The Poisoned Island is Otaheite, or Tahiti as we know it better, in the year 1769, but the story moves quickly on to the River Thames in 1812 where the ship “Solander” returns from the paradise of Otaheite, with hundreds of plants preserved carefully by Captain Hopkins for delivery to Sir Joseph Banks the famous botanist at Kew Gardens.

It has been a successful trip and the sailors in particular had found their time in Otaheite very rewarding. The new plant specimens are welcomed by Banks and his learned librarian, Scottish botanist, Robert Brown. But some of the sailors carry a lethal secret whose repercussions will effect Banks, Brown and even king George III.

Lloyd Shepherd describes the streets, grand houses and hovels of Georgian London vividly. We walk from place to place or cross the river alongside his characters.

The book is primarily a murder mystery which is investigated by John Harriott the resident magistrate of the River Police, based in Wapping, aided by his skilful constable Charles Horton. One after another, sailors from the “Solander” are found dead in mysterious circumstances with no apparent motive. Meanwhile, Banks and Brown are astounded by the rapid growth of a breadfruit tree which had been brought back in the ship, after they planted it in warm conditions at Kew.

The murder scenes are gruesome and the extra knowledge given to the reader does not make the identity of the killer any easier to spot. Abigail, independently minded wife of Charles Horton, becomes entangled in danger and a strange mixed race clergyman from the “Solander”, Peter Nott is the first suspect.
This is not a fast moving, action packed mystery but the story of a determined, meticulous detective in an era when such murders were easily dismissed and when the wrong culprit could so easily be incarcerated in a corrupt prison such as Coldbath Fields. The historical details add so much to our involvement in the narrative.

Lloyd Shepherd has chosen to mix real facts about the historical figures with a story he has created which could possibly have happened to them, which I found delightful. Some may find it a little long-winded but I relished the background knowledge which he incorporated into his novel. This is the second of three books about the River Police although it works perfectly as a stand alone novel.
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My Thoughts

- Lloyd Shepherd's The Poisoned Island takes place primarily in London in the early 19th century, although parts of the narrative are also set in Tahiti. The story concerns the return from Tahiti of the Solander, a ship sent to the island to transport native plants back to London, and her crew. Almost immediately upon the ship's return, however, crew members start to turn up dead. While their deaths don't appear to be related to foul play, police officer Charles Horton investigates them nonetheless. Horton soon discovers that there is much more to the deaths than meets the eye, including linkages to a mysterious Tahitian plant.

- The mystery in this novel unfolds slowly and from various character's perspectives. While some readers might find these changes in perspective jarring, I think it worked very well for this particular novel as it heightens the sense of intrigue and leaves the reader guessing as to the possible explanation for the deaths right until the final pages.

- Aside from being an intriguing mystery, one of the greatest strengths of The Poisoned Island is how vividly the settings are described. As a result, both 19th century London and Tahiti come to life for the reader.

- Another strength of the novel is its skillfully drawn characters, whose narratives readers should find interesting. Charles Horton, the novel's protagonist, is particularly engaging and I enjoyed how he applied newly developed detective/ investigative techniques to his work.

- Several of the characters in the book, including Charles Horton, were first introduced in The English Monster, a mystery dealing with England's infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders. I wasn't aware prior to reading The Poisoned Island that it was a follow-up to an earlier book. While The Poisoned Island can be read as a stand alone novel, it does include a number of references to events in The English Monster and it is apparent that Charles Horton was much affected by them. The inclusion of these references didn't diminish my enjoyment of the mystery found in The Poisoned Island, but I did sometimes feel as if I was missing important background information.

- Overall an entertaining and well-written novel, The Poisoned Island is recommended to fans of historical mysteries. I'm looking forward to reading more from Lloyd Shepherd, including The English Monster.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Source: I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley ( )

5 stars.... This book kept me interested until the end.

** I received this book for free as part of a First-Reads promotion. ( )

Someone nicely described The English Monster as ‘Regency X-Files.’ Well, this is Regency Fringe.

A ship arrives from the strange, doomed island of Tahiti, carrying a cargo of plants destined for the gardens at Kew. But not all the plants are what they seem. And when certain members of the crew are found dead, Constable Charles Horton and his magistrate, John Harriott, must once again dig up the buried crimes of England’s past.

http://www.lloydshepherd.com/the-poisoned-island/

LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti. When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles - John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation. But what connects the crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's new science possibly explain the strangeness of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew? Horton must employ his singular methods to uncover a chain of conspiracy stretching all the way back to the foot of the great dead volcano Tahiti Nui, beneath the hungry eyes of ancient gods.


Thrilling, colourful theatrical that is a murder mystery packed with historical detail and a touch of weird. ( )

The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd is a tense atmospheric Victorian Murder mystery. It is well written and deftly plotted. The characters are suited to their time and setting. Shepherd plays the air of English superiority heavily in the interaction with the islanders, even with the crew who are obviously uneducated and working class.

The sailing vessel the Solander has arrived in London after a voyage to the island of Tahiti in June of 1812. Aboard it brings home a treasure of botanical oddities. Plants unknown to the British but their rarity is immeasurable in value. The highest minds want to study them but the voyage was funded by Sir Joseph Banks and he has his own plans for the bounty the ship has brought. Banks does not just have the desires of science in mind, no he has something else in mind altogether.

It is not only the plants that come ashore from the Solander, but murder as well. As one by one a group of sailors die.

"You have no thoughts yourself?"
"None at all. The man's neck was bruised, I am told, confirming the analysis of strangulation. But he had a confoundedly happy grin on his face, which struck Horton as most odd. He seems to have died happy, in any case."
Graham, ruefully, looks at his fork.
"We should all like to die happy," he says.
"Indeed. But what does an illiterate sailor with grim lodgings and a fat old mistress have to be happy about?"
"I sometimes think an ordinary life would be more desirable than the one I lead."

It is something else the Solander has brought back from Tahiti than just exotic plants. It is a leaf when brewed becomes a powerful opiate. It is up to Constable Horton to unravel the mystery and the murderer before the danger reaches him or his family.

The Poisoned Island is a well crafted mystery that at times may be slow but still moves along at a good pace. ( )