What do you think?
Rate this book
The Poison Plot: A Tale of Adultery and Murder in Colonial Newport
An accusation of attempted murder rudely interrupted Mary Arnold’s dalliances with working men and her extensive shopping sprees. When her husband Benedict fell deathly ill and then asserted she had tried to kill him with poison, the result was a dramatic petition for divorce. The case before the Rhode Island General Assembly and its tumultuous aftermath, during which Benedict died, made Mary a cause célèbre in Newport through the winter of 1738 and 1739.
Elaine Forman Crane invites readers into the salacious domestic life of Mary and Benedict Arnold and reveals the seamy side of colonial Newport. The surprise of The Poison Plot, however, is not the outrageous acts of Mary or the peculiar fact that attempted murder was not a convictable offense in Rhode Island. As Crane shows with style, Mary’s case was remarkable precisely because adultery, criminality and theft, and even spousal homicide were well known in the New England colonies. Assumptions of Puritan propriety are overturned by the facts of rough and tumble life in a port money was to be made, pleasure was to be had, and if marriage became an obstacle to those pursuits a woman had means to set things right.
The Poison Plot is an intimate drama constructed from historical documents and informed by Crane’s deep knowledge of elite and common life in Newport. Her keen eye for telling details and her sense of story bring Mary, Benedict, and a host of other characters—including her partner in adultery, Walter Motley, and John Tweedy the apothecary who sold Mary toxic drugs—to life in the homes, streets, and shops of the port city. The result is a vivid tale that will change minds about life in supposedly prim and proper New England.
Elaine Forman Crane invites readers into the salacious domestic life of Mary and Benedict Arnold and reveals the seamy side of colonial Newport. The surprise of The Poison Plot, however, is not the outrageous acts of Mary or the peculiar fact that attempted murder was not a convictable offense in Rhode Island. As Crane shows with style, Mary’s case was remarkable precisely because adultery, criminality and theft, and even spousal homicide were well known in the New England colonies. Assumptions of Puritan propriety are overturned by the facts of rough and tumble life in a port money was to be made, pleasure was to be had, and if marriage became an obstacle to those pursuits a woman had means to set things right.
The Poison Plot is an intimate drama constructed from historical documents and informed by Crane’s deep knowledge of elite and common life in Newport. Her keen eye for telling details and her sense of story bring Mary, Benedict, and a host of other characters—including her partner in adultery, Walter Motley, and John Tweedy the apothecary who sold Mary toxic drugs—to life in the homes, streets, and shops of the port city. The result is a vivid tale that will change minds about life in supposedly prim and proper New England.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2018
4 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 19, 2018
Net # 20
Many thanks go to Elaine Foreman Crane, Cornell University Press, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
This is one of those nonfiction accounts with the format I slightly detest. The author decides to tell the entire story in the first two chapters-BAM!!! Whodunnit and why etc all laid out. Then he decides to fill in the blanks with facts about the village and various statistics for the remainder of the book, but now I’m just not as interested in climate change, population spikes, and whatnot outside of the real details of the story. Everything is segmented instead of one steady, flowing narrative. I guess I just want to be told a story.
Many thanks go to Elaine Foreman Crane, Cornell University Press, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
This is one of those nonfiction accounts with the format I slightly detest. The author decides to tell the entire story in the first two chapters-BAM!!! Whodunnit and why etc all laid out. Then he decides to fill in the blanks with facts about the village and various statistics for the remainder of the book, but now I’m just not as interested in climate change, population spikes, and whatnot outside of the real details of the story. Everything is segmented instead of one steady, flowing narrative. I guess I just want to be told a story.
April 18, 2018
Finished reading: April 17th 2018
DNF at 31% (82 pages)
"Then again, there is no hard evidence that Mary actually tried to poison Benedict or that he was in fact poisoned."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Cornell University Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
November 20, 2020
I really wanted to like this book - but the main part of the book seemed to get wrapped up pretty quickly, The rest might be interesting to a history buff, but I was really there for Mary's story. That part is delivered well, and while the story is well written, I think it's geared towards someone who is more interested in history than I am.
