matthew Cavell, who once helped her in a great hour of need, so she feels bound to organize a proper funeral for him. Meanwhile, the paramours of King Charles II vie for power in the palace. One of them, Nell Gwyn, brings her friend Aphra into the royal orbit. Are the Restoration religious and political battles connected to the puzzling interest of some nobles in the deaths of the two destitute men? Brown generously mixes factual and fictional Restoration history and campy drama--including such devices as secret passageways, knockout drops in the claret and manipulative mistresses--to great effect. (May)