I found this historical novel absolutely fascinating, not least because a fair amount of the action takes place in the building in which I currently work.

Laurence Jago is a civil servant working in the Foreign Office in the final decade of the eighteenth century, a period of considerable unrest, exacerbated by war between Britain and France. The French were still attempting to attain some degree of political stability following the Revolution of 1789 and the rampant bloodshed that ensued. Napoleon Bonaparte is already a prominent figure within the French military establishment, and is starting to achieve success.

Jago has his own secrets – one of these is that he has never revealed to his employers that his mother is a French refugee, and that, as a consequence, he is fluent in the language. This becomes significant as, following a promotion, his duties involve transcribing messages secretly intercepted from within the French forces which have a huge intelligence value. It becomes evident that the content of some of these messages has been leaked to French agents operating in London, and Jago becomes a prime suspect.

The novel gives a fascinating insight into the machinations of the Foreign Office, and the rampant political intriguers of the day. One of the principal protagonists is George Canning, subsequently briefly Prime Minister, and commemorated by a statue in Parliament Square visible from my office. There are several statues in the Square commemorating a number of figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela, but Canning is the only one who appears to be on his way to a toga party. Perhaps nowadays, Canning is principally remembered for having fought a duel with his fellow Cabinet Member, Lord Castlereagh. This side of his personality is evident in the book, and he certainly emerges as a fairly repellent character.

Leonora Nattrass has done a marvellous job, weaving a complex, yet always plausible plot, that ranges across the war with France, strained relationships with the relatively newly independent USA and political unrest at home, with growing cries for constitutional reform( that would eventually come to limited fruition in the 1832 Reform Act). Jago is an excellently drawn character, and one who is far from flawless. After all, the Black Drop of the title refers to a laudanum-based compound to which Jago has become addicted. He is also stricken with indecision, and many of the problems with which he has to contend spring from his almost morbid inability to act upon his resolutions.

This was a highly engrossing and entertaining novel, and I am delighted to learn that one sequel has already been published, and a further is expected later this year. ( )

Recommended for fans of C J Sansom and Andrew Taylor, I was in two minds about this book, which I found via a random post on Instagram - I have read a good selection of Taylor's novels and they are well written but far from thrilling. Unfortunately, such was also the problem for me with Leonora Nattrass' debut novel. I thought the 'black drop' of the title - an opium tincture taken by the narrator - would be the focus but this is actually a long, slow history lesson about eighteenth century politics which I didn't need and couldn't focus on.

Although cleverly written and obviously laboriously researched - the author studied eighteenth century literature and politics - the characters just didn't interest me, especially the pompous and pathetic Laurence Jago, who is supposed to be recording his version of events. Instead of an engaging personality and active agency in his own story, Jago is a two dimensional 'country lad' in the city, on a youthful quest for truth and justice (not to mention the boss's daughter), who spends much of the time whacked out on opium and stumbling into matters he doesn't understand. And he's telling the tale so the reader can't escape him, sadly. I would have much preferred to learn more about side characters like Philpott, the old crone of a French spy whose name I can't remember, or even Anne, the non-starter love interest.

Like the political intrigue at the heart of the plot, there are a lot of clever threads in this novel, but they just didn't weave a gripping story for me. ( )

Laurence Jago hides a secret from his employers. As a government clerk in a time where England and France are becoming enemies, Jago does not want it known that he is half-French and fluent in the language. However someone knows his secret and is pressurising him to spy for the French, alongside which a mysterious dispatch that has passed through Jago's hands is now published in the press and an acquaintance is found dead in suspicious circumstances. As Jago seeks to repress his anxiety and insomnia in opiate drugs, the conspiracy net is closing in.
I really loved the setting of this book, in the late18th Century, as there is little historical fiction set in this period except for 'romances'. Jago is a flawed hero and the ending is neither neat nor satisfactory which suits the tenor of the novel. There is some really well-observed period detail and an oppressive atmosphere which serves the labyrinthine plot well. To my mind this is solid writing without being outstanding ( )