May 15, 2018
This was an interesting read, but must say it wasn't really what i was expecting. I think this is the kind of book that if i were to read it again, it would have to be in the quiet with nothing to distract me. There were parts that i really enjoyed and parts that had me wanting to skip a few pages.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.
May 15, 2018
In 1738, in the bustling town of Newport, Rhode Island, Mary Arnold allegedly attempted to murder her husband Benedict, a man considerably older than herself. Her reasons, as revealed in the divorce petition her husband filed in December 1738, included financial gain and her adulterous affairs. Benedict Arnold was certainly sick, and when he recovered he divorced his wife although he died soon after the divorce was granted.
Domestic murders are not rare, in fact, outside of armed conflicts, in most places and times a person is more likely to be murdered by someone he or she knows than by a stranger. An intimate partner is always the person the police look to first when a murder has occurred. There is no reason to believe that this was different hundreds of years ago.
Until the nineteenth century, when a test for the presence of arsenic in a body was developed, there was no sure way of proving someone had been poisoned. Many of the symptoms of poisoning are the same as a number of natural maladies, such as vomiting, bloody stools, and the like. There is really no way of telling how many inconvenient relatives were done away with over the centuries, and we equally do not know how many people were suspected of poisonings of which they were entirely innocent.
Due to the paucity of real information about Mary Arnold’s life, a lot of this book is speculation. That does not make it bad, in fact, it is very interesting, but the reader should be aware of this. The author describes the economic, social and cultural milieu in which Mary Arnold lived. The view of New England during the first part of the eighteenth century is fascinating. If you are curious, as I was, about whether the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold was a member of this family, the author says that he was the grandson of Mary’s husband Benedict by his first wife, Mary being his second.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I am not convinced that Mary Arnold actually tried to murder her husband. Certainly, it is possible, and it seems that the author thinks she may have done it, but if I were on a jury I would have reasonable doubt. Not that I think she was an angel, or incapable of trying to poison her husband, but there just is not enough evidence nearly three hundred years later to say for certain one way or the other. The lack of a specific test for arsenic, and the hints that Benedict may have been suffering from a sexually transmitted disease of long-standing, make the decision impossible, at least for me.
I was given an ARC by the publisher and NetGalley for my honest opinion.
Domestic murders are not rare, in fact, outside of armed conflicts, in most places and times a person is more likely to be murdered by someone he or she knows than by a stranger. An intimate partner is always the person the police look to first when a murder has occurred. There is no reason to believe that this was different hundreds of years ago.
Until the nineteenth century, when a test for the presence of arsenic in a body was developed, there was no sure way of proving someone had been poisoned. Many of the symptoms of poisoning are the same as a number of natural maladies, such as vomiting, bloody stools, and the like. There is really no way of telling how many inconvenient relatives were done away with over the centuries, and we equally do not know how many people were suspected of poisonings of which they were entirely innocent.
Due to the paucity of real information about Mary Arnold’s life, a lot of this book is speculation. That does not make it bad, in fact, it is very interesting, but the reader should be aware of this. The author describes the economic, social and cultural milieu in which Mary Arnold lived. The view of New England during the first part of the eighteenth century is fascinating. If you are curious, as I was, about whether the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold was a member of this family, the author says that he was the grandson of Mary’s husband Benedict by his first wife, Mary being his second.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I am not convinced that Mary Arnold actually tried to murder her husband. Certainly, it is possible, and it seems that the author thinks she may have done it, but if I were on a jury I would have reasonable doubt. Not that I think she was an angel, or incapable of trying to poison her husband, but there just is not enough evidence nearly three hundred years later to say for certain one way or the other. The lack of a specific test for arsenic, and the hints that Benedict may have been suffering from a sexually transmitted disease of long-standing, make the decision impossible, at least for me.
I was given an ARC by the publisher and NetGalley for my honest opinion.
February 2, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this.
The Poison Plot combines a real life, little known history of 18th Century Newport, Rhode Island and an utterly compelling mystery.
