Just Finished Reading: The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd (FP: 2013) [386pp] 

London, 1812. With the Solander now returned from its Tahiti expedition there is much rejoicing in the banqueting rooms of the Royal Society. Using the very latest techniques, overseen and enforced by the ship's captain, almost all of the plants recovered from that isle have made it back to England in excellent condition. The botanical bounty on the ship being removed to Kew Gardens to great acclaim is not the only thing that has returned from paradise. The crew has returned with stories of blue skies, warm seas and even warmer embraces from dusky maidens. Some have also returned with infection and wild stories of dead volcanoes, dark happenings and ancient gods. A few, a mere handful, have also returned in the grip of addiction and the means to feed it, at least for a while. Within days of the landing Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton finds himself examining the fresh corpse of a Solander sailor. The cause of death is no mystery but mystery nevertheless abounds. The man's sea chest has been ransacked but nothing taken, the room looks like a hurricane has passed through it and, mystery of mysteries, the man seemed to have been smiling as he died. But Charles Horton has little time to ponder such mysteries before he is presented with another corpse and another link back to the Solander and the island of Tahiti. What happened there deep in the rainforests and what followed these men back from paradise to kill them?  

After reading the previous book in this series I was delighted to discover that there were four books in total. I was also delighted to discover that I was hooked on the second narrative from the very start. Not only is Horton a fantastically interesting character but the world of the early 19th century the author creates is rich, deep and full of wonder. The author conjures a world, and a place in London, on the very edge of modernity with missions of exploration and scientific breakthroughs changing the world and challenging previous certainties seemingly every day. Passing comments to new building projects, new docks, new buildings going up around him as Horton investigates the crimes – a new idea in itself apparently – shows how dynamic things are. The environment of the novel is changing as we proceed through it which is pretty neat and is something at the heart of both novels read so far. On one level this is simply a very good historical crime novel. Left at that it would be a recommended read. But, as with Horton’s previous outing, there is MUCH more going on here. The historical side of things is detailed and gives the novel a real sense of living in a different age. Without any great exposition we learn snippets about the ongoing war in America and with Napoleon, about British exploration and the expansion of her Empire, we learn about the birth pangs of the early police service and the very start of modern police investigative techniques, we are introduced to Botanical ideas that would eventually become one element in the future debate on Evolution and so on. But none of that slows the narrative in any way – indeed it ADDS to the narrative! It’s very, very clever and deeply enjoyable. I couldn’t really fault this at all really except in one very minor way. Charles Horton is lucky enough to have Abigail as his wife. Although we don’t ‘see’ her much within the covers of the novel she’s a bit of a scene stealer whenever she appears. Needless to say, I really enjoyed spending more time in Charles Hortons world. Definitely recommended for all lovers of historical crime novels with a sprinkling of the uncanny.