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Charles Horton #2
The Poisoned Island
A brilliant young police officer discovers a series of bizarre deaths are connected to the cargo of a research vessel bound for Kew Gardens in this fantasy-tinged historical thriller set in early nineteenth-century London.
London 1812. On a dull, gray June morning, the Solander, a ship containing breathtaking plants and natural specimens brought back from Tahiti for the Royal Gardens at Kew, slowly pulls into dock under the watchful eyes of London denizens.
The apparently successful expedition soon takes on a horrid—and inexplicable—turn: the crew of the Solander starts dying one by one. Thames River Police Chief Charles Horton can find no signs of murder or suicide to explain the deaths, and the ship’s surviving crew, which has made a pact to remain tight-lipped about its voyage, further hampers his investigation. Meanwhile, one of the specimens begins to show frightening changes, forcing Horton to wonder just how “natural” they might be…
Tahiti 1769. English sailors arrive on the shores of the French Polynesian paradise—a place of breathtaking natural beauty where magic and ancient myths are alive and well. The island nirvana, however, soon starts to disintegrate as the explorers devastate the land with disease, death, and war. But what they carry back with them aboard the Solander fifty years later is far deadlier—and it is in the hands of Charles Horton to determine exactly what it is and how it might be stopped.
Lloyd Shepherd, the highly praised author of The English Monster, takes you into the bustling heart of the British Empire, where there seems to be no limit to what England will conquer. But what England took from Tahiti will come at a high price, one that will descend like a curse on the very soul of the London docks.
London 1812. On a dull, gray June morning, the Solander, a ship containing breathtaking plants and natural specimens brought back from Tahiti for the Royal Gardens at Kew, slowly pulls into dock under the watchful eyes of London denizens.
The apparently successful expedition soon takes on a horrid—and inexplicable—turn: the crew of the Solander starts dying one by one. Thames River Police Chief Charles Horton can find no signs of murder or suicide to explain the deaths, and the ship’s surviving crew, which has made a pact to remain tight-lipped about its voyage, further hampers his investigation. Meanwhile, one of the specimens begins to show frightening changes, forcing Horton to wonder just how “natural” they might be…
Tahiti 1769. English sailors arrive on the shores of the French Polynesian paradise—a place of breathtaking natural beauty where magic and ancient myths are alive and well. The island nirvana, however, soon starts to disintegrate as the explorers devastate the land with disease, death, and war. But what they carry back with them aboard the Solander fifty years later is far deadlier—and it is in the hands of Charles Horton to determine exactly what it is and how it might be stopped.
Lloyd Shepherd, the highly praised author of The English Monster, takes you into the bustling heart of the British Empire, where there seems to be no limit to what England will conquer. But what England took from Tahiti will come at a high price, one that will descend like a curse on the very soul of the London docks.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
11 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
About the author
Lloyd Shepherd
11 books93 followersI'm the author of five books. The first four - The English Monster, The Poisoned Island, Savage Magic, and The Detective and the Devil - are historical thrillers. My latest book, After London, is a contemporary dystopian thriller.
You can find me at my website, or on BlueSky as lloydshep.
You can find me at my website, or on BlueSky as lloydshep.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
July 19, 2020
For me, this was a novel of rare delight – mysterious, original, with a cast of convincing characters, mostly historical, and a plot that keeps you guessing almost until the end.
Shepherd has a personal writing style which takes a certain amount of getting used to – he writes almost entirely in the present tense, with short chapters which dodge about a good deal in location and time, but once you have got used to this, and know who the diverse characters are, it is plain sailing.
The year is 1812, when George III, whom everyone assumes is mad, has had to retire from his duties and his eldest son George, fat, greedy and inordinately vain, has become Prince Regent. A ship, the Solander, has just docked at Rotherhithe after a long voyage to the exotic island of Tahiti. It has been commissioned by the great botanist, plant collector and President of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, to bring back a cargo of plants, many completely unknown to these shores, to be nurtured in the Great Stove – in other words the hothouse – at Kew.
John Harriott, Magistrate of the Thames River Police, has been ordered to keep an eye on the security of the ship and its cargo. Hardly has the ship arrived and the crew gone ashore when they begin to be found horribly murdered in their lodgings. They are found, despite the horrific manner of their deaths, with smiles on their faces.
Harriott appoints Charles Horton, his astute young constable, to be in charge of the investigation. The first crewman to die is Samuel Ransome, an unpopular member of the crew, who has been strangled, but nevertheless died smiling. His belongings have been ransacked, but the bag containing his pay is untouched.
Horton interviews the crew on board the Solander, including their charismatic captain, Hopkins. The botanic cargo has been unloaded and taken to Kew where Sir Joseph, with the aid of his secretary, a Scottish botanist, Robert Brown, oversees its transplanting into suitable environments, taking particular interest in one seedling, which is placed in the warmth of the Great Stove.
Two more murders are actually carried out while Horton and his wife Abigail are walking in the street below. The crime is discovered by the Solander’s chaplain, a strange young man of mixed English and Tahitian parentage. This time the victims’ throats have been slashed – but they are still smiling.
The plotline enters the realms of fantasy as the seedling in the Great Stove becomes a large tree in a matter of days and Robert Brown begins to suspect that Sir Joseph Banks has some ulterior motive behind its import.
The interplay between the characters, all of whom, including Horton, have something to hide, is absorbing and the age of huge leaps in geographic and scientific discovery in which it is set is brilliantly done.
Shepherd has a personal writing style which takes a certain amount of getting used to – he writes almost entirely in the present tense, with short chapters which dodge about a good deal in location and time, but once you have got used to this, and know who the diverse characters are, it is plain sailing.
The year is 1812, when George III, whom everyone assumes is mad, has had to retire from his duties and his eldest son George, fat, greedy and inordinately vain, has become Prince Regent. A ship, the Solander, has just docked at Rotherhithe after a long voyage to the exotic island of Tahiti. It has been commissioned by the great botanist, plant collector and President of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, to bring back a cargo of plants, many completely unknown to these shores, to be nurtured in the Great Stove – in other words the hothouse – at Kew.