It focuses on a much loved premise of a love triangle between a man, his wife and a lover. Enter a murder plot and you've got yourself a historical true crime novel that fans of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and the tv show Downton Abbey will adore - because really, who doesn't love digging around in the scandals of the past!
Written in a way which paints a vivid picture, this book should be read far and wide.
The Poison Plot combines a real life, little known history of 18th Century Newport, Rhode Island and an utterly compelling mystery.
It focuses on a much loved premise of a love triangle between a man, his wife and a lover. Enter a murder plot and you've got yourself a historical true crime novel that fans of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and the tv show Downton Abbey will adore - because really, who doesn't love digging around in the scandals of the past!
Written in a way which paints a vivid picture, this book should be read far and wide.
July 3, 2018
Essentially, it is the story of a woman seeking her own personal and financial security through the acquisition of goods and property. And, unfortunately for this particular woman, who had a string of lovers, and an elderly husband who dies, gossip ran rife and poison was the word on everyone lips.
So, was Mary Arnold a victim or pawn. We may never know the real truth, as while many other voiced their own opinions, Mary did not give voice to hers, so we we are left with only rumour and speculation.
I like the idea of an incident from history that may be shrouded in mystery and bringing it out into the open. The trouble is, that sometimes these attempts don't always come off they way the author intends. In this instance we know the premise from the outset - an alleged crime, an accusation, a victim, a suspect. But that is all we know - even now we can only hypothosise.
Some authors manage to keep readers entertained - others come off as dry and scholarly, and fail to capture their readers attention. And, unfortunately, this is what happens with this tome. Everything we need to know is contained within the first few chapters - the rest, is just a social and economic history (which I wasn't particulary interested in).
Would this have worked much better as a work of fiction, or something in the style of the "true crime" or popularist genre, quite possibly. Short and snappy - give me the alleged crime, the suspects, the investigation, the outcome. “Just the facts, ma’am.”
So, was Mary Arnold a victim or pawn. We may never know the real truth, as while many other voiced their own opinions, Mary did not give voice to hers, so we we are left with only rumour and speculation.
I like the idea of an incident from history that may be shrouded in mystery and bringing it out into the open. The trouble is, that sometimes these attempts don't always come off they way the author intends. In this instance we know the premise from the outset - an alleged crime, an accusation, a victim, a suspect. But that is all we know - even now we can only hypothosise.
Some authors manage to keep readers entertained - others come off as dry and scholarly, and fail to capture their readers attention. And, unfortunately, this is what happens with this tome. Everything we need to know is contained within the first few chapters - the rest, is just a social and economic history (which I wasn't particulary interested in).
Would this have worked much better as a work of fiction, or something in the style of the "true crime" or popularist genre, quite possibly. Short and snappy - give me the alleged crime, the suspects, the investigation, the outcome. “Just the facts, ma’am.”
July 23, 2018
Review to come. Interesting read but so many unknowns.
Free ARC via NetGalley
See my full review over on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
Free ARC via NetGalley
See my full review over on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
August 31, 2018
This is a tale about Benedict Arnold and the scandalous doings of his wife, Mary. That’s right, I said Benedict Arnold. Only, it’s not about THE Benedict Arnold who was the hero of Ticonderoga and later become an infamous traitor. It’s not even about his parents, Benedict and Hannah. In fact, it’s hard to tell which member of the Arnold clan it is about. I spent a ridiculous amount of time using independent genealogical sources (amateur genealogist that I am), and couldn’t figure it out. Cornell professor Elaine Forman Crane wants us, the readers, to believe The Poison Plot,/i> is about the General’s grandfather.
But wait. In an extensive introduction, Professor Crane suggests that “General Benedict Arnold may not have been an Arnold at all.” Er, what? She also seems to absolve Mary before the narrative gets going, and proceeds to list a number of reasons why Mary might’ve done what she did. Or didn’t. She then describes what’s in each chapter, and it’s apparent that this work is not wholly about the Arnolds. If you’re looking for a chronological narrative from their first meeting through their marriage and subsequent divorce proceedings and accusations of attempted murder, as I thought I would get, this will not be a book for you. Crane’s focus is subject-based rather than chronologically so, and there’s a lot of jumping back and forth in terms of dates.
