“His cheeks were numb, and his lips were stiff and chapped. He watched the water slapping against the quay, observing the way it ran in between the piles holding up the wooden gangways, the jetties and wharfs that extended crazily from the waterfront, the connections to each of the ships that berthed here for the business of loading and unloading. The water was choppy, flecks of white spitting from the river, sometimes splashing his face.
Soon, the Thames would take him out to the open sea. It was a journey he had never done. He had never been further along the river than Tilbury, going with Hooke to see the improvements to the fortifications there.”
“The Poison Machine”, by Robert J Lloyd
I’m delighted to join the Blog Tour for “The Poison Machine” by Robert J Lloyd. Many thanks to Nikki from publishers Melville House, and of course the author for organising the tour and gifting me a copy of the ebook.
The story:
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…
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.
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?
My thoughts:
“The Poison Machine” is the second book of author Robert J Lloyd, and the second installment in his Hunt & Hooke series (see my review of the “The Bloodless Boy“, from exactly a year ago today!). As with the first book, this is wonderfully written, with historical detail painting a vivid picture of London and Paris in 1679.
Harry Hunt is once again a determined investigator, even though his multiple missions from various important parties (the Board of Ordinance, Lord High Treasurer Thomas Osbourne, Earl of Danbury, and Hortense Mancini, the Duchesse de Mazarin, to name a few!) lead him far from the familiar streets of London and the Royal Society, and put him at odds with Grace Hooke, a determined and independent woman towards whom Harry nurses romantic feelings.
It was enjoyable to re-visit these characters again, 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.
Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderfully written historical mystery, with the 17th Century world of the natural philosophers providing the perfect backdrop to political intrigue, murder and assassination plots. Highly recommended to all fans of well-written historical fiction and intricately plotted mysteries!
Pages: 464
Published: 27th October 2022
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈/5
About the author
Robert J Lloyd grew up in South London, Innsbruck, and Kinshasa (his parents worked in the British Foreign Service), and then in Sheffield, where he studied for a Fine Art degree, starting as a landscape painter but moving to film, performance, and installation. His MA thesis on Robert Hooke and the ‘New Philosophy’, inspired the ideas and characters in Hunt & Hook series. He lives in Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons. “The Poison Machine” is his second book, following on from “The Bloodless Boy”.
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