Curse of the Poppy

A Penny Green Victorian Mystery #5

by Emily Organ

A woman dies in a burglary in Fitzrovia. A man is murdered in an opium den in Limehouse. Gutsy Fleet Street reporter Penny Green suspects the two deaths are connected, but how can she prove it?

The answer may lie in Whitehall where the India Office reaps the benefits of Britain’s opium trade. But when Inspector James Blakely of Scotland Yard begins investigating, an unforeseen danger looms.

Soon Penny is forced to act alone and is put to the ultimate test when her quest becomes personal.

What readers say about Penny

★★★★★ “A Victorian Delight!
★★★★★ “Good clean mystery in an enjoyable historical setting”
★★★★★ “If you are unfamiliar with the Penny Green Series, acquaint yourselves immediately!”
★★★★★ “Interesting, complex, believable characters”
★★★★★ “I found myself enthralled by Penny Green”
★★★★★ “An outstanding female lead character”
★★★★★ “I was engrossed from beginning to end”
★★★★★ “If you like Agatha Christie books you are going to like this one”
★★★★★ “I have found Ms. Organ's story telling to be flawlessly entertaining!”
★★★★★ “Very strong mystery set in a very interesting time and place”
★★★★★ “Ms. Organ draws you into Penny's world with her delicious descriptions and masterful story telling”
★★★★★ “I am very pleased with how this series is becoming one of my favorites!”
★★★★★ “Read the books in this series.... guarantee you won’t be disappointed!”
★★★★★ “A great read with a real twist at the end. Emily just gets better and better with this series.”

Curse of the Poppy is Book 5 in the Penny Green Mystery Series set in 1880s London. The books can be read in any

Book 1 - Limelight
Book 2 - The Rookery
Book 3 - The Maid's Secret
Book 4 - The Inventor
Book 5 - Curse of the Poppy
Book 6 - The Bermondsey Poisoner
Book 7 - An Unwelcome Guest
Book 8 - Death at the Workhouse
Book 9 - The Gang of St Bride's
Book 10 - Murder in Ratcliffe

Also

The Penny Green Victorian Mystery Books 1-3 (The Penny Green Series Boxset Book 1)
The Penny Green Victorian Mystery Books 4-6 (The Penny Green Series Boxset Book 2)
The Penny Green Victorian Mystery Books 7-9 (The Penny Green Series Boxset Book 3)

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Audiobook, Victorian

340 pages, Hardcover

First published August 14, 2018

About the author

Emily Organ is the author of over thirty historical cozy mysteries set in Victorian and 1920s England. Her bestselling series include the Penny Green Victorian Mysteries, the Augusta Peel Mysteries, and her newest Emma Langley Victorian Mysteries, in which a plucky widow teams up with former reporter Penny Green. She also writes the Churchill & Pemberley cozy mysteries, featuring two spirited senior sleuths. Emily’s books combine warmth, wit, and a love of history, inspired by her fascination with London’s past. 

Reviews

[OLT · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5 stars maybe) I admit to having read all five of these Penny Green mysteries, but I suspect that a part of their draw for me is that they are inexpensive. Also, the author, Emily Organ, does do a good amount of research and even supplies the reader with Author's Notes and a bibliography at the end of the novels. That said, there's always something just a bit off about all of these stories.

The heroine Penny is an intrepid 30-something newspaper reporter, a rather avant-garde role considering the time period, and she works to solve mysteries with handsome Scotland Yard detective James Blakely. In this particular book there are several murders seemingly tied to the opium trade that a rather unscrupulous, greedy England got involved in with India and China. That part is interesting. What's not is the way our bumbling detectives go about detecting.