John Harriott, Magistrate of the Thames River Police, has been ordered to keep an eye on the security of the ship and its cargo. Hardly has the ship arrived and the crew gone ashore when they begin to be found horribly murdered in their lodgings. They are found, despite the horrific manner of their deaths, with smiles on their faces.
Harriott appoints Charles Horton, his astute young constable, to be in charge of the investigation. The first crewman to die is Samuel Ransome, an unpopular member of the crew, who has been strangled, but nevertheless died smiling. His belongings have been ransacked, but the bag containing his pay is untouched.
Horton interviews the crew on board the Solander, including their charismatic captain, Hopkins. The botanic cargo has been unloaded and taken to Kew where Sir Joseph, with the aid of his secretary, a Scottish botanist, Robert Brown, oversees its transplanting into suitable environments, taking particular interest in one seedling, which is placed in the warmth of the Great Stove.
Two more murders are actually carried out while Horton and his wife Abigail are walking in the street below. The crime is discovered by the Solander’s chaplain, a strange young man of mixed English and Tahitian parentage. This time the victims’ throats have been slashed – but they are still smiling.
The plotline enters the realms of fantasy as the seedling in the Great Stove becomes a large tree in a matter of days and Robert Brown begins to suspect that Sir Joseph Banks has some ulterior motive behind its import.
The interplay between the characters, all of whom, including Horton, have something to hide, is absorbing and the age of huge leaps in geographic and scientific discovery in which it is set is brilliantly done.
July 5, 2017
Lloyd Shepherd's second novel sees the return of his marvellous creations John Harriott (magistrate of the Thames river police) & police constable Charles Horton in another seamless blend of fact & fiction. While part of the story is set on the Pacific Island of Tahiti Shepherd still manages to bring 1800's London to life.
Some of the story does become repetitive in places & it would have benefitted from a little editing, but his sense of London life from Kew Gardens to Ratcliffe & Wapping cannot be faulted.
Some of the story does become repetitive in places & it would have benefitted from a little editing, but his sense of London life from Kew Gardens to Ratcliffe & Wapping cannot be faulted.
October 31, 2013
Being a historical novelist I tend to read a lot of books that are linked to my own particular genre. But I like my historical fiction to offer something different – and as such I very much enjoy the novels of Lloyd Shepherd.
Lloyd Shepherd has written two unique tales in The English Monster and The Poisoned Island - both of which are intelligent and stylishly written, being part historical thrillers, part detective fictions, and part fantasy horrors. Both include actual historical figures in the midst of otherwise fictional plots. In the case of The Poisoned Island, which exposes so much of the good and the bad that occurred in the Age of Enlightenment, Lloyd Shepherd lures the reader through the vivid richness of his prose, then introduces him or her to such luminaries of the era as the ‘mad’ King George III, or the corpulent Prince Regent, or the Royal Society’s Sir Joseph Banks.
In the case of The Poisoned Island the settings are the exotic but doomed South Sea Island of Otaheite where ancient rites are practiced still, which may or may not be magical. Meanwhile the island’s tropical plants that are deemed to be most valuable are harvested and transported to England by the crew of the Solander. In England the plants are to be preserved in the newly established gardens at Kew. But not all the botanical specimens are what they might appear to be, and when some members of the Solander’s crew are suddenly discovered dead (their throats slashed and yet with a terrible and disconcerting grin still fixed upon their faces), the fictional Constable Charles Horton and his magistrate friend, John Harriet, are employed to find the source of the crime situated at this novel’s heart.
Some of the London settings in which their detective work is done can even be visited today - such as in the case of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a notorious tavern off Fleet Street. And, of course, there are the hot houses at Kew where the air is steamy and dripping with moisture - and meanwhile the enthralling plot drip, drip, drips its own slow teasing poison.
Lloyd Shepherd has written two unique tales in The English Monster and The Poisoned Island - both of which are intelligent and stylishly written, being part historical thrillers, part detective fictions, and part fantasy horrors. Both include actual historical figures in the midst of otherwise fictional plots. In the case of The Poisoned Island, which exposes so much of the good and the bad that occurred in the Age of Enlightenment, Lloyd Shepherd lures the reader through the vivid richness of his prose, then introduces him or her to such luminaries of the era as the ‘mad’ King George III, or the corpulent Prince Regent, or the Royal Society’s Sir Joseph Banks.
In the case of The Poisoned Island the settings are the exotic but doomed South Sea Island of Otaheite where ancient rites are practiced still, which may or may not be magical. Meanwhile the island’s tropical plants that are deemed to be most valuable are harvested and transported to England by the crew of the Solander. In England the plants are to be preserved in the newly established gardens at Kew. But not all the botanical specimens are what they might appear to be, and when some members of the Solander’s crew are suddenly discovered dead (their throats slashed and yet with a terrible and disconcerting grin still fixed upon their faces), the fictional Constable Charles Horton and his magistrate friend, John Harriet, are employed to find the source of the crime situated at this novel’s heart.
Some of the London settings in which their detective work is done can even be visited today - such as in the case of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a notorious tavern off Fleet Street. And, of course, there are the hot houses at Kew where the air is steamy and dripping with moisture - and meanwhile the enthralling plot drip, drip, drips its own slow teasing poison.
October 4, 2018
To be honest I persevered with this book!
December 30, 2014
Delighted to discover that The Poisoned Island is made of the same stuff as The English Monster: megalomaniacal adventurers go exploring all over "primitive" cultures waving their imperial flag, with chilling consequences. In The English Monster it was Francis Drake and Jamaica, in The Poisoned Island it is Joseph Banks and Tahiti. Banks never actually funded this particular botanical expedition to Tahiti, as he does in the novel, so if you're a stickler for historical accuracy, be warned. I have no scruples when it comes to sullying the reputations of heroes of the British Empire, and enjoyed this immensely.
