The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul
Eleanor Herman
Book club
“…people living in terror of poison were, in fact, poisoning themselves every day of their lives, through their medicine, cosmetics, and living conditions. At Europe’s dazzling royal courts, beneath a facade of bejeweled beauty, there festered illness, ignorance, filth, and—sometimes—murder.”
For centuries, royalty spent a considerable amount of time worrying they would be poisoned by their enemies; ironically, it was more likely that they were poisoning themselves. Arsenic, lead, mercury, and even human remains were key ingredients in makeup and medicines. If that didn’t kill them, other options included overflowing cesspits, urine-coated staircases, and innumerable infectious diseases. Turns out murder may have been the least foul possibility.
Who doesn’t love history, especially when it’s gross? This was a fascinating and dry heave-inducing investigation of all the insane things people used to do in the name of beauty and/or health. While the main information wasn’t necessarily new to me, Herman’s research gave me plenty of meat to chew on (sorry). Part 2 builds on the facts using case studies of suspicious royal deaths throughout history and whether they were the result of foul play or foul living (and does get a bit repetitive after 22 cases). Part 3 covers the interesting premise that while we’re more careful these days about what goes into our face creams and medicine bottles, political poisonings may be more popular today than ever.
Read this if you enjoy history, murder investigations, and have a strong stomach.
The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld
Dan Slater
“In the end, though, the Rosenthal case would be more relevant for what it incited than for how the case itself was resolved. In its shadow, a more important story played out, one that was largely hidden from view when it happened, and later buried by history.”
Long before Italian names like Gotti and Capone monopolized headlines, the American underworld belonged to Russian and German criminals. Buoyed by millions of exploitable immigrants from their home countries, these men kept a stranglehold on all downtown enterprises. But when a prominent gambler (and state’s witness) was gunned down in Times Square in 1912, a secretive group of uptowners decided it was time to fight back. For the next decade, reformers tackled vice at all levels — from street corner bookies to the powerful Tammany Hall. But did their efforts truly make a positive impact, or merely pave the way for new corrupting influences to take hold?
As a true crime aficionado, I’ve read and watched a lot about the criminal underworld from the 1920s to the 1980s. But of course gangs and the mafia didn’t spring fully formed from the whiskey stills of Prohibition, so I was excited about the chance to fill in the gap all the way back to pre-WWI. The people and situations were interesting, of course, but I really appreciated that Slater took time to connect the actions of that time period to the butterfly effects they started. There’s lots of details and names, so keep your thinking cap on and enjoy the ride.
Add this to your TBR if you enjoy history and true crime wrapped in a great narrative format.
The Change
Kirsten Miller
“Why do you think women are designed to outlive men? Why do we keep going for thirty years after our bodies can no longer reproduce? Do you think nature meant for those years to be useless? No, of course not. Our lives are designed to have three parts. The first is education. The second, creation. And in part three, we put our experience to use and protect those who are weaker.”
Harriet, Jo, and Nessa have spent their entire lives facing the challenges of womanhood: family and cultural expectations, periods, sexism, and misogyny. They expect their “golden years” will consist of more of the same before they sink into the invisibility foisted on post-menopausal females. Instead they find themselves empowered with abilities to see, protect, and punish. These powers lead them to a body in the seaside dunes, then to a gated community where the rules don’t apply. Soon the women realize it may be up to them to root out a killer.
I encountered Miller earlier this summer when I picked up Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. That book wasn’t a slam dunk for me, but I enjoyed the author’s writing enough that I went in search of her other novels — and it would surprise no one who knows me that The Change soared to the top of my TBR. A murder plot will almost always hook me, but add in badass women who discover how to channel their rage into power? Sign. Me. Up. This was a great premise, and I think Miller executed it well. The male characters are appropriately sleazy/jerky/useless, and the mystery was well done. But what I enjoyed most was seeing Harriet, Jo, and Nessa explore and grow. The idea of older women gaining power instead of losing it is just so delicious — it makes my little witchy heart sing.
Pick this up if you like reading about women using their power to save others and also be completely badass.
Hannah Coulter
Wendell Berry
“Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery.”
Hannah has lived in Port William, Kentucky, all her life. She’s worked from dawn until dusk to keep her farm going, buried two husbands, and has seen her family disperse to the four winds. In the seventh of Wendell Berry’s novels the author gives voice to a woman who has spent 80 years as part of a small but intricate rural community whose culture and future is threatened.
Ask readers or critics to list the best Southern writers and Wendell Berry is sure to be included. The man is a literary power house, best known for his novels and short stories set in rural Kentucky. Hannah Coulter is evocative and immersive, but ultimately I enjoy Berry’s poetry and non-fiction better. The novel comes across as sanctimonious, with an overly-rosy view of rural life and community. Hannah spends a good part of the book lamenting “the good old days” that I don’t think ever actually existed.