And another problem I have with these stories is the romantic subplot. James and Penny have romantic feelings for each other but must not act upon this because James is engaged to marry someone else. This has been going on since the first book. So, okay, James. Put up or shut up. Marry Charlotte or dump her and then get involved with Penny. Don't keep stringing silly Penny along. And, yes, Penny is not very bright about this. She is not the injured party, contrary to what she feels. She is the "other woman" and that's not an ethical role to be playing. She needs to forget that creep James. (It must be mentioned here that the romance and relationships are very, very understated, so we don't have any sexual relationship at all and barely any mention of feelings, but the reader gets the idea anyway.)

In addition, James outdid himself this time with his lack of smarts and his unimpressive detecting skills. I lost any small amount of admiration I might have had in the past for his abilities. Penny is the one with guts and intuition and follow-through. James is a ninny.

What's good about the series is the relationship of Penny and her sister and Penny and her male co-workers at the newspaper. So, for some reason, I keep reading these stories. But I really, really, really cannot stand detective James Blakely or understand Penny's love for him. This romance aspect of the series messes them up for me.

[Georgia Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery with a likeable heroine

I enjoyed this book book very much overall. I really like Penny Green and the secondary characters such as her sister. In fact, I would have given it five stars if I didn't want to give the romantic interest, James Blakely, a good kick in the pants. I wish he would either get a backbone or Penny would find someone more decisive and worthy of her. I understand those were different times but he blows hot and cold too much for me. Meaningful glances and drama about honor only go so far. Other than that, I love this series and look forward to the next installment.

[Kevin Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable read. As the characters stories develop I find each new tale even more riveting. The Curse of the Poppy kept me wanting to turn those pages. The suspense and thrilling storyline was spot on and now I want to read the next book.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth Penny (Penelope) Green novel, Curse of the Poppy, is the first title in this series by Emily Organ that I’ve read. Although this novel deals with the horrors that both led to the Opium Wars in China and continued even thereafter, as well as the almost nonchalant way in which the vice as business was apparently viewed in this era, my best description of the characters and style would be Anne Perry Lite (particularly the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series). As Miss Green’s brother-in-law rationalizes: “The Chinaman has smoked opium for hundreds of years, and if the British didn’t sell it to them they’d only grow it themselves. In fact they do, and I hear it’s rather poor quality when compared with the opium of Malwa or Bengal. Better that they smoke ours, and that we make some money from it in the meantime. The Chinese government also makes money on it from the import duty! It’s not as if we’re smuggling it any more; it’s all perfectly above board these days.” (p. 55)
When a wealthy gentleman’s wife is killed on a night when he was supposed to be home and then, the gentleman himself is killed two night’s later, it may not be immediately obvious what the connection with the poppy as source of opium. Then, when an opium addict is murdered in an opium den (which the valiant Ms. Green visits at a subsequent point), it is still not clear whether there is a connection between the homicides. Yet, when one of Penny’s suspects is murdered at a spot where her beloved (but unrequited and affianced to another) Inspector Blakely was supposed to be, she becomes convinced that the string connecting these beads of violence just might be the opium trade.
In pursuing her “story,” Green runs afoul of a highly placed police officer, her editor (she works at a newspaper in tribute somewhat, says the author, of the intrepid Nellie Bly), a gentleman who is romantically interested in her, her co-workers, and her afore-mentioned brother-in-law. I did like, however, her brother-in-law’s reference to quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur which he translated as “Anything said in Latin sounds profound.” (p. 194—although I believe the translation actually says, “seems profound” since videtur would literally have to do with seeing)
Dare I say, must I say, or would it be a spoiler if I suggested that one or more of these obstructions might be involved in the nefarious activities surrounding the murders? And, since I brought up the fact that this series has a similar feel to the Anne Perry series, should I suggest that awkward conversations and social conventions form a significant backdrop to the story? For example, a press conference is held in a gentlemen’s club to which Penny is excluded while all male reporters (though not members themselves) are invited. Would it be a spoiler to state that Penny’s sister, Eliza, doesn’t approve of Penny’s passion for writing (at least, regarding the newspaper) and would rather have her sibling committed to matrimonial security?

