The Poison Machine (A Hunt and Hooke Novel): 2

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Hmmm...this is a tough one. My enjoyment was a bit marred by the narrator of the Audible version of this book. I listened half the time and read the physical book the other half of the time. It was enjoyable to re-visit these characters, although this book could equally be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The mixture of fictional and real-life characters and events works well (I particularly enjoyed meeting Sir Isaac Newton, and hearing him explain his invention of the cat flap!). London of the 17th Century is brought to life, and we get to see further afield this time, with Harry’s journey to the Fens (via the “prosperous village of Tottenham”!), and onward to France, where a visit to the infamous Bastille is particularly unpleasant. The Poison Machine by Robert J. Lloyd is published with Melville House and is described as ‘a nail-biting and brilliantly imagined historical thriller that will delight readers of its critically acclaimed predecessor The Bloodless Boy.’ While The Poison Machine is a sequel to The Bloodless Boy, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel.

Lloyd once again infuses his world with the sights, sounds, and smells of the late 17th century...for what’s bound to be one of the best historical novels of the year." — CrimeReads When Lloyd first introduced Harry Hunt in The Bloodless Boy (a First Clue starred review and a New York Times Best New Historical Novel of 2021), the 17th-century physicist was Robert Hooke’s assistant and the investigator of the gruesome murders of London boys. After witnessing Hudson’s body and confirming his ideIn a thrilling sequel to THE BLOODLESS BOY --- a New York Times Best New Historical Novel of 2021 --- featuring real historic characters such as Christopher Wren and Issac Newton, early scientists Harry Hunt and Robert Hooke of the Royal Society stumble on a plot to kill the Queen of England. As fate would have it, an alternative presents itself in a lucrative offer from Sir Jonas Moore, the King's Surveyor-General of the Board of Ordnance, for Harry to aid him with a strange investigation. During the draining of the Norfolk fenland a remarkable skeleton has been found, and Sir Jonas needs Harry's rare talents to help identify the body. In the company of his friend Colonel Fields, an old soldier for Parliament, and Hooke's niece, Grace (who has invited herself along in the guise of a young man), Harry confirms Sir Jonas' suspicions that this appears to be the body of dwarf Captain Jeffrey Hudson, once famously given to Queen Henrietta Maria in a pie - and there has obviously been foul play involved in his demise. Harry, despite some rash & oblivious behavior, is a sympathetic character & I was rooting for him to succeed.

Next, past the Erebus, a Navy second-rate, newly fitted, its planking gleaming smartly. Only a single stern light far above them illuminated its anchorage; the navigator stayed well clear, keeping to the darkness beyond its reach. The smell of tarred surfaces, hemp cloth, oil, and flax wafted over the water. The ship awaited its full complement of men, and those soon to join it—yet aware of the fact or not—were mostly ashore, spreadeagled boozily along Wapping High Street. The mystery itself was not as engaging as in The Bloodless Boy. I pegged at least one of the people "whodunit" pretty early on, so it was no surprise. I DID like the inclusion of Grace Hooke as a bigger part of the story than in The Bloodless Boy. As with the first book in the series, The Poison Machine effortlessly blends together fact and fiction, combining real events and real people with fictionalised and imagined scenarios, with Lloyd using his knowledge of Robert Hooke’s diary, the paper of the Royal Society, and his knowledge of the period (gained whilst studying for an MA in the History of Ideas) to create a detailed, complex, and evolving world that draws the reader in to the period and its many tensions. Those with knowledge of the period will be delighted by cameos from some illustrious figures, including Sir Issac Newton and Denis Papin, as well as references to the key scientific and philosophical debates of the period. The skeleton is that of Captain Jeffrey Hudson, a little person. But Hudson, or at least someone claiming to be him, but who is about a foot taller than Hudson was, has been living in the area since being freed from slavers. This Hudson explains his growth on the diet of fish he consumed in Africa. A shame, because the basic story of the body found, the doppelganger missing and the quest for answers is good. The diamond in the cannonball is also good. Even the escape from the Bastille was pretty clever since it feeds into Harry's natural philosopher strengths. The return of a clever cipher, the French commissionaire that is a frenemy were all good themes. But the story could have used new characters for villains, without recycling and/or tainting the old and it would have been much stronger for it.

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But in Norfolk, he finds that some Royal workers shoring up a riverbank have made a grim discovery — the skeleton of a dwarf. Harry is able to confirm that the skeleton is that of Captain Jeffrey Hudson, a prominent member of the court once famously given to the Queen in a pie. Except no one knew Hudson was dead, because another man had been impersonating him. Harry Hunt has great ambitions when it comes to the Royal Society of Gresham College. He wishes to be its highly esteemed curator, just like his mentor, Robert Hooke. However, there are other Fellows who are also eyeing up that job, including Harry’s rival, Denis Papin. London, 1679 —A year has passed since the sensational attempt to murder King Charles II, but London is still a viper’s nest of rumored Catholic conspiracies, and of plots against them in turn. When Harry Hunt — estranged from his mentor Robert Hooke — is summoned to the remote and windswept marshes of Norfolk, he is at first relieved to get away from the place.

He saw no one. He jogged between two sheds, where the shadows were deepest, keeping his footsteps light. The smell of fat from meat brought in by a Greenland whaler—the boiling performed that day on the quayside—nearly overpowered him. Torn between running from the noise of the carriage or looking for the watchman, Boilot chose to stay perfectly still. Ahead of them, at the end of the short lane, the horses slowed, their driver uncertain, and came to a stop. The coach’s wood, leather, and iron all made their individual groans and grumbles at halt. Anyone who enjoyed the first book or is a disciple of Tudor-Stuart fiction won’t be disappointed with this story. After a strong start, I got slightly bogged down but became totally engaged once Harry found himself in an almighty scrape in Paris. I award five well-deserved stars. The Poison Machine by Robert J. Lloyd published October 25th with Melville House and is described as ‘a nail-biting and brilliantly imagined historical thriller that will delight readers of its critically acclaimed predecessor The Bloodless Boy.' While The Poison Machine is a sequel to The Bloodless Boy, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. London, 1679— A year has passed since the attempt to murder King Charles II, but London is still a viper's nest of rumored Catholic conspiracies, and of plots against them in turn. When Harry Hunt—estranged from his mentor Robert Hooke—is summoned to the remote and windswept marshes of Norfolk, he is at first relieved to get away from the place.

Lloyd's characters are simultaneously deeply imaginative and perceptive and very much of their time and place, which Lloyd refuses to romanticize. This principle of accurate observation, so in tune with the series' theme and Hunt's personal values, is one of the series' many strengths and something that distinguishes it from nearly all historical mysteries set in pre-20th-century Britain..." —Reviewing the Evidence Outstanding … Lloyd skillfully combines an endearingly flawed lead, jaw-dropping twists, and the fraught, conspiracy-laden politics of the Stuart Restoration. ” —Publishers Weekly , Starred Review Lloyd once again infuses his world with the sights, sounds, and smells of the late 17th century...for what’s bound to be one of the best historical novels of the year. " — CrimeReads Harry Hunt has fallen out with Robert Hooke and is summoned to windswept Norfolk. Shoring up a riverbank some workers have discovered the skeleton of a dwarf - that of Captain Jeffrey Hudson, famously once given to Queen Henrietta Maria in a pie. Except no one knew he was dead, because someone has been impersonating him. Frustrated in his wish to be appointed Curator and embarrassed in front of his fellow natural philosophers, Harry Hunt decides to leave the Royal Society and his mentor Robert Hooke behind, and accept the invitation of Sir Jonas Moore to join the Board of Ordinance. His first task, to investigate a murder…