Constable Horton of the Thames River Police is back, with his mad detective skills still underappreciated. His queer ideas about evidence, proof and investigations are scoffed at by the magistrates and police, who prefer to just throw large parts of the Irish population in jail whenever a crime is committed. Horton admirably refrains from slapping these nincompoops and shouting "I AM WAY AHEAD OF MY TIME DAMMIT!", and doggedly pursues his clues.
This time, the crimes are connected to Joseph Banks's ship, the Solander, which has just arrived from Tahiti loaded with exotic plants...and evil! Several of the crew are murdered after having imbibed a very special herbal tea. The tea leaves seem to come from one of the plants, which is now thriving in Banks's hothouse. His secretary, Robert Brown, takes one sniff and muses that it smells like ganja. Brown, you naughty boy. It is however considerably more detrimental to one's health than mere cannabis, and Horton gets busy indeed as the bodies pile up.
There are some flashbacks to Tahiti, but most of the action takes place in London in 1812. The plot moves along swiftly, but gives the characters enough time to come to life. There are hardly any women in the book, which makes sense I suppose, seeing as women never got to do anything fun in Regency England. It is an easy read, and I mean that in the best way possible, and very entertaining. Those expecting a straight-forward historical mystery should know that there is a supernatural element to it, in case you don't care for that sort of thing. Me, I love it when mysteries, historical novels and what have you are sprinkled with a pinch of the supernatural. It makes everything better. Like cheese.
Constable Horton of the Thames River Police is back, with his mad detective skills still underappreciated. His queer ideas about evidence, proof and investigations are scoffed at by the magistrates and police, who prefer to just throw large parts of the Irish population in jail whenever a crime is committed. Horton admirably refrains from slapping these nincompoops and shouting "I AM WAY AHEAD OF MY TIME DAMMIT!", and doggedly pursues his clues.
This time, the crimes are connected to Joseph Banks's ship, the Solander, which has just arrived from Tahiti loaded with exotic plants...and evil! Several of the crew are murdered after having imbibed a very special herbal tea. The tea leaves seem to come from one of the plants, which is now thriving in Banks's hothouse. His secretary, Robert Brown, takes one sniff and muses that it smells like ganja. Brown, you naughty boy. It is however considerably more detrimental to one's health than mere cannabis, and Horton gets busy indeed as the bodies pile up.
There are some flashbacks to Tahiti, but most of the action takes place in London in 1812. The plot moves along swiftly, but gives the characters enough time to come to life. There are hardly any women in the book, which makes sense I suppose, seeing as women never got to do anything fun in Regency England. It is an easy read, and I mean that in the best way possible, and very entertaining. Those expecting a straight-forward historical mystery should know that there is a supernatural element to it, in case you don't care for that sort of thing. Me, I love it when mysteries, historical novels and what have you are sprinkled with a pinch of the supernatural. It makes everything better. Like cheese.
April 21, 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2014
Set in Regency England, The Poisoned Island weaves stories from two voyages to Tahiti (Otaheite to the British at this time) with a tale of what happenes when the H.M.S. Solander returned from that second trip. The first voyage in 1769 brings British sailors to the beautiful island paradise--with gorgeous plant life and lovely women. It is a place where magic and myth still have great influence. When the sailors head back to England, they leave behind disease and a war amongst the Tahitians. Over 40 years later, the Solander makes the journey to the island at the request of Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist in charge of the King's Gardens at Kew. The Solander carries a crew of botanists as well as the usual sailors--a crew charged with bringing back hundreds of exotic plants from Tahiti to enhance the royal gardens. Exotic plants aren't the only things that the Solander brings back to England. There is also a terrible secret...a secret that someone is willing kill to possess.
The Solander returns to England with her hold full of botanical treasures and in less than a week six members of her crew are dead--some have been strangled and some have had their throats cut, but they all died with the most unsettling, beatific smile on there faces. Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton is called upon by the Thames River Magistrate to investigate the murders. He will have to unravel a botanical mystery involving a pungent, rapidly-growing tree from Tahiti before all the pieces fall into place.
Lloyd Shepherd has done an excellent job of historical world-building--weaving authentic historical figures and events into a fictional tale of incredible believability. No--Sir Joseph Banks did not order such a botanical journey, but if he had.... And the underlying reason for the voyage and the secret that made it necessary makes for a very nice twist to the mystery. Charles Horton is an excellent investigator in a world before a truly organized police force. He is feeling his way through detective work--possibly forging ground in evidence gathering and witness questioning beforehand historically, but that's okay. I've already suspended my belief to accept Tahitian magic. Lloyd has also given Horton the perfect spouse to support him in his investigations. She is stronger than he suspects and, in this particular novel, has an interest in botany herself that can be of great help to him.
It is a mark of how good Shepherd's novel is that the present tense telling of most of the story didn't keep me from enjoying it. I've noted in other reviews how present tense really doesn't work for me. Generally speaking, it annoys me enough that I'm too busy thinking about how annoyed I am to ever settle down into the world the author has created. Shepherd's story is gripping and his narrative so compelling that while I was aware of the present tense (I think I always will be), it didn't overwhelm my sense of enjoyment.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The Solander returns to England with her hold full of botanical treasures and in less than a week six members of her crew are dead--some have been strangled and some have had their throats cut, but they all died with the most unsettling, beatific smile on there faces. Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton is called upon by the Thames River Magistrate to investigate the murders. He will have to unravel a botanical mystery involving a pungent, rapidly-growing tree from Tahiti before all the pieces fall into place.
Lloyd Shepherd has done an excellent job of historical world-building--weaving authentic historical figures and events into a fictional tale of incredible believability. No--Sir Joseph Banks did not order such a botanical journey, but if he had.... And the underlying reason for the voyage and the secret that made it necessary makes for a very nice twist to the mystery. Charles Horton is an excellent investigator in a world before a truly organized police force. He is feeling his way through detective work--possibly forging ground in evidence gathering and witness questioning beforehand historically, but that's okay. I've already suspended my belief to accept Tahitian magic. Lloyd has also given Horton the perfect spouse to support him in his investigations. She is stronger than he suspects and, in this particular novel, has an interest in botany herself that can be of great help to him.