Because so many men in the Arnold family were named Benedict, the electronic copy I reviewed would’ve benefitted from the inclusion of a family tree. As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m an amateur genealogist. I’ve researched both my family and that of my husband. Because of that interest, I dove into the online records available for both the Arnold family and for Rhode Island. I’ve discovered during my family research that the colonies were, in general, pretty good at keeping vital statistics, and Ancestry includes a database of Rhode Island vital statistics from 1636 to 1899. Our Benedict and Mary should’ve been in it, but nowhere could I find anyone with their names whose vitals matched or came remotely close.
Over 25 percent of my electronic copy is comprised of the notes and index. I tend to scan through notes, especially on an e-reader, mainly because I find it more difficult to flip back and forth as with a paper book. Buried in the notes, Crane suggests that maybe our Benedict and Mary weren’t actually married. Crane doesn’t cite any evidence for this, but perhaps it’s the lack of it that serves as proof. Still, that’s a bit of a bombshell to drop in the middle of notes that may or may not be read. It also begs two questions: why didn’t he marry her, and why didn’t her family insist he marry her?
Despite the lack of linear narrative and the genealogy confusion, I did find elements of this book to enjoy. Crane describes early 18th century life in detail, from how Newport residents got their news to what they purchased at various stores. I’ve always wanted to visit Newport, but my interest was in the Gilded Age and the wealthy families who had their summer homes there. Now, I’d like to see Newport’s colonial history as well.
Sadly, the details of Newport society and colonial life weren’t enough to make me enjoy The Poison Plot. Perhaps I’d thought I’d get “a tale” and “an intimate drama,” terms used in the publisher’s overview, focusing specifically on the two main characters. Admittedly, the genealogical issues put me off from almost the beginning because I couldn’t tell for sure if I was reading an alternate history or a fact-based biography. By the time I finished, I felt I’d read a dry, cultural history thesis about women and marriage. For Professor Crane’s students, that might be enough. But for the average reader, it’s anything but entertaining. Oh, and the comment about the General not actually being an Arnold? Crane suggests that maybe Benedict’s first wife was already pregnant with the General’s father when he married her. Regardless of the circumstances, he was named Benedict Arnold and his son became both the hero of Ticonderoga and a traitor to a fledgling republic.
I received a download of The Poison Plot from Cornell University Press, via NetGalley. My words and opinions are my own.
But wait. In an extensive introduction, Professor Crane suggests that “General Benedict Arnold may not have been an Arnold at all.” Er, what? She also seems to absolve Mary before the narrative gets going, and proceeds to list a number of reasons why Mary might’ve done what she did. Or didn’t. She then describes what’s in each chapter, and it’s apparent that this work is not wholly about the Arnolds. If you’re looking for a chronological narrative from their first meeting through their marriage and subsequent divorce proceedings and accusations of attempted murder, as I thought I would get, this will not be a book for you. Crane’s focus is subject-based rather than chronologically so, and there’s a lot of jumping back and forth in terms of dates.
Because so many men in the Arnold family were named Benedict, the electronic copy I reviewed would’ve benefitted from the inclusion of a family tree. As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m an amateur genealogist. I’ve researched both my family and that of my husband. Because of that interest, I dove into the online records available for both the Arnold family and for Rhode Island. I’ve discovered during my family research that the colonies were, in general, pretty good at keeping vital statistics, and Ancestry includes a database of Rhode Island vital statistics from 1636 to 1899. Our Benedict and Mary should’ve been in it, but nowhere could I find anyone with their names whose vitals matched or came remotely close.