The Curse of the Poppy was near-perfect vacation reading because mysteries are one of my favorite genres for vacation reading. And when it was offered to me online as a free sample, it did its job in whetting my appetite for more stories in this series. To be sure, I never felt quite as invested in this character as I did with Charlotte Pitt on my original reading from the Anne Perry series, but this character is admirable and worth exploring in additional volumes.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has been one of my favourite series up until now.

It was so incredibly boring, the mystery and the murders were not interesting at all and the love triangle between James, Penny and Charlotte is becoming very tedious to say the least

[Nadishka Aloysius · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting plot with lots of unexpected twists and turns. However, the title gives the game away! The reader knows from the beginning that the opium trade will play an important role in the mystery - so it is a bit tedious waiting for the protagonists to figure it out!

[Nanette Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really. Amazingly researched Victorian series. My only problem is that the novel is as crowded as a Victorian street in London in rush hour! Intricately plotted but just too crowded for me.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picks up shortly after the "season finale shocker" at the end of the previous volume. There has been a terrible robbery/murder and an obviously-related daylight street murder follows immediately. And then there's a third murder that could be related, so Penny sets out to investigate and tries to convince her police friend James as well as others. The plot is kind of a tangled web that kept me guessing, but I won't get into it here in this brief review. There are ties to the opium trade in India, and things get very very dangerous rather quickly. As always, Penny is pretty athletic even in a corset and long skirts, but I do wish she'd take her sister's advice and adopt rational dress if she's going to continue this harrowing lifestyle.

There are plenty of developments in Penny's personal life as well, which is what really keeps me coming back, to be honest. Readers of the previous volumes will know that she's bonkers over one man who is on his way to marrying someone else, while at the same time another (quite nice) man is bonkers over her; this situation gets even more complicated as the two women in the equation actually interact positively. Penny and her sister are, by the way, still meeting with the pompous explorer fellow who is planning an expedition to find their father.

And the jaw-dropping scene at the end... Oh, my! Now I really can't wait to read the next volume. This is not a cliff-hanger as far as the main plot and investigation go, but it absolutely cannot be the end of Penny's story right when the "triangle" may be turning into a more complex love polygon.

As usual with this author, the writing is excellent. The book is impeccably edited and sparklingly copy-edited. (Sidebar: I suppose when books are too polished and well edited in this modern age of slapdash assembly line publishing, I start to comb for nits, so in the back of my mind I was techno-scanning as I followed the story breathlessly, and I had my virtual red pen handy just in case. But golly, aside from two microscopic punctuation problems and a trivial infelicity in one sentence, I believe there just aren't any nits to be found here.)

[Amanda Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Organ excels at storytelling

In this installment Miss Penny Green is caught up in a series of murders that are intertwined with the opium trade in India.

When Mrs Forster is brutally murdered in her own bed while her husband is out and the house ransacked something doesn't appear to add up. As her husband is stabbed to death outside his club shortly after, Penny realises that there must be a connection between the attacks despite the police deciding otherwise; one a burglary and the other an unfortunate senseless death.

Penny persists despite having been taken off the story, but as she digs around she finds another connection to yet another murder victim Mr Holland who's been shot in the head at an opium den. Inspector James Blakely gets involved and when Miss Holland the victims sister let's Penny know that she's found some interesting notes in her brothers diaries it's looking like they might have just the way to solve the case.

As a fourth murder throws their plans to collect the diaries and James goes missing. Disappearing seemingly into thin air so where should Penny turn next? She's hoping to get the diaries and see what Miss Holland has discovered but now they've been stolen.. the police are still refusing to connect the cases and her only ally is nowhere to be found.

When the most unlikely visitor of all arrives at Penny's home to ask for help she's unable to say no..

Another well researched tale of murder and intrigue in the 1880's, Ms Organ paints her characters and scenes with a deft touch, bringing Victorian London vividly to life. Leaving the reader struggling to put it down.