It is a mark of how good Shepherd's novel is that the present tense telling of most of the story didn't keep me from enjoying it. I've noted in other reviews how present tense really doesn't work for me. Generally speaking, it annoys me enough that I'm too busy thinking about how annoyed I am to ever settle down into the world the author has created. Shepherd's story is gripping and his narrative so compelling that while I was aware of the present tense (I think I always will be), it didn't overwhelm my sense of enjoyment.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
March 1, 2013
The Solander docks in London laden with botanical specimens gathered for Tahiti. Sponsored by Sir Joseph Banks, the voyage was a successful endeavour to bring back the island’s hidden treasures to Kew and the Royal Society. When Charles Horton of the Thames river police stumbles upon a murder scene, he is soon to discover the connection between it, and the ship his magistrate, John Harriott, welcomed home just the day before; for the victim is a member of the crew and his death appears more than a simple robbery. When more of the crew are found dead, their expressions grinning horribly, Horton must find the truths of the voyage and once again avoid stepping on the toes of the city police.
Although The Poisoned Island follows on from The English Monster, the book works perfectly as a standalone novel. In fact, not knowing the twist of the first book might even be a benefit as I got an idea of what was going early on. I didn’t get it spot on though so there are still surprises and the mystery is only a small part of what is an excellent read with wonderfully evocative descriptions.
The streets of the London of 1812 are brought alive and one thing I love about these books are how the places are so familiar even if they have changed somewhat. There is one chapter set in the Cheshire Cheese pub on Fleet Street, which has always been my mental blueprint for urban inns in historical fiction. For those that don’t know, this pub is still in operation today and has not been modernised much (although much cleaner than in those days). Of course, the maritime history of Britain is at the forefront, from the crew to the ship to the implications of exploration and its exploitation.
It also puts into context the collections at Kew; now a pleasant break from city life but before was a huge exercise in collecting, cataloguing and keeping alive plants from around the world. We probably imagine botany to be fairly harmless but the British Empire wreaked havoc in its pursuits. The story is littered with mentions of the disease Europeans spread throughout the world. The story starts with a rape of an island woman and goes on to highlight how many were taken advantage of.
In contrast, Abigail Horton, who plays a minor role, is a fantastic modern woman for the time. She comes across more intelligent than her husband and is fascinated with the emerging science. She is quietly supportive of his efforts to adopt a different way of policing and she breathes a little bit of compassion into what otherwise could be an incredibly dark tale. It has previously been established that she is unable to have children which allows her to not be the dutiful housewife so many women of her standing would have been.
Although The Poisoned Island follows on from The English Monster, the book works perfectly as a standalone novel. In fact, not knowing the twist of the first book might even be a benefit as I got an idea of what was going early on. I didn’t get it spot on though so there are still surprises and the mystery is only a small part of what is an excellent read with wonderfully evocative descriptions.
The streets of the London of 1812 are brought alive and one thing I love about these books are how the places are so familiar even if they have changed somewhat. There is one chapter set in the Cheshire Cheese pub on Fleet Street, which has always been my mental blueprint for urban inns in historical fiction. For those that don’t know, this pub is still in operation today and has not been modernised much (although much cleaner than in those days). Of course, the maritime history of Britain is at the forefront, from the crew to the ship to the implications of exploration and its exploitation.
It also puts into context the collections at Kew; now a pleasant break from city life but before was a huge exercise in collecting, cataloguing and keeping alive plants from around the world. We probably imagine botany to be fairly harmless but the British Empire wreaked havoc in its pursuits. The story is littered with mentions of the disease Europeans spread throughout the world. The story starts with a rape of an island woman and goes on to highlight how many were taken advantage of.
In contrast, Abigail Horton, who plays a minor role, is a fantastic modern woman for the time. She comes across more intelligent than her husband and is fascinated with the emerging science. She is quietly supportive of his efforts to adopt a different way of policing and she breathes a little bit of compassion into what otherwise could be an incredibly dark tale. It has previously been established that she is unable to have children which allows her to not be the dutiful housewife so many women of her standing would have been.
May 28, 2013
Someone nicely described The English Monster as ‘Regency X-Files.’ Well, this is Regency Fringe.
A ship arrives from the strange, doomed island of Tahiti, carrying a cargo of plants destined for the gardens at Kew. But not all the plants are what they seem. And when certain members of the crew are found dead, Constable Charles Horton and his magistrate, John Harriott, must once again dig up the buried crimes of England’s past.
http://www.lloydshepherd.com/the-pois...
LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti. When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles - John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation. But what connects the crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's new science possibly explain the strangeness of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew? Horton must employ his singular methods to uncover a chain of conspiracy stretching all the way back to the foot of the great dead volcano Tahiti Nui, beneath the hungry eyes of ancient gods.
Thrilling, colourful theatrical that is a murder mystery packed with historical detail and a touch of weird.
A ship arrives from the strange, doomed island of Tahiti, carrying a cargo of plants destined for the gardens at Kew. But not all the plants are what they seem. And when certain members of the crew are found dead, Constable Charles Horton and his magistrate, John Harriott, must once again dig up the buried crimes of England’s past.
http://www.lloydshepherd.com/the-pois...
LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti. When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles - John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation. But what connects the crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's new science possibly explain the strangeness of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew? Horton must employ his singular methods to uncover a chain of conspiracy stretching all the way back to the foot of the great dead volcano Tahiti Nui, beneath the hungry eyes of ancient gods.
Thrilling, colourful theatrical that is a murder mystery packed with historical detail and a touch of weird.
July 4, 2024
Good mix of fact and fiction with a story that clips along.
January 8, 2022
This was a good read but WAY too many characters had names beginning with H.
