Scan barcode
A review by jmatkinson1
Beloved Poison by E.S. Thomson
4.0
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 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.