Ready for the next!!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely can't put down this series. It is not even my usual genre. But it has become my genre for now.
I love Penny Green, an outspoken woman in the 1880's, working as a reporter in London. She has a special relationship with Scotland Yard in her friend James. It gets more and more special with each book, and closer and closer to James' wedding, arranged by their families when they were children. He has romantic feelings for Penny and she for him. Mostly they do their investigations together or separately and then talk about what they have discovered. There is always a few murders to solve and this one involves the opium trade.
I love the mysteries and how they go about solving them in a time when there were no real forensics and no knowledge of DNA or even fingerprints. There are no phones so they send telegrams. Penny wears long dresses that are forever cramping her movement. She has a sister in the women's movement who are trying to introduce women's wear that is more easily and comfortably worn, such as the divided skirt (long wide pants). Eliza rides a bicycle and is married to a lawyer whom she is not in love with. This story involves her husband more than we have seen of him before.

There are so many things that are not appropriate for women to do, like dates must have a chaperone. So when Penny is asked to go somewhere with the man who runs the library where she studies every morning, Eliza goes along.

This is a delightful series and I can't put them down. I am ready one every couple of days. Try it, you'll like it.

[Carrie Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd love to say that Stuffed-Shirt-George is a caricature, but, sadly, the UK is still full of his ilk today. Many of them are still in positions of high importance, too, more's the pity...

But, moving on - who spiked James' coffee with stupid juice? Or was he one of the insensible smackheads in that opium den, perhaps? Whatever it was, this book was certainly not one of his shining moments. I could have hit him with one of those vases! (Yes, I did guess whodunnit because of those vases, but it didn't spoil it for me).

Penny made me want to shake her warmly by the throat, with her umming and ahhing over Blakely and Edwards, yelling "state your intentions to both, or shut up and move on, woman!" That said, she did show more balls than all of them when she went through that window.

But what I've written above does serve to illustrate my continued investment in the characters, the stories, and even the daft mistakes they make. I know I wouldn't want to have been in George's shoes when Eliza got hold of him! It almost makes me want to request that that scene is added in a future revision of this novel.

Entertaining, not too syrupy with the love interest drama (thank God), and actually really funny in parts. Recommended.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do enjoy this series, Penny is a determined and unwavering woman in a time when this was just not done, and no matter the amount of pressure put on her, she sticks to her guns and does so with a level of dignity and respect I am in awe of (I would've lost my temper considerably with some of the conversations she has to have!). And with this one, I have now caught up with the proper running order (not that it's necessary). This time around Penny finds herself drawn in to another murder investigation, working along side James Blakely (her one weakness) uncovering a potentially dangerous web of lies and deceit that could easily get her killed. But this time there is a twist as she finds herself having to work with an unexpected and unwelcome character, one that makes her question certain assumptions she has made. As ever, the writing flows well, incorporating well researched aspects of the era without sugar coating anything, and giving Penny plenty to work for, and against, with a rather intriguing ending on at least two counts.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read #6 in this series, I realized I'd accidentally skipped this one, #5. So it filled in some of the 'why' behind some of the secondary long story arcs. Still, the basic mystery is stand alone so there wasn't any confusion there.

I did find this story more convoluted than many -- lots of moving parts, lots of tenuous connections. And the resolution relied less on evidence uncovered as hunches that proved true when various characters ended up places almost by coincidence.

Again, it feels very authentic. The author clearly does her research and has lots of details that make it feel very real. The mystery here revolves around several deaths associated with the opium trade in England at the time. And there's a short afterward that gives some more facts as well as a sort of bibliography.

Anyway, as with the others in this series, it's a very well drawn mystery in a well researched and presented historical setting.

