Title: The Poison Machine

Author: Robert J. Lloyd

Genre: Historical Mystery

Publisher: Melville House

Publication Date: 13th July 2023 (paperback)

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

1679. A year has passed since the sensational attempt to murder King Charles II. 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. Accompanied by his friend Colonel Fields, an old soldier for Parliament, and Hooke’s niece, Grace, Harry confirms Sir Jonas’s suspicion: the body is that of a dwarf, Captain Jeffrey Hudson, once famously given to Queen Henrietta Maria in a pie. 

During the Civil Wars, Hudson accompanied the Queen to France to sell the Royal Jewels to fund her husband s army. He was sent home in disgrace after shooting a man in a duel. But nobody knew Hudson was dead. Another man, working as a spy, has lived as him since his murder. Now, this imposter has disappeared, taking vital information with him. Sir Jonas orders Harry to find him. Harry’s search takes him to Paris, another city bedevilled 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…

Review:

I loved the first book in this brilliant historical series, The Bloodless Boy, so I was thrilled at the prospect of reading the next instalment, The Poison Machine. Happily, I can say that not only was it just as great as its predecessor, but actually possibly even better. The Poison Machine is a sprawling and impeccably detailed mystery that takes us back into the 17th century world of Harry Hunt and Robert Hooke, about a year after the events of The Bloodless Boy. We begin with the discovery of a skeleton in Norfolk, seemingly that of Jeffrey Hudson, or the ‘Queen’s Dwarf’ as he was better known, then travel to the evocative streets of Paris as Harry Hunt attempts to find the imposter that has been impersonating Hudson since his death. Hudson is a real figure from history and one whose story I’ve been curious about since reading an excellent fictionalised version of his life a couple of years ago, so I was intrigued and fascinated to read another fictional account of him! In fact, there are numerous real figures from history that crop up in The Poison Machine and Lloyd blends fact and fiction beautifully and effortlessly to create a vivid and engaging portrait of a contentious and compelling time period that was full of political intrigue and conspiracy.

The Poison Machine can definitely be read as a stand-alone (although I highly recommend also reading The Bloodless Boy) but it does feel extra rewarding to be back with these characters. This is an intricate, richly crafted and thoroughly authentic-feeling evocation of historical mystery and intrigue that I would highly recommend. I loved it.

✶✶✶✶✶

I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

Buy the book:

Waterstones | Blackwell’s | Amazon