Give this a try if you like quiet, introspective, character-focused novels.
The Impossible Thing
Belinda Bauer
“The Metland Egg is real. And somebody knows where it is…”
In the years before the Great Depression, a singular girl discovered a singular egg. More than 100 years later, a robbery in a small Welsh cottage sends two friends on a quest even weirder — and more dangerous — than they could have imagined.
Who knew that “egg collector” was a hobby, much less a murderous one? Bauer, famous in Britain for her slightly odd crime novels, took inspiration from history to tell a fictionalized history of The Metland Egg. This was a fun romp featuring popular characters from Bauer’s novel Rubbernecker, but I appreciate that it also dug a little into the ethics of egg collecting, relationships, and other deeper topics.
Read this if you like your mysteries a little on the quirky side.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Max Brooks
“For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us, every single one of them, every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth. That’s the kind of enemy that was waiting for us beyond the Rockies. That’s the kind of war we had to fight.”
Barely a decade after the official end of the time known as The Zombie War, journalist Max Brooks has traveled the world to record the stories of those who were there. Doctors, soldiers, politicians, smugglers, refugees, astronauts, and religious figures discuss their experiences, showcasing how different groups responded to the war — and what they’re doing to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
This has been on my TBR for years, but I’ve been too afraid to pick it up because zombie stuff freaks me out — especially now that I’ve been through a global pandemic. But a friend of mine who’s not known for being a big reader said it was good; I hoped I’d be okay since it’s set after humanity overcomes such an outbreak. I almost DNFd during the first section, when the focus was on early cases and no one knew what was happening, but I pushed through — and I’m glad I did. World War Z was just as much about humans as it was about the undead. I liked that it focused on things like how militaries had to adjust their approach, how the economy and environment was impacted, and how culture and community was forced to change. I’m so glad I listened to the extended edition of the audiobook; having each “recording” read by a different actor really took the book to a whole new level. World War Z had me hiding under the blankets, but it was so good I couldn’t stop until I knew what happened.
Try this if you’re looking for a unique take on the post-zombie apocalypse.
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
Helen Simonson
“ ‘Truly petrifying at first, of course, but once you let go, something shifts inside.’ She flexed her fingers, which were stiff from her initial wild clutching. ‘It feels like freedom.’ “
It’s the first summer after the end of the Great War, and the seaside town of Hazelbourne is once again welcoming genteel clientele to its hotels and boardwalk. Constance Haverhill is spending her last few weeks as a lady’s companion to Mrs. Fog before she must find her own way in the world. A chance meeting with Poppy Wirrall, owner of a local ladies’ motorcycle taxi club, begins to change Constance’s life in ways she never expected. While the country celebrates victory and peace, the young ladies of Hazelbourne see their own hard-won freedoms being clawed back by a society not ready to believe women worthy of all they have gained.
Simonson is the author of the bestseller Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, and her third novel continues her established focus on the divides between genders, classes, and cultures. I’m a sucker for a plucky feminist heroine, and Hazelbourne has those in spades. Unfortunately it just wasn’t a winner for me. There were too many characters and side plots, certain phrases were used repetitively, and the last third of the book went in directions that didn’t mesh well with the earlier chapters. I wanted more adventure and happiness for the characters than Simonson gave them.
Try this on for size if you like the “stories about feisty post-war girls” trend that’s been popular for the last several years.
A Dreadful Splendor
B.R. Myers
“What people don’t see with their eyes, they fill in with their hearts. The heart sees.”
After “one last job” lands her in jail, Genevieve finds herself spared from the noose by Mr. Lockhart, a lawyer in search of a scam artist. His client, Mr. Pemberton, still mourns the suicide of his beautiful bride-to-be; if Genevieve can perform a fake séance that finally brings the man peace, she will be free to leave London forever. But it seems that everyone at Somerset Park — including the house itself — holds secrets better left in the shadows. Genevieve doesn’t believe in ghosts, but you don’t need to believe in something for it to be able to kill you.
I picked this up in late September in hopes of finding a good read to start the spooky season. The story took a little time to ramp up, but once it did I was hooked — the crumbling house, creepy happenings, and general heavy atmosphere had me holding my breath and turning on extra lights for the entire middle section. And then, like a souffle left too long in the oven, the whole thing collapsed in the last few chapters. The reveal was interesting, but couldn’t be explored enough because it came so late. The logic fell apart and knocked an entire star off my rating. A book that had been ramping up to something awesome just kinda…dribbled to a close. Huge bummer.
Give this a shot if you’re in the mood for a creepy atmospheric read and don’t mind an uneven plot.
Photo by Cloris Ying on Unsplash