[Patricia K. Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

On my, this one will have you puzzled to the end

Usually I am pretty sure about half way who did it but this was a very complicated and intricate mystery for Miss Penny Green. She had almost given up until she was kidnapped! I had two new great grandchildren born in the last two weeks and have not finished their blankets yet because of this book. Usually I can put it down but not this time. Being an American, I did not know of the extent of the opium trade. We thought it outlawed long before. As these extravagant buildings were described, the thought came to me that my great grandmother, who was the wife of a British officer,though from Ireland, died in India partly because Britain was rich from this terrible drug and wanted to maintain the growth and sale to China. So many did

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the type of book that I normally enjoy but I was not a fan of this story. I have not read any of the others in the series and do not know if that would have helped but I won't be searching out any of the others.

The protagonist is a reporter who gets caught up in a series of murders and her certainty that some things are connected and about the behavior of characters is often based on her own assertion rather than her sleuthing skills. Additionally, the personal drama that is mixed in the story is rather frustrating and, for me, the best part of the story was at the end when a character realizes their own self worth and decides not to be buffeted about by the "potential" romance.

[Liz Etnyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the main character's habit of obsessing over things, and being absolutely certain that someone is guilty of something or has done something with only a bit of conjecture to go on, these are still good stories. As with most in this series, I think this one could have been made a bit 'tighter' with some judicious editing - maybe 30-50 pages worth in this case. Really, some quite repetitive hand wringing on a number of issues! Also, like the Maid, there's some 'insta-solve' by Blakely - much of what was previously conjecture, but with a bit of new stuff thrown in, which I feel is 'cheating' the reader a bit. Still enjoyable. A 4 star story, dinged a star for excessive hand wringing and a dash of 'insta-solve'.

[Terry Polston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny is reporting on a murder of woman. The woman's husband is murdered a couple days later. Everyone thinks it is a burglary with murder but Penny thinks the murder was paramount. A couple days later a man is shot while at an opium den. The man she thinks may be responsible is then murdered. Penny believes that since all of the men had recently worked in India that it is all connected.
Penny has words with chief Cullen and the next day James disappears. She is frantic to find him and is getting nowhere with the police.
James has to come to terms with corruption and bribery within the police.
Mr Edwards from the reading library realizes that Penny will not marry him. He decides to journey to South America to search for her missing father.

[Lindap · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

***HOPPLA Audio***

MC: Penelope "Penny"

I liked the mystery around the murders. Had an inclination as to who was part of the conspiracy, so the twist wasn't a big surprise. However, I still enjoyed the journey.

What I'm getting a bit bored with is the Penny & James' "romantic" interest in each other. James needs to have a serious talk with himself about Penny. Either walk away from his fiancé or treat Penny more professionally. Romantic interests that drag on for this long in books begins to become monotonous. He's stringing her along.

Lastly, I wish James would have a bit more insight in this case. His innate skills for detective work was lacking in this story. He should have come to the same conclusion before Penny did.

[ABesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series.

I find Penny annoying and James to be a jerk. However, having emotional reactions to characters shows she’s a good author and shouldn’t make folks lower their rating.

This novel isn’t rated as highly as the other because it didn’t make nearly as much sense. I still don’t understand why everyone was killed. All the stuff that happened in India, had settled awhile ago, why kill them NOW? And I don’t understand the matters with Cullen. He works so hard to stay a good guy even while doing questionable things, but the. In the end he’s willing to shoot someone? Really? That doesn’t seem right to me.

[Ilse DeBord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story

This is the fifth book in the Penny Green series and it continues the story of a female news reporter in 19th century London. The era comes alive in these books and the city of London sings out in its chaos. I can almost smell the coal smoke. Penny and her friends and enemies are real characters in real situations and the history of England with the manufacture and distribution of opium actually did happen. Lots of historical tidbits and the way the people acted and thought at that time also added to the adventure. I am so glad I found this series and enjoyed each book.

[Dana Linde · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as good as the last two, this one was still engaging as Penny looks into the opium trade while trying to connect several different murders. The wedding is also drawing closer between Inspector Blakely and Charlotte, so it's interesting to see how Penny is impacted by this. After the ending of the last book and their outings in this book, you would think he'd be ready to drop the fiancee and be with Penny, but convention is a burden, isn't it? I also enjoyed how Mr. Edwards character is able to develop further in this installment, and he certainly surprises the reader at the end with his announcement. I'm ready to move on to the fifth and final read.

