Alms for oblivion Book

I think what I like about the period mystery genre is getting a chance to see a slice of period life. Most of the time this is peripheral although there are some authors with a great background in a period that give you more than just a nugget here and there.
While I can't quite say that about this book, there was a very interesting section on what it was like to be in prison at that time and how you had to pay to upgrade your experience out of abject squalor to mere misery. I have visited a state prison on many occasions and I can tell you that the main difference is that prisons in our time are at least cleaner. [This is because I have seen prisoners on their hands and knees cleaning a sidewalk with bleach and a tool that appeared to be barely larger than a toothbrush. It must be federal prisons where the "luxury" is. In our state's prisons you have to pay for absolutely everything - an aspirin, laundry detergent, etc. Privately run prisons have fancy websites where you can buy gift boxes of candy, etc., to be delivered. Ka-ching.]

Slight spoiler area:

Anyway, fairly good mystery, although once Nick Revill (no relation to the comedy writer/performer?) leaves London, the solution is pretty much telegraphed. And then there's the painful trope of explaining it all to the reader that's so difficult to get around. This was the earliest in the series I could find at the library, so I don't know if Shakespeare himself gets a chance to do any "detecting." He does wrangle himself a small part in this.
Would definitely read more in this series. Read this in an afternoon recovering from raking leaves. Ouch.