May 27, 2023
So, I have just begun to explore Lloyd Shepherd’s books and this one was an interesting read but sadly didn’t quite live up to its full potential. It’s clear a lot of time and effort went into ensuring the historical accuracy of the novel, but the writing style is a bit different and takes some getting used to. Lloyd flits between tenses and different points of view so it took me a while to understand and felt overall like a slow burner. It all seemed to be the two detectives dashing around, being very busy and encountering lots of extra murders, but not really getting any sort of gist of what was going on till the final few chapters. I loved some of the descriptions about the island and the plants at Kew but I just felt a bit disappointed it wasn’t the expected detective story elements to help me feel involved in discovering the mysteries behind the story myself. There are some grisly murder scenes and the descriptions are very detailed, I was just left wanting a bit more.
September 2, 2013
The Poisoned Island combines a mystery, history, and the supernatural. Set mainly in 1811 in London, the place and time move back and forth to preview the incidents that lead to the series of murders plaguing the crew of the ship Solander which has recently docked in London.
Several characters are real; Joseph Banks was famous as a naturalist and botanist and accompanied Cook on his first voyage to the South Pacific, including the island of Tahiti. Banks later funded William Bligh's voyage to Tahiti to gather and transplant breadfruit trees to the Caribbean Islands. Daniel Solander, the Swedish naturalist, and Banks were friends, and Banks was an adviser to George III on the Royal Botanic Gardens. These historical figures and situations figure into the mystery.
Thames Magistrate, John Harriott and River Police officer Charles Horton were also real people, and in the novel pursue a killer who has been murdering members of the crew of the fictitious Solander. The purpose of the Solander's voyage was to gather new and exotic plants; included in the cargo is the unique (and supernatural) example of a breadfruit tree that is unlike any of the others on the island. The crew members that are being murdered are associated, but the motive for the murders is unknown. Horton is charged with the investigation, which he diligently pursues.
(Harriott and Horton also featured in Shepherd's first novel The English Monster based on the infamous Ratcliffe Highway Murders.)
The novel is atmospheric and depicts a London that is scientifically advanced and socially squalid. It is a serious novel that contains no humor; the language and style work well with the period of the early 1800's, and the narrative moves back and forth in time and from one character to another. One important theme is concerned with the way European ships and their crews poisoned many of the places they visited. The physical and mental health of the population, the social system, the religious system, and the environment of Tahiti -- all poisoned.
My interest in historical detail frequently sent me to Google to discover which characters were real, what was accurate concerning historic characters, more about Captain Bligh and the Bounty, more about the Kew Gardens, etc. I learned a great deal about events and incidents of which I previously had only a vague knowledge.
The supernatural element was a negative for me, and I found it distracting and a bit irritating, but Thames River Police, Magistrate Harriott, and officer Charles Horton were interesting. All of the characters, however, have a distance, an impersonal aspect. The only two characters (and they are extremely minor) with a real sense of presence or warmth, are the wife of the Solander's captain and Abigail, the wife of Charles Horton.
In a way, I found the novel both impressive and tedious.
Although I am writing this in August, I will schedule the post for a month before release.
NetGalley/Washington Square Press
Historical Mystery/Supernatural. Jan. 14, 2014. Print Version: 432 pages.
Several characters are real; Joseph Banks was famous as a naturalist and botanist and accompanied Cook on his first voyage to the South Pacific, including the island of Tahiti. Banks later funded William Bligh's voyage to Tahiti to gather and transplant breadfruit trees to the Caribbean Islands. Daniel Solander, the Swedish naturalist, and Banks were friends, and Banks was an adviser to George III on the Royal Botanic Gardens. These historical figures and situations figure into the mystery.
Thames Magistrate, John Harriott and River Police officer Charles Horton were also real people, and in the novel pursue a killer who has been murdering members of the crew of the fictitious Solander. The purpose of the Solander's voyage was to gather new and exotic plants; included in the cargo is the unique (and supernatural) example of a breadfruit tree that is unlike any of the others on the island. The crew members that are being murdered are associated, but the motive for the murders is unknown. Horton is charged with the investigation, which he diligently pursues.
(Harriott and Horton also featured in Shepherd's first novel The English Monster based on the infamous Ratcliffe Highway Murders.)
The novel is atmospheric and depicts a London that is scientifically advanced and socially squalid. It is a serious novel that contains no humor; the language and style work well with the period of the early 1800's, and the narrative moves back and forth in time and from one character to another. One important theme is concerned with the way European ships and their crews poisoned many of the places they visited. The physical and mental health of the population, the social system, the religious system, and the environment of Tahiti -- all poisoned.
My interest in historical detail frequently sent me to Google to discover which characters were real, what was accurate concerning historic characters, more about Captain Bligh and the Bounty, more about the Kew Gardens, etc. I learned a great deal about events and incidents of which I previously had only a vague knowledge.
The supernatural element was a negative for me, and I found it distracting and a bit irritating, but Thames River Police, Magistrate Harriott, and officer Charles Horton were interesting. All of the characters, however, have a distance, an impersonal aspect. The only two characters (and they are extremely minor) with a real sense of presence or warmth, are the wife of the Solander's captain and Abigail, the wife of Charles Horton.
In a way, I found the novel both impressive and tedious.
Although I am writing this in August, I will schedule the post for a month before release.
NetGalley/Washington Square Press
Historical Mystery/Supernatural. Jan. 14, 2014. Print Version: 432 pages.
December 18, 2016
3.5 Stars
Lloyd Shepherd's The Poisoned Island takes place primarily in London in the early 19th century, although parts of the narrative are also set in Tahiti. The story concerns the return from Tahiti of the Solander, a ship sent to the island to transport native plants back to London, and her crew. Almost immediately upon the ship's return, however, crew members start to turn up dead. While their deaths don't appear to be related to foul play, police officer Charles Horton investigates them nonetheless. Horton soon discovers that there is much more to the deaths than meets the eye, including linkages to a mysterious Tahitian plant.
The mystery in this novel unfolds slowly and from various character's perspectives. While some readers might find these changes in perspective jarring, I think it worked very well for this particular novel as it heightens the sense of intrigue and leaves the reader guessing as to the possible explanation for the deaths right until the final pages.