[Julie Desrosiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read

After the last book "The Inventor", I wasn't sure I would continue to enjoy this series, but I've always found the premise of a Victorian female journalist interesting, and Organ's writing is generally good. The pace of this book was much improved, and while the mystery was facile, the action sequences made up for it. Organ did a good job of creating doubt about the protagonist's role, isolating her from her family and friends in a way that made her persistence seem foolhardy until it wasn't. I still find her relationship with James frustrating- she deserves better. Looking forward to the next book in the series now!

[Kidlitter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last one, because the increasingly insufferable James is absent for a number of plot points and that leaves Penny on her own to sleuth. She does quite well for a time and the focus is nicely on the mystery for a change, rather than the soppy love story. Organ does her usual excellent research, this time on the intrigues of the English involvement in India and Gabrielle Baker is her usual excellent reading. There is the usual Big Reveal at the end that puts everyone in peril and there is the usual cliffhanger between James' intentions and Penny's pining but this is good enough for the next one.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three murders happen in close succession, one in the home of a former employee of a company that brought opium into Britain. That death was only of the wife of the former employee. Then the former employee is murdered outside his club and a man, another former employee of the opium supplier is murdered in an opium den. The first two murders are definitely connected. The third is somehow connected but it will take Penny Green and Inspector James Blakely of Scotland Yard some time to find out how and they both could potentially die because they are getting too close to the answers they want.

Another great Penny Green mystery.

[Andra Fore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as impressed

I did keep reading because I wanted to know what was going on but the plot twists were to me a little silly. You have to read this book because it is in the series and the story started quite interesting but then went a little into panic mode. I also am tiring of the considerable and feel that Penny is really to smart for the romantic type novel approach. I really wished she would have taken an interest in the librarian. I will read the next book but I'm not as drawn in as I was.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled between 3 and 4 stars in this one, mainly because I was very disappointed with everybody's detective skills here, as, as soon as the diaries were stolen I knew who was the culprit. And because I'm getting more and more fed up with the romantic sub-plot. James is a cad, and both, Charlotte and Penny, are worthy of a better man.

But I still was truly entertained by the story, and I keep getting more and more engaged with the secondary characters, so there is that :P

Reading the next story, as I'm very curious about Francis' adventure *grins*

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the series grows, so does Penny Green. The Penny Green series is one of dozens of newly minted Victorian heroines, but an absolute stand out series among those. The research is impeccably done, the settings a balm for Anglophiles, the mysteries intriguing.
Penny, herself, is charmingly human. She wrestles with her conscience daily, argues for her place in a man's world, and never settles for the easy way out.
This series is wonderful, and can be enjoyed by everyone. Aside from being fun to read, the books are full of educational tidbits to spark curiosity in us all!

[Linz The Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so obsessed with this series. I had to grab Curse of the Poppy the day it released, and it did not disappoint. It had me on the edge of my seat, and by the time I finished it my mouth was hanging open. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good mystery and a quick read. I could not put this (or the other books in the Penny Green series) down.

Check out my full review here: http://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2...

[Gary and Sandra Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very satisfying series

I have read all five of the Penny Green series and found the stories a joy to read. I enjoyed that you made Penny a woman of her time, not some Amazonian women who would rush in and save the day. I found the time period very realistic and fascinating. I hope their are more books coming so we can find out if James gets married, does Francis go to South America, does Penny pine for either? Here's hoping.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all of the Penny Green series up to this point and this is by far my least favorite. The mystery was quite convoluted and was solved almost by accident. All of the police involved except James are presented as either corrupt or idiots and he wavered into the idiot category. Also, I am tired of the relationship between Penny and James. He's engaged to be married and Penny knows that. He has been very clear that he has no plans to break the engagement. It's time to move on.