Over 25 percent of my electronic copy is comprised of the notes and index. I tend to scan through notes, especially on an e-reader, mainly because I find it more difficult to flip back and forth as with a paper book. Buried in the notes, Crane suggests that maybe our Benedict and Mary weren’t actually married. Crane doesn’t cite any evidence for this, but perhaps it’s the lack of it that serves as proof. Still, that’s a bit of a bombshell to drop in the middle of notes that may or may not be read. It also begs two questions: why didn’t he marry her, and why didn’t her family insist he marry her?
Despite the lack of linear narrative and the genealogy confusion, I did find elements of this book to enjoy. Crane describes early 18th century life in detail, from how Newport residents got their news to what they purchased at various stores. I’ve always wanted to visit Newport, but my interest was in the Gilded Age and the wealthy families who had their summer homes there. Now, I’d like to see Newport’s colonial history as well.
Sadly, the details of Newport society and colonial life weren’t enough to make me enjoy The Poison Plot. Perhaps I’d thought I’d get “a tale” and “an intimate drama,” terms used in the publisher’s overview, focusing specifically on the two main characters. Admittedly, the genealogical issues put me off from almost the beginning because I couldn’t tell for sure if I was reading an alternate history or a fact-based biography. By the time I finished, I felt I’d read a dry, cultural history thesis about women and marriage. For Professor Crane’s students, that might be enough. But for the average reader, it’s anything but entertaining. Oh, and the comment about the General not actually being an Arnold? Crane suggests that maybe Benedict’s first wife was already pregnant with the General’s father when he married her. Regardless of the circumstances, he was named Benedict Arnold and his son became both the hero of Ticonderoga and a traitor to a fledgling republic.
I received a download of The Poison Plot from Cornell University Press, via NetGalley. My words and opinions are my own.
May 22, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book for review purposes.
As several other reviewers have noted, this book is not primarily a mystery. It is rather a history of life in early 18th century Newport, RI, with a husband's claim that his wife tried to poison him as a central theme.
This book is not a quick read and it does jump around quite a bit. It includes numerous footnotes evidencing the author's extensive scholarly research. Unfortunately, the author, while acknowledging it, goes into discussions that draw inferences using generalizations based on the historic record, but that are not clearly supported with respect to the central characters.
I have rated the book two stars because the title is very misleading and the book deals more with the social and economic aspects of life in early Newport. For those interested in such matters, particularly in the status of women and their rights, it would be perhaps an informative read.
As several other reviewers have noted, this book is not primarily a mystery. It is rather a history of life in early 18th century Newport, RI, with a husband's claim that his wife tried to poison him as a central theme.
This book is not a quick read and it does jump around quite a bit. It includes numerous footnotes evidencing the author's extensive scholarly research. Unfortunately, the author, while acknowledging it, goes into discussions that draw inferences using generalizations based on the historic record, but that are not clearly supported with respect to the central characters.
I have rated the book two stars because the title is very misleading and the book deals more with the social and economic aspects of life in early Newport. For those interested in such matters, particularly in the status of women and their rights, it would be perhaps an informative read.
June 21, 2018
Free arc via NetGalley.
This isn't 100% the book I was expecting but what I did get was still very interesting. It's not exactly a true crime book though there is very much a crime. It's more of a history book about Newport Rhode Island during the 18th century.
The crime itself at least to me was not the most interesting part, the details about old-timey medicine were. The crime itself as not as clear-cut as I thought it was from the beginning as more and more of it is unravelled. Were left with a lot of questions though.
If you're looking for straight up true crime this might not be the best book but if you like true crime and history (specifically American history) this is for you.
This isn't 100% the book I was expecting but what I did get was still very interesting. It's not exactly a true crime book though there is very much a crime. It's more of a history book about Newport Rhode Island during the 18th century.
The crime itself at least to me was not the most interesting part, the details about old-timey medicine were. The crime itself as not as clear-cut as I thought it was from the beginning as more and more of it is unravelled. Were left with a lot of questions though.
If you're looking for straight up true crime this might not be the best book but if you like true crime and history (specifically American history) this is for you.
April 7, 2018
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review*
This is more of 1.5.
This book tries to make interesting a case of attempted murder by poison in 18th century Newport, but it fails short. The author is firmly in between writing a dissertation on the topic and writing a fictional mistery, and it doesn't work.