Aside from being an intriguing mystery, one of the greatest strengths of The Poisoned Island is how vividly the settings are described. As a result, both 19th century London and Tahiti come to life for the reader.
Another strength of the novel is its skillfully drawn characters, whose narratives readers should find interesting. Charles Horton, the novel's protagonist, is particularly engaging and I enjoyed how he applied newly developed detective/ investigative techniques to his work.
Several of the characters in the book, including Charles Horton, were first introduced in The English Monster, a mystery dealing with England's infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders. I wasn't aware prior to reading The Poisoned Island that it was a follow-up to an earlier book. While The Poisoned Island can be read as a stand alone novel, it does include a number of references to events in The English Monster and it is apparent that Charles Horton was much affected by them. The inclusion of these references didn't diminish my enjoyment of the mystery found in The Poisoned Island, but I did sometimes feel as if I was missing important background information.
Overall an entertaining and well-written novel, The Poisoned Island is recommended to fans of historical mysteries. I'm looking forward to reading more from Lloyd Shepherd, including The English Monster.
Source: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review first appeared on my blog, Confessions of an Avid Reader.
Lloyd Shepherd's The Poisoned Island takes place primarily in London in the early 19th century, although parts of the narrative are also set in Tahiti. The story concerns the return from Tahiti of the Solander, a ship sent to the island to transport native plants back to London, and her crew. Almost immediately upon the ship's return, however, crew members start to turn up dead. While their deaths don't appear to be related to foul play, police officer Charles Horton investigates them nonetheless. Horton soon discovers that there is much more to the deaths than meets the eye, including linkages to a mysterious Tahitian plant.
The mystery in this novel unfolds slowly and from various character's perspectives. While some readers might find these changes in perspective jarring, I think it worked very well for this particular novel as it heightens the sense of intrigue and leaves the reader guessing as to the possible explanation for the deaths right until the final pages.
Aside from being an intriguing mystery, one of the greatest strengths of The Poisoned Island is how vividly the settings are described. As a result, both 19th century London and Tahiti come to life for the reader.
Another strength of the novel is its skillfully drawn characters, whose narratives readers should find interesting. Charles Horton, the novel's protagonist, is particularly engaging and I enjoyed how he applied newly developed detective/ investigative techniques to his work.
Several of the characters in the book, including Charles Horton, were first introduced in The English Monster, a mystery dealing with England's infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders. I wasn't aware prior to reading The Poisoned Island that it was a follow-up to an earlier book. While The Poisoned Island can be read as a stand alone novel, it does include a number of references to events in The English Monster and it is apparent that Charles Horton was much affected by them. The inclusion of these references didn't diminish my enjoyment of the mystery found in The Poisoned Island, but I did sometimes feel as if I was missing important background information.
Overall an entertaining and well-written novel, The Poisoned Island is recommended to fans of historical mysteries. I'm looking forward to reading more from Lloyd Shepherd, including The English Monster.
Source: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review first appeared on my blog, Confessions of an Avid Reader.
August 23, 2013
First of all I should perhaps make clear that I havent read "The English Monster" which precedes this novel but it did not detract from my enjoyment of "The Poisoned Island" one bit.
LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti.
When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles, John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation.
The way I would describe this novel in one word is "Rich". The prose is terrific and draws you straight into another world. Characterisation is top notch and as someone who doesnt really "do" historical fiction I was immediately hooked. The streets of London live in this book - familiar places but with an unfamiliar way of living, the sense of place is amazing. The mystery is intriguing...and although I know absolutely nothing about this period in History it all felt very authentic.
Its difficult to review this book - another one where almost anything you would love to say will probably include spoilers...I think I'm just going to leave with this. If you are looking for something highly intriguing, a little bit different to the norm and have an interest in History then this one is for you. Certainly, although I am late to the party, I shall be picking up a copy of "The English Monster" soon. Nicely done Mr Shepherd.
Thanks to the author and publisher for the copy of this book via netgalley.
Happy Reading Folks!
LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti.
When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles, John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation.
The way I would describe this novel in one word is "Rich". The prose is terrific and draws you straight into another world. Characterisation is top notch and as someone who doesnt really "do" historical fiction I was immediately hooked. The streets of London live in this book - familiar places but with an unfamiliar way of living, the sense of place is amazing. The mystery is intriguing...and although I know absolutely nothing about this period in History it all felt very authentic.
Its difficult to review this book - another one where almost anything you would love to say will probably include spoilers...I think I'm just going to leave with this. If you are looking for something highly intriguing, a little bit different to the norm and have an interest in History then this one is for you. Certainly, although I am late to the party, I shall be picking up a copy of "The English Monster" soon. Nicely done Mr Shepherd.
Thanks to the author and publisher for the copy of this book via netgalley.
Happy Reading Folks!
September 30, 2013
A good book, with elements of magic that don't seem completely unrealistic.
A ship returns from Otaheite (Tahiti) with a group of sailors sharing some kind of secret. This group starts being killed off in a strange manner, which attracts the attention of Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton (identified incorrectly in the synopsis as "Thames River Police Chief"). Horton is a new kind of policeman, one who is interested in "investigation" and "evidence". This brings him into conflict with some of the other keepers of the peace, but with the support of his boss (the actual Thames River Police Chief, referred to here are a magistrate) John Harriott, Horton looks into this rash of bizarre killings. The action switches back and forth between London and Tahiti, and offers an interesting view of one of the farthest corners of the British Empire, and the struggles that ensued in the decades after the arrival of the British. Real historical persons are depicted in a reasonable enough way, and the mystery portion is solid, if not spectacular.
I think my main issue is with the anachronism of handwriting comparison and modern investigation techniques. I don't have the same problem with mysteries set in ancient Rome, medieval Ireland, or Elizabethan England, though. Maybe it's just because it's so close to the rise of modern forensics that I was a bit irked. Maybe I'm just being picky because I'm a history nerd.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and will try to find his previous book, The English monster.
