E. S. ThomsonCritiques

When a man is found murdered in a brothel the magistrates immediately arrest Mr Jobber, the amiable guard, but the madam knows it wasn't him. Jem Flockhart is asked to look into the murder by the dead man's father, a wealthy recluse, who fears the family curse has struck again. Meanwhile Will Quartermain is working with Mr Basilisk on plans for the a new sewerage system around the Fleet river which is sorely needed as cholera haunts London.
I've not read all the books in this series but have enjoyed several of them so picked this one up with the knowledge that I was in safe hands. Here the focus is on the poor parts of London, affected by a lack of access to clean water and therefore prone to disease. The family at the centre are suitable gothic in character, the plot labyrinthine in nature and the detailed research is excellent. A thoroughly satisfying read.

The Blood by E. S. Thomson is a darn good Victorian London murder mystery that I couldn't put down. Not for the weak of heart; this story has its gritty and gruesome moments!🙈

This is Book 3 of a 5 book series so far. I sort of jumped into the series smack in the middle. I enjoyed it very much so will be ordering the 1st installment soon.

Our two detectives are a unique duo that are a bit different in character to say the least. Jem Flockhart roams the seedy side of London dressed as a man but came into this world a girl. A girl born with a hideous port wine stain that covers her eyes like a raccoon and half of her face. After her mother dies, her father, an established apothecary, raises her as his son and passes the trade on to Jem. Now owning her own apothecary shop disguised as a man wearing a mask akin to that of the Phantom of the Opera, she also solves murders and does autopsies while she moonlights on a retired Napoleonic Wars ship turned hospital.

Will Quartermain, a talented architect has been a lifelong friend to Jem and is desperately in love with her. But Jem not only holds her secret of being a woman, but hides her love of the female sex.

Together they make a unique team solving the many murders that constantly arrive near the slimy wharfs on the Thames.

I cannot wait to start at the beginning with Book One and Two. 5 stars, for a fun and different mystery for sure!

This is the third historical thriller by E. S. Thomson featuring the apothecary Jem Flockhart and his friend Will Quatermain, an architect. Thomson has an academic background in the history of medicine and this book has more than its share of Victorian medical detail.

The story is centred on a hospital ship moored in the Thames and a number of murders of both medical men and local prostitutes. The plotting is tight and the revelation of the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ are genuinely a surprise. There is one weak episode where a character is declared absolutely stone dead only to reappear a few pages later as not as ill as was thought.

The miseries of riverside life are well drawn and the potential for cliche in character and plot often cleverly bypassed.

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.½

Settled into work as an apothecary in the East End of London, Jem Flockhart hides his secret and tries to help those in need. When a note comes from an old acquaintance asking Jem to hurry to the hospital ship the Golden Fleece Jem is worried, and because the note was delayed he is concerned as to what he will fine. In fact Jem arrived just in time to see Dr Aberlour driven to madness and take his own life. The hospital ship is run by a group of proud yet prejudiced doctors who also have an unhealthy relationship with Siren House, a home for repenting prostitutes. As Jem investigated the death of Dr Aberlour, other bodies appear and a secret needs to be revealed.

I do quite like the premise of Jem as a character, the daughter of a medical man who cannot pursue her vocation in Victorian London because of her sex so she disguises it. I also like the way that Will loves Jem but Jem feels Will is a brother to her as she mourns the loss of Eliza. In this book there was a nice subplot about racism which amped up the theme of prejudice. There is no doubt that Thomson is developing as a writer, the stories have always been well plotted and this is no exception, twisty and complex, but the use of metaphors is very strong here and the research into both medicine and historical time and place is exceptional.

You almost can't blame some of the characters for the terrible things they do but overall this felt like a chronicle of atrocities rather than a tighter story. The red herrings were interesting too and the reasons for the murders were logical in their own way but I just finished the book with no real impulse to continue reading this series. I was interested in the book and the characters but when it was over I was content that this story had done all it needed to.½

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.

I would like to thank Little Brown Books and Constable for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

For a good few years I have avoided historical fiction, it's a genre that I used to read a lot of but found myself losing interest in. There was plenty of it out there but I just wasn't feeling it - they were all starting to run into each other, none stood out and I felt that they all read much the same. That is, until I came across E.S. Thomson's debut novel Beloved Poison and was blown away by how fantastic the book was. So fantastic, in fact, that it was my top read of 2016 and I have been recommending it to everyone ever since.

I was like a child on Christmas morning when Dark Asylum landed on my doorstep, but I have to admit I was a little apprehensive at first because I was scared it wouldn't live up to the first book. I needn't have worried, I loved it every bit as much as Beloved Poison.

It was such a joy to be with Jem and Will again and to be back on the streets of Victorian London. The sights, the sounds, the streets, the smells, the mood, the atmosphere, all so vivid that I was transported easily to another time and place. Like with Beloved Poison, the world around me ceased to exist while this book was in my hands.

The author's knowledge of medicine and of the time period is clear to see in the historical detail within the story. It's also clear that she enjoys what she does and has put a lot of love and dedication into the book.

And can I just point out that cover! This is one of the rare occasion where you can safely judge a book by its gorgeous cover and know that the story inside is every bit as amazing.

E.S. Thomson has made me fall in love with historical fiction all over again.

Highly recommended. One of my favourite reads of 2017 so far!

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.½

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.