It's a pity, because the writing style is very enjoyable and quite funny: I would be interested in reading more from this author, because I feel it's more a topic problem.
This is more of 1.5.
This book tries to make interesting a case of attempted murder by poison in 18th century Newport, but it fails short. The author is firmly in between writing a dissertation on the topic and writing a fictional mistery, and it doesn't work.
It's a pity, because the writing style is very enjoyable and quite funny: I would be interested in reading more from this author, because I feel it's more a topic problem.
September 5, 2018
Elaine Forman Crane is a fantastic writer and tells an interesting story of a wife who may or may not have poisoned her husband in the 1700s. This book was developed with meticulous research involving historical records from the 1700s. I found it amazing that you could recreate lives from the paper trail that was left behind! The writing is quite vivid; I felt I could hear the horses clip-clopping across the streets, and the boats docking ashore. This book definitely helped me better understand the issues and perils of that era, and I found it an interesting mystery as well.
October 10, 2018
This is a true tale about murder and sordid intrigue in the early 1700s. It was interesting to read that the traitor Benedict Arnold was probably not a genetic relation to the Arnold family. I did not care for the style used by the author. Laying out and solving the crime then following it up with a dense trove of semi-related details was not effective.
It was interesting to me, but not something that I would recommend to anyone.
It was interesting to me, but not something that I would recommend to anyone.
November 14, 2018
I was extremely disappointed in this book. First, the title is completely misleading. It should be something like: A History of Questionable Behaviour in Colonial Newport. Why? Because the discussion regarding Mary Arnold poisoning her husband is but a minor part of the book that is basically the history of a particular small town. Yes Benedict Arnold died. Yes he thought his wife did it. But beyond that and a few overly emphasized events, there is nothing in the book that actually debates the topic. The book is full of supposition. I didn't do a word count but got overwhelmed with the constant use of "if," "likely," and "probably" throughout the book. The author tried to potentially reconstruct what Mary's life might possibly have been like if she perhaps maybe saw/thought/liked certain things. Sadly there was nothing to hold this book to its stated plot. However, I did give it an extra star because it was an interesting look at life prior to the Revolutionary War. I felt Ms. Crane did know that subject well. Too bad she had to pretend there was information regarding what may or may not have been a murder included in her topic.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Cornell University Press in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Cornell University Press in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
April 25, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
April 20, 2018
This book was interesting and entertaining. A bit weird at part it was a nice reading and I enjoyed it.
Many thanks to Cornell University Press and Netgalley
Many thanks to Cornell University Press and Netgalley
May 13, 2018
"malevolent wives, betrayed husbands, and poisonous solutions" Who knew this was going on back in the 18th century? A fascinating, well documented look at life in the 1700s.
May 17, 2018
Corruption, greed, rampant consumerism, affairs, and attempted murder. These all seem like the trappings of modern life, but they were just as present in 18th century Newport, Connecticut. In The Poison Plot by Elaine Crane, all of these elements come together in a tale that is told and retold from multiple angles.
Unusual for a book that is describing a murder plot, the introduction outlines the themes of each chapter, with little attempt to stage a “reveal” of any of the prominent players or plot points. The text sometimes reads like an academic thesis, with some turns of phrase working (“The Benedict who is the protagonist of this narrative is wedged somewhere between a governor and a turncoat.”) and others not (“Mary absented herself from the group of raconteurs.”)
Central to this narrative is Benedict Arnold, a man nearly 20 years older than his wife, who he feared was poisoning him. This is not the Benedict Arnold made famous in American History texts, but instead his grandfather of the same name. No fewer than 5 Benedict Arnolds appear in these pages.
Mary Arnold, the other central figure in The Poison Plot, was a product of the changing consumer habits in the 1720s and 1730s in Newport. At the beginning of that time period advertising was minimal and shops were quiet places of business. By the end, overseas trade had grown significantly, with luxury fabrics and other fine goods coveted by society’s elite. As a side effect of these changes theft and counterfeiting became part of the landscape, requiring shops to offer a variety of locks to try and prevent theft, and a variety of rewards to try to recover that which was already stolen.
