This is a most peculiar place,’ he said. ‘And the people in it are driven by the most extraordinary motives to do the most deplorable things.’

Beloved Poison is an atmospheric historical mystery, the first in a series from debut author, E.S. Thomson.

Standing since 1135, the crowded, dilapidated buildings of St. Saviours Infirmary are slated to be demolished to make way for a railway bridge. St. Saviours is the only home apothecary Jem Flockhart has ever known, but even she is not privy to all its secrets.
While showing William Quartermain, the junior architect tasked with organising the emptying of St. Saviours graveyard, around, Jem and Will discover six tiny paper coffins hidden in the crumbling walls of the chapel. Puzzled by the symbolism of their contents, she is determined to learn their origins, unwittingly unleashing the base instincts of a murderer.

“Oh, yes, I was unique among women. There had been an apothecary named Flockhart at St Saviour’s Infirmary for over one hundred years and I was set to inherit my father’s kingdom amongst the potions. But it took a man to run that apothecary, and so a man I must be.”

Thomson’s portrayal of Jem is nuanced and fascinating. In order to sustain the Flockhart legacy, Jem has no choice but to live as a man, but being forced to keep her secret at all times means she is often terribly lonely. She is disarmed by the friendliness of William, who seems unfazed by the large port wine birthmark that stains her face, and he is equally unruffled when he guesses her secret, though it is her childhood friend, Elizabeth, that she yearns for. Jem’s interest in the coffins is both a product of her natural curiosity, and a distraction from her father’s illness, as well as the uncertainty of the Infirmary’s impending closure.

“In reality they were no more than a collection of poorly-executed boxes, foolish totems that may well have been made and hidden away by a child, their significance at best random, and most likely meaningless. And yet I knew, in my heart, that these were spurious arguments.”

The discovery of the coffins is an eventual catalyst for three murders, Jem’s wrongful incarceration, and a revelation of past atrocities. The mysteries are interesting and involved. There are, among the often arrogant, petty, and morally corrupt staff of St. Savours, several suspects.

Where the novel unfortunately fell down for me was in the uneven pacing, exacerbated by the heavy foreshadowing of events.

“Stiff with old gore, Dr Graves’s coat had a thick, inflexible appearance, and a sinister ruddy-coloured patina like waxed mahogany. Dr Magorian’s was worse, being as dark and lustreless as a black pudding.”

Perhaps the strongest element of the novel is Thomson’s horrifying yet compelling visceral descriptions of the medical practices and beliefs of 1850. The author walks us through the dank and stinking wards of the Infirmary crowded with festering patients, the blood spattered operating rooms with floors strewn with sawdust, and the damp and chilly dissecting room. Thomson’s characters also briefly venture out of St. Saviours into the equally squalid streets of London, and to Newgate Prison.

I enjoyed Beloved Poison, particularly for its Victorian atmosphere and though it has its flaws, as the first in a series, I can see the potential, and I hope to read more. ( )

Medical history is fascinating and has no doubt affected each and every one of us at some time in the past: In the last century we have become used to sterile conditions but Beloved Poison is set in the 1840s, when surgeons wore their gory suits as badges of distinction.
Jem’s mum died giving birth to her, and her dad, the chief Apocethary at St Saviour’s Infirmary, was so determined his child would succeed him, he raised Jemima as Jem, a boy, and an apothecary.
Murder, thrills, sexual confusion and poison all have their part to play in this period piece, an excellent mid-Victorian cold case which has suddenly heated up, with fatal consequences for Jem and her friends. ( )

St Saviour's is a old infirmary which is due to be replaced by a train line. When the developers send in a team to clear the graveyard a rather disturbing discovery is made, a set of six small coffins containing strange wooden dolls. Shortly after this Dr Bain, one of the medical team, is found dead. Jem Flockhart is the child of the apothecary and carries personal secrets, not least of which is that fact that Jem is woman, disguised as a man. However as Jem becomes implicated, the death of the wife of another doctor and also a local ruffian mean that case is close to being solved.

I picked up this book as I was really intrigued by the medical setting and also the gothic nature of a crumbling infirmary in Victorian England. In this respect the book did not disappoint, the atmosphere is carefully created and the medical knowledge is excellent. In fact much of the book was very enjoyable, my main gripes are with the sketchy nature of many of the characters beyond Jem and the plot which had been so promising seemed to degenerate into a slightly hysterical denouement. ( )

The romance didn't convince me but the rest of the story, with Jem investigating because she had problems believing the given truth was quite good, I did predict much of it but overall I found it interesting.

Jem was baptised Jemima, but she dresses and acts as a man to keep the family in the apothecary business and in St Saviour's Infirmary where change is coming, the hospital is to close to make way for a railway bridge and William Quartermain is here to survey and to empty the graveyard. When the survey leads to tiny graves that make no sense, and bodies start to mount, it's a complicated mess of twists and turns and, of course, for late Victorian fiction, echoes of Jack the Ripper.

Interesting and I'd like to read more but the relationship fell a bit flat. ( )

I would like to thank Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

I went into this book not sure what to expect. It was initially the beautiful cover that caught my eye and on reading the blurb it piqued my interest even more, but I knew nothing more about the book. I didn't know if it was a mystery, crime, or a thriller etc. I had no inkling of what genre it fit into so I didn't have any expectations going in, and I certainly didn't expect it to enthral me as much as it did.

I was completely captivated by this book. The imagery was so vivid that I was transported completely to another time. I was so wrapped up in the dark and gloomy world of victorian London, surrounded by the sights, the smells, and the crumbling old buildings, that the world around me ceased to exist. When I wasn't reading I found myself thinking about the world and the people that I had left behind on the pages, eager to get back to them.

The writing style played out in my head like a movie. I could picture everything, the sights, the smells, the characters, the environment, and I was completely taken over by the book the whole time it was in my hands. The characterisation was fantastic. Every character was so well written and fleshed out, especially those of Jem and Will. Jem is an amazing character, she enveloped me and drew me into her world, she was as real as I was and I was right there with her from start to finish. Her voice was a light in the darkness and I was drawn to it and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

I want to say Beloved Poison is a character driven story, the characters are a huge part of the book and feel as real as you or I, but it's also very world driven. Victorian London surrounded me the whole time I was reading, I was there amongst the old buildings, breathing in the tainted air and passing the people on the street like I was one of them. To me, this was a story that I lived rather than a story read. Even though there is a mystery running throughout, and of course I wanted to know who the guilty party was, it was the experience of living and breathing in Victorian London and my love for Jem's character that made this an outstanding read.

Quite unexpectedly, Beloved Poison is one of my favourite reads of 2016. I never thought I would ever say that about a historical fiction book. I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment!

Beloved Poison is going to be a hard book to follow. I'm going to have to choose my next read very carefully.

Highly recommended. ( )