A ship returns from Otaheite (Tahiti) with a group of sailors sharing some kind of secret. This group starts being killed off in a strange manner, which attracts the attention of Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton (identified incorrectly in the synopsis as "Thames River Police Chief"). Horton is a new kind of policeman, one who is interested in "investigation" and "evidence". This brings him into conflict with some of the other keepers of the peace, but with the support of his boss (the actual Thames River Police Chief, referred to here are a magistrate) John Harriott, Horton looks into this rash of bizarre killings. The action switches back and forth between London and Tahiti, and offers an interesting view of one of the farthest corners of the British Empire, and the struggles that ensued in the decades after the arrival of the British. Real historical persons are depicted in a reasonable enough way, and the mystery portion is solid, if not spectacular.
I think my main issue is with the anachronism of handwriting comparison and modern investigation techniques. I don't have the same problem with mysteries set in ancient Rome, medieval Ireland, or Elizabethan England, though. Maybe it's just because it's so close to the rise of modern forensics that I was a bit irked. Maybe I'm just being picky because I'm a history nerd.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and will try to find his previous book, The English monster.
April 7, 2014
The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd
Read 7th April 2014
Reading this novel was like holding a writhing snake well away from your body; you want to let go and yet you cannot in case it comes after you! I needed to know what happened. It is basically a detective story.
The plot is a combination of mystery, history and the supernatural - set in 1811, London. The novel is atmospheric and depicts a socially squalid London. The ship ‘Solander’ comes into London docks from Tahiti, carrying a cargo of botanical specimens; these are due to be sent to Kew gardens.
Suddenly some of the returning crew members are murdered in mysterious circumstances . A secret is hinted at. More and more characters are introduced. Some of the characters are for real; Joseph Banks a famous naturalist and botanist. He funded William Bligh’s voyage to Tahiti to gather and transplant breadfruit trees to the Caribbean Islands.
Throughout this entire book I felt overloaded with names;so many names started with the letter ‘H’. It was a bother to sit and think about whom who was. It is a disquieting read, uncomfortable and mysterious. It contains little humour but the style worked well with the period of the early 1800’s.
The narrative moves back and forth in time and from one character to another; I found these characters distant and impersonal. Forgive me but this book was a tedious read and yet it had a mystery about the murders and deaths of the returning crew of the 'Solander' that I needed to solve. I eventually let go of the serpent and will honestly say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected to. Maybe I needed to read Lloyd Shepherd's previous book about the River Police?
I award this book 3 stars.
Read 7th April 2014
Reading this novel was like holding a writhing snake well away from your body; you want to let go and yet you cannot in case it comes after you! I needed to know what happened. It is basically a detective story.
The plot is a combination of mystery, history and the supernatural - set in 1811, London. The novel is atmospheric and depicts a socially squalid London. The ship ‘Solander’ comes into London docks from Tahiti, carrying a cargo of botanical specimens; these are due to be sent to Kew gardens.
Suddenly some of the returning crew members are murdered in mysterious circumstances . A secret is hinted at. More and more characters are introduced. Some of the characters are for real; Joseph Banks a famous naturalist and botanist. He funded William Bligh’s voyage to Tahiti to gather and transplant breadfruit trees to the Caribbean Islands.
Throughout this entire book I felt overloaded with names;so many names started with the letter ‘H’. It was a bother to sit and think about whom who was. It is a disquieting read, uncomfortable and mysterious. It contains little humour but the style worked well with the period of the early 1800’s.
The narrative moves back and forth in time and from one character to another; I found these characters distant and impersonal. Forgive me but this book was a tedious read and yet it had a mystery about the murders and deaths of the returning crew of the 'Solander' that I needed to solve. I eventually let go of the serpent and will honestly say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected to. Maybe I needed to read Lloyd Shepherd's previous book about the River Police?
I award this book 3 stars.
December 19, 2013
At the start of the book we are introduced to some of the crew of the Solander who have recently returned from Tahiti. Their ship contained hundreds of exotic plants all destined for Kew Gardens. One of them is Sam Ransome who 'enjoyed the delights of the island', and who, upon reaching his lodgings, immediately puts the kettle on and makes himself a cup of tea and is 'blissfully happy'. Unfortunately for Sam he is found strangled soon after but with a huge smile on his face!
More of the crew are found murdered in a similar way and constable Charles Horton is struggling to find a motive, a killer or a possible connection to their deaths.
This is an intelligent and well written story with interesting characters. Lloyd Shepherd's earlier book The English Monster also features Horton and his boss, John Harriott, and several references are made to those murders in this book.
If you like your historical murder mysteries with atmosphere, well developed characters and an unusual plotline slowly unfolding like the leaves of some mysterious tropical island plant, then I would recommend you add this to your bookshelf.
From Carole's Book Corner
More of the crew are found murdered in a similar way and constable Charles Horton is struggling to find a motive, a killer or a possible connection to their deaths.
This is an intelligent and well written story with interesting characters. Lloyd Shepherd's earlier book The English Monster also features Horton and his boss, John Harriott, and several references are made to those murders in this book.
If you like your historical murder mysteries with atmosphere, well developed characters and an unusual plotline slowly unfolding like the leaves of some mysterious tropical island plant, then I would recommend you add this to your bookshelf.
From Carole's Book Corner
January 5, 2018
The English Monster was one of the most extraordinarily curious (in a good way) historical novels I read last year. I wondered what The Poisoned Island, set not long after the events of its predecessor, would have in store for me. The answer is a novel that I enjoyed even more than The English Monster. Far more confident, with a structure that made it easier for me to empathise with characters and events, The Poisoned Island is a thoroughly fascinating and gripping look at the more sinister side of the famous Georgian sea journeys of discovery as well as the more suspect origins of the great botanic collections of Kew Gardens.
This is not my favourite period of history, far from it, but if there's any author that makes me want to know more about it, it's Lloyd Shepherd.
This is not my favourite period of history, far from it, but if there's any author that makes me want to know more about it, it's Lloyd Shepherd.
March 8, 2013
This is an excellent follow up to Lloyd Shepherd's terrific debut novel The English Monster. The story revolves around the mysterious deaths of six members of the ship The Solander which has returned to London in 1812 . The Solander arrives from Tahiti laden with exotic specimens. The Solander mission has been sponsored by Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society and as the conspiracy unravels it takes some sharp twists and turns. Readers who enjoyed The English Monster will once again be cast under the spell of this great follow up Regency thriller.
June 8, 2015
This is one of the most boring books I have ever read. It needed to be really edited down by at least 50% as there was so much extraneous material that added absolutely nothing to the story. The characters were bland and blah. The plot was so obvious that a child could have figured it out.
June 14, 2015
This is the second book in the Constable Charles Horton series. Lloyd Shepherd's books, besides being good detective stories are very good descriptions of life in and around the area of the Wapping Docks in the early 19th Century.
January 3, 2015
Such an appealing plot and so INCREDIBLY boring. I had to force myself to finish this just to be sure there was not a surprise ending. Nope.
May 31, 2024
4 stars.
For me it was a very pleasant surprise. I didn't have any expectations or ideas what the book would be really about and how it would be like. It's different from other books (in a goof way) combining different aspects (see description) in a very good way. It also made me curious about Tahiti and its history (googled it and looked at photos on Google Maps* so that's another indicator that I enjoy what I read) and London's urban and economic development.
Plus, it's well written so I read it quickly.
This book is the second part of a series and sometimes there are references. I would have liked the book even better if it wouldn't have been part of it. (It's not about me not having read the first one. Instead, I think that it would have been better for the book if it had stood on its own.)
*Recently, if a place in a book peaks my interest, I started looking at photos on Google Maps. That's sooo cool - I definitely recommend trying it!
(Plus, you have no idea what strange reviews are out there.)
For me it was a very pleasant surprise. I didn't have any expectations or ideas what the book would be really about and how it would be like. It's different from other books (in a goof way) combining different aspects (see description) in a very good way. It also made me curious about Tahiti and its history (googled it and looked at photos on Google Maps* so that's another indicator that I enjoy what I read) and London's urban and economic development.
Plus, it's well written so I read it quickly.
This book is the second part of a series and sometimes there are references. I would have liked the book even better if it wouldn't have been part of it. (It's not about me not having read the first one. Instead, I think that it would have been better for the book if it had stood on its own.)
*Recently, if a place in a book peaks my interest, I started looking at photos on Google Maps. That's sooo cool - I definitely recommend trying it!
(Plus, you have no idea what strange reviews are out there.)
September 1, 2020
This author's books are good from a historical accuracy point of view, but the writer's style of differing points of view and tense takes some getting used to. They also do have a tendency to be a tad long-winded. This particular title meandered round and round and didn't really come to the point until the very end. Now that is what a mystery story does, I hear you cry. Yes that IS what a mystery story does, but with Lloyd Shepherd's mystery stories, while murder occurs upon murder, the detectives (the good, as in Horton and Harriot, and the bad as in the rest of the established police force), seem to run around chasing their tails and not really getting anywhere for all their pains, then the mystery seems to resolve it self within the last chapter. Only then to we actually get an inkling of what has actually been going on. This makes for something of an unsatisfying story because the reader has no opportunity to play detective himself. There is no real sense of a job well done at the end either, because these books are not 'happy ever after' books by any means. They are grim and gritty, but without the unpleasant realism of contemporary fiction.
July 27, 2018
I kept thinking I may give this a 4 star rating, but did not...because the mystery/thriller storyline fizzled at the end, and because of the depiction of female characters in the book. The writing is fantastic. Really loved the description and character development. It was seamless and flowed very well. However, the women in the book were insultingly written. Even though the story was set in the 17 and 1800s women could have been described differently and still would have been true to the historical time period. Women were harping, fat, dirty, lying, or whores...and the one attractive female was married to the main officer character. She was the "Madonna". The largest female character is a tree. And she was power and beauty and fantasy. But got the least amount of development.
March 12, 2019
It was okay. Interesting enough to keep me reading but the end was a disappointment. The author builds the surroundings and the story line but the plot twist is, in my opinion, not that much of a twist hitting the reader from out of left-field with little in the way of support through the telling of the tale. A snippet here, a snippet there and bingo... here's the murderer. I guess it's better than novels that put so much backstory into the story that you know who did it before you know what they did.... but it's not one that I'll be reading again.
January 6, 2023
Wow, this was a tour de force! Set in colonial Tahiti and 18th century London, this drama/mystery packed a suspenseful story involving the discovery and smuggling of a mysterious floral substance that provoked hallucinations and an intense, unstoppable addiction among those exposed to it. The writing, and in particular the descriptions of native Tahitian culture, were in turns exquisitely beautiful and painfully tragic as the island and its people spiraled into disease and warfare among competing interests.
January 7, 2024
An interesting mystery set in the waning days of George III's reign. A ship, the Solander, sent on a mission to collect botanical samples for Kew Garden returns home and several crew members are murdered. Strong points: interesting and complicated characters embedded in a mystery touching on some very complicated politics. Weak point: I don't really like flipping between the London scene and past on Tahiti. Sometimes such a split narrative works for me but not often. This one was on the border which is why it got an overall 4 stars.
November 23, 2021
Back spasms limiting my ability to do anything much more demanding than lying down meant I raced through this in 2 days.
It's a very enjoyable mystery ( with a touch of the supernatural) set in Georgian England and Tahiti.
The use of many real-life characters and incidents adds to the interest level ( and often sent me down a google wormhole discovering more) . I'll definitely be investigating book three in this series and probably visiting Kew Gardens !!
It's a very enjoyable mystery ( with a touch of the supernatural) set in Georgian England and Tahiti.
The use of many real-life characters and incidents adds to the interest level ( and often sent me down a google wormhole discovering more) . I'll definitely be investigating book three in this series and probably visiting Kew Gardens !!
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