The plot at the center of this story, a poisoning, reveals a fascinating change in the law over the centuries. At that time it was fuzzy regarding attempted crimes. No death = no crime seems one interpretation, almost incomprehensible in a time where “collusion” is a household word.
Throughout The Poison Plot, the story suffers from a dearth of hard facts. How old is Walter Motley, lover of Mary Arnold? Crane does not know. Why did Mary buy masks to wear: had she suffered the scars of smallpox? Again, the author only speculates, although to her credit she is clear in stating when she is doing so. Sometimes she even vents her frustrations directly, describing the conflicting or ambiguous accounts found in original source material. These asides mostly serve to distract from the narrative, which never quite comes into sharp focus.
Worse, though, is the lack of a clear timetable. By organizing the book by topics, the pivotal poisoning, divorce, and death appear first. Later, effectively traveling back in time, we are provided with some limited back story on Mary, including the early years of her marriage to Benedict. While Crane has attempted to weave as much information available from a large number of sources, the resulting narrative is somewhat threadbare.
Unusual for a book that is describing a murder plot, the introduction outlines the themes of each chapter, with little attempt to stage a “reveal” of any of the prominent players or plot points. The text sometimes reads like an academic thesis, with some turns of phrase working (“The Benedict who is the protagonist of this narrative is wedged somewhere between a governor and a turncoat.”) and others not (“Mary absented herself from the group of raconteurs.”)
Central to this narrative is Benedict Arnold, a man nearly 20 years older than his wife, who he feared was poisoning him. This is not the Benedict Arnold made famous in American History texts, but instead his grandfather of the same name. No fewer than 5 Benedict Arnolds appear in these pages.
Mary Arnold, the other central figure in The Poison Plot, was a product of the changing consumer habits in the 1720s and 1730s in Newport. At the beginning of that time period advertising was minimal and shops were quiet places of business. By the end, overseas trade had grown significantly, with luxury fabrics and other fine goods coveted by society’s elite. As a side effect of these changes theft and counterfeiting became part of the landscape, requiring shops to offer a variety of locks to try and prevent theft, and a variety of rewards to try to recover that which was already stolen.
The plot at the center of this story, a poisoning, reveals a fascinating change in the law over the centuries. At that time it was fuzzy regarding attempted crimes. No death = no crime seems one interpretation, almost incomprehensible in a time where “collusion” is a household word.
Throughout The Poison Plot, the story suffers from a dearth of hard facts. How old is Walter Motley, lover of Mary Arnold? Crane does not know. Why did Mary buy masks to wear: had she suffered the scars of smallpox? Again, the author only speculates, although to her credit she is clear in stating when she is doing so. Sometimes she even vents her frustrations directly, describing the conflicting or ambiguous accounts found in original source material. These asides mostly serve to distract from the narrative, which never quite comes into sharp focus.
Worse, though, is the lack of a clear timetable. By organizing the book by topics, the pivotal poisoning, divorce, and death appear first. Later, effectively traveling back in time, we are provided with some limited back story on Mary, including the early years of her marriage to Benedict. While Crane has attempted to weave as much information available from a large number of sources, the resulting narrative is somewhat threadbare.
June 8, 2018
I enjoyed this book but probably more as a portrait of the times than as a murder mystery per se. There are just too few facts available to tell if Benedict Arnold was even murdered much less that his wife Mary was the murderer. It’s basically all conjecture which ,although interesting, is insufficient to really make a case one way or another. The author is an historian and I felt the book was stronger in that aspect.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.
August 24, 2018
The Poison Plot: A Tale of Adultery and Murder in Colonial Newport by Elaine Forman Crane is a mystery novel with a fascinating setting. I love the colonial period and have visited present day Newport. As a result, I loved reading this novel. I think historical fiction has the ability to bring the past alive in ways that history books never could. This novel does not disappoint in that regard. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves historical fiction. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews