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

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Sneaking by them, each man stopped breathing, anxious not to betray their presence. Coffee roasting inside the nearest ship made their noses twitch. But with his task becoming more complicated at every turn, Harry’s investigations lead him far from London, across the sea to the dangerous streets of Paris in search of a missing man and a famous diamond. But with more than one party taking an interest in his mission, and with impostors, assassins and a threat to the Queen’s life to contend with, will Harry be able to escape this adventure with his life? 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. 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. Everything new is old again — rumor-mongering, disinformation campaigns, religious bigotry — in Robert J. Lloyd’s nifty murder mystery loosely based on real events in Restoration England.” —The Washington Post

I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of this historical thriller series The Bloodless Boy, which introduced us to the unlikely crime busting pairing of Royal Society members Robert Hooke and his assistant Harry Hunt. Their first adventure was a twisty mystery around the body of a young boy, drained of his blood, that led to the discovery of a plot to kill Charles II. 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. THE POISON MACHINE is a nail-biting and brilliantly imagined historical thriller that will delight readers of its critically acclaimed predecessor, THE BLOODLESS BOY.

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The author does a wonderful job bringing the simmering religious persecution of the era to life. The fictional narrative is skillfully woven around a framework of actual historical people and incidents and it's done so seamlessly that it's not always apparent where history shades into fiction. He does a great job with the characters and even the secondary characters are three dimensional and believable. I loved the respect and finesse with which he handles the historical (and fictional) characters.

With the help of clues left in a book, a flying man, and a crossdressing swordswoman, Harry’s search takes him to Paris, another city bedeviled by conspiracies and intrigues. He navigates its salons and libraries, and learns of a terrible plot against the current Queen of England, Catherine of Bragança, and her gathering of Catholics in London. Assassins plan to poison them all. The author has again shown his skill at blending fact with fiction, particularly in relation to the experiences of Jeffrey Hudson. It is documented that he grew in height during the time he was enslaved despite being an adult when he was captured, so I enjoyed the author’s idea that he was replaced by a taller impostor. I’d like to share more of the plot but the second half of the book is all unravelling the conspiracies and double-crossings and building to the big finish and it’s all simply too well-crafted to reveal any of that here.

During Channel 13 News' war broadcasts, Lucy Aharish revealed a message she received on her private phone, which she chose to read to the audience.

The physicist’s urgent work this time (“the body will not keepe”) takes him far from the Thames shores he clung to in The Bloodless Boy. France is a major setting in the book and a final lengthy and very exciting scene takes us to the Queen’s Catholic Consult, where restrictions against the much-loathed group will be discussed. Lloyd again succeeds in creating an immersive look at the various layers of life his hero encounters, one that draws enough on real events to treat readers to intriguing history, but that also adds just the right fictional elements to keep the plot rich. Another winner. —Henrietta Verma 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 I had my doubts about The Poison Machine in the beginning. It took almost half to book for the plot to build up enough that I reached the just-one-more-chapter state of engagement. But said point was reached, and I found myself racing through the book's second half. If you enjoy historical mysteries enough to put up with an initial slow burn, you'll have no trouble enjoying this title.Wonderfully imagined and wonderfully written, this is an impeccable historical mystery… Superb!’ Lee Child The ending is very exciting, the plot keeps getting more complex & twisty, & there is plenty of suspense throughout! Look what's happening while I'm talking to you," Aharish interrupted the broadcast in front of Almog Boker.

The atmospheric feeling that runs through the entire book really draws you in to the seedy underworld of London in contrast to the opulence of the Queens Court.. I loved it. I am a bit of an Historical Novel geek and I lapped up every single word. Harry is a unstoppable force and is determined to get at the truth no matter what. Accompanied by Colonel Fields, the suitor of Harry’s landlady, and Hooke’s niece Grace, Harry journeys to the Fens to find that the body is that of former royal favourite Jeffrey Hudson, a man less than 2 feet tall who was famously gifted to Queen Henrietta Maria in a pie. This is an exceptionally well written and researched thriller/mystery set in the latter part of the 17th century in and around London. The descriptions and dialogue are precisely rendered and believable. The story follows primarily Harry Hunt, renowned scientist Robert Hooke's assistant, sent to investigate a body found in Norfolk. He moved into the light and removed his hat, revealing a strange face tapering from a large forehead with a single eyebrow across it to a small mouth and sharp chin. The story commences with an intriguing and very atmospheric prologue, setting the scene on a dark London night, as three Frenchmen secretly travel along the Thames avoiding detection. The imagined descriptions of the river, the varying ships and the Frenchmen’s paranoia was just perfect and if a tv series was to made based on these books, I would expect this initial scene to be portrayed exactly as it appeared in my mind.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… 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. A year has passed since the sensational attempt to murder King Charles II. London is still inflamed by fears of Catholic plots. Harry Hunt—estranged from his mentor Robert Hooke and no longer employed by the Royal Society—meets Sir Jonas Moore, the King’s Surveyor-General of the Board of Ordnance, in the remote and windswept marshes of Norfolk. There, workers draining the fenland have uncovered a skeleton.