If you like your historical mysteries filled with well-developed and interesting characters (including a woman pursuing an unusual profession), a unique setting, and descriptions so vivid you can feel the thick fog wrapping itself around you, this may be the book for you. St. Saviour's Infirmary is set to be demolished, but first they have to move the cemetery. Young architect Will Quartermain is sent to supervise the work and is assigned to share quarters with Jem Flockhart, a young apothecary with a secret. When Jem and Will discover six tiny "coffins" hidden in an abandoned chapel, it sets off a chain of events no one could have seen coming. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is a fascinating first novel from a talented writer.

What a fantastic start to not only a new series but a first novel. A London infirmary, St Saviors, in the 1850's provides a dark and foreboding setting. Jem is an apothecary's assistant, her father the apothecary, lives with a big secret, but generally loves working with the herbs and flowers that made up a major portion of medicine during this rime period. When six small caskets are found it is the beginning of a quest that leads to many deaths and revelations.

Resurrection men, early anatomists, the state of medicine at that time all help provide a wonderful reading experience. Jem is a very interesting character, and will not quit until all answers are revealed, a search that include brothels, an asylum and a devastating look at a family illness.

Historic, atmospheric, guess I just picked up a new series. Needless to say I am looking forward to the next.

This is one of those rare creatures,a unique take on a familiar subject. It begins in Bleakly Hall,a tottering semi-ruin of a Hydropathic. 'Monty' arrives to take up a position as nurse there and meets an old friend from the war,Ada. The two brothers who run the place and a guest,Captain Foxley all pull Monty in different and destructive directions. There are extremely funny portions and also many horrific ones too. One of those books that make you want to read them again and again.

"There is a running thread of theatre of the absurd throughout the novel. A decrepit curative water spa at the end of the era of those treatments is a very good setting to place some remaining survivors of the WWs"
read more at: http://likeiamfeasting.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/bleakly-hall-elaine-di-rollo.html

A pleasing tale about two sisters who are separated by an eccentric, cruel father. One goes to India with her drip of a husband, and the other stays at home, cataloging the father's clutter and avoiding the lascivious Dr. Cattermole, whose power in the household steadily grows. The story is amusing (tomboy Lilian takes the expat Brits in India by storm, and Alice tends a greenhouse peach tree that is wheeled between environments for more succulent fruits) but the book is otherwise populated by a pack of despicable male characters--oblivious at best, and more generally conniving, dominating devils.

When I picked up A Proper Education for Girls, I was expecting a novel about Victorian England and India. But when I got into the book, it turned out the book was about something completely different!
It depicts two sisters, separated from each other, due to a "disgrace". One sister, Lillian, gets sent to India with her sickly missionary of a husband. The other sister, Alice, stays in England with their eccentric father who has a penchant for collecting strange items and making them part of his Collection.
I found the chapters about Alice more interesting, though I thought it would be the other way around. I loved all the twists and turns in her sections way more interesting than Lillian's adventures in India.
Overall, I thought A Proper Education for Girls was very interesting and full of action, something I didn't expect!½

A Proper Education for Girls by Elaine di Rollo is a historical fiction novel set in the 1850’s and deals with Victoria morality, eccentricities, and double standards. The book tells the story of the Talbot sisters, Lillian and Alice, who live with their strange father and various aunts. Their father is a collector of oddities and expects his daughters to help him with his collection.

One sister, Lillian fell under the spell of a visiting plant expert, and found herself pregnant and abandoned. The baby died during childbirth, Lillian was quickly married off to a missionary and packed off to India. Mr Talbot, the father, would not have Lillian spoken of in his house and make sure that all mail that came to the house was opened by him and only passed on one of Lillian’s many letters. He even went so far as to search everyone leaving his property to ensure that Alice was not corresponding with her sister.

Alice, the sister that remained at home soon became semi-involved with a visiting photographer and found herself imprisoned and in the hands of the evil Dr. Cattermole who wanted very badly to try experimental surgery on her and convinced her father she was unwomanly and going crazy. Dr. Cattermole was a very shady character, and it is slowly revealed throughout the book that he had a hand in the death of Lillian’s baby.

The book swings back and forth between the sisters, following Lillian in India at the time of the mutiny, and Alice’s bleak life in England. All these two sisters really want is to be together and allowed to live their life without interference. How this book resolves their dilemma makes for a entertaining read. The book gathers momentum like a roller coaster and I found myself absolutely glued to it.

This is an unusual book that dishes out some excellent action and adventure while managing to skewer the Victorian ideals of powerful men and weak, helpless women. The Talbot sisters have become literary favorites of mine.½

This was an interesting book. It is about two sisters, Alice and Lillian, who live at their father's house and take care of his strange collection. Lillian gets sent off to India with a missionary husband after she has someone else's baby out of wedlock. The story switches between Alice still at home and Lillian in India.

I found the chapters dealing with Alice a whole lot more interesting. I felt that I had to wade through to get to her chapters. The conflict at the end had me gripped, however I was unsatisfied with the ending. The jacket claimed that the novel was reminicsent of the Brontes, but is no Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.

Twin sisters in Victorian England have a most unusual upbringing after their mother dies. Their father is a collector of unusual items and considers himself a man of science. His eclectic interests change frequently and he raises his daughters to be strong-willed scientists in an age where women were meant to be merely decorative. After 'betraying' her father, Lillian is married off against her will to a missionary and sent to India while Alice remains behind as the curator for the collection. Told alternately from each sisters' point of view, we get a fascinating glimpse of life in the India during the Raj as well as the Victorian obsession with discovery and science. As each sister faces challenges to their safety, they independently plot their reunion. If you like historical fiction with quirky, independent characters then you will like A Proper Education for Girls.