When the King of Denmark fears for his life, he summons hardboiled private eye Richard Shamus-ace investigator of the F.B.I. (that's the Fictional Bureau of Investigation). But before Shamus can get any answers, the king turns up dead, leaving behind a single demand: find his killer and help his reluctant son, Prince Hamlet, settle the score. With no witnesses, a ghostly client who won't stay quiet, and a brooding prince who couldn't care less, Shamus is in for the toughest case of his career. His prime suspects? The cunning, live wire Queen Gertrude, her power-hungry new husband and former brother-in-law Claudius, and the alluring Lady Ophelia-a femme fatale with an agenda of her own. As lies pile up and the bodies start falling, Shamus realizes one thing for certain: something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark. A sharp-witted mashup of Shakespearean drama and noir detective fiction, Hardboiled Hamlet is a thrilling, darkly comedic
whodunit where the Bard meets the mean streets.