{"product_id":"the-poison-machine-9781685890407","title":"The Poison Machine","description":"\"Lloyd once again infuses his world with the sights, sounds, and smells of the late 17th century...for what's bound to be\u003cb\u003e one of the best historical novels of the year.\u003c\/b\u003e\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e-- CrimeReads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eIn a thrilling sequel to \u003ci\u003eThe Bloodless Boy --a New York Times Best New Historical Novel of 2021 --\u003c\/i\u003e combining the color and adventure of Alexandre Dumas and the thrills of Frederick Forsyth -- early scientists Harry Hunt and Robert Hooke of the Royal Society stumble on a plot to kill the Queen of England . . .\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLondon, 1679 --\u003c\/b\u003e A year has passed since the sensational attempt to murder King Charles II, but London is still a viper's nest of rumored Catholic conspiracies, and of plots against them in turn. When Harry Hunt -- estranged from his mentor Robert Hooke -- is summoned to the remote and windswept marshes of Norfolk, he is at first relieved to get away from the place. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut in Norfolk, he finds that some Royal workers shoring up a riverbank have made a grim discovery -- the skeleton of a dwarf. Harry is able to confirm that the skeleton is that of Captain Jeffrey Hudson, a prominent member of the court once famously given to the Queen in a pie. Except no one knew Hudson was dead, because another man had been impersonating him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe hunt for the impersonator, clearly working as a spy, will take Harry to Paris, another city bedeviled by conspiracies and intrigues, and back, with encounters along the way with a flying man and a cross-dressing swordswoman -- and to the uncovering of a plot to kill the Queen and all the Catholic members of her court. But where? When? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Poison Machine\u003c\/i\u003e is a nail-biting and brilliantly imagined historical thriller that will delight readers of its critically acclaimed predecessor, \u003ci\u003eThe Bloodless Boy\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Lloyd\u003c\/b\u003e, the son of parents who worked in British Foreign Office, grew up in South London, Innsbruck, and Kinshasa. He studied for a Fine Art degree, starting as a landscape painter, but while studying for MA degree in The History of Ideas that he first read Robert Hooke's diary, detailing the life and experiments of this extraordinary man. After a 20-year career as a secondary school teacher, he has returned to painting and writing. Author of \u003ci\u003eThe Bloodless Boy\u003c\/i\u003e, which was selected by \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003eas a \u003cb\u003eMystery Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003eas a \u003cb\u003eBest New Historical Novel of 2021. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Melville House Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50487504011538,"sku":"9781685890407","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d72ae15f-a60b-47a0-9e82-4cb7ffe0e97e.jpg?v=1730443542","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-poison-machine-9781685890407","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}