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ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Poison Bed in Books
Jun 17, 2018
Murder and Intrigue in the Jacobean Court.
Based on a true story, this is set in the Court of James I of England and Wales (James VI of Scotland). Robert Carr is a favourite of the King. There has long been much discussion about how far his favouritism went, and about how he possibly had homosexual tendencies.
Anyway, this story is based around the true story of how Frances Howard and her husband Robert Carr were charged with the murder of Thomas Overbury, and kept in the Tower of London for quite some time. This whole story illustrates the power of the Howards (particularly Frances' Great Uncle) and the intrigue of the Royal Court. Everyone has great aspirations, and will do whatever it takes to achieve them.
The characters, I felt, were well drawn and either unpleasant or terribly naive - no middle ground. I do like historical fiction, especially when it appears to be well researched, as this does. It's important to give the characters life as well, and that's what this book does really well. An exciting, intriguing story. Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
Anyway, this story is based around the true story of how Frances Howard and her husband Robert Carr were charged with the murder of Thomas Overbury, and kept in the Tower of London for quite some time. This whole story illustrates the power of the Howards (particularly Frances' Great Uncle) and the intrigue of the Royal Court. Everyone has great aspirations, and will do whatever it takes to achieve them.
The characters, I felt, were well drawn and either unpleasant or terribly naive - no middle ground. I do like historical fiction, especially when it appears to be well researched, as this does. It's important to give the characters life as well, and that's what this book does really well. An exciting, intriguing story. Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
This is the companion novel to ‘No Virgin’ which I read in November 2016. This is the court trial that Stacey has to go through to get justice. She wants to see the man who raped her sent to prison and for him not to be able to prey on innocent young girls and carry out such a heinous act again. We see Stacey question herself whether she is strong enough mentally to go through with the trial and face her attacker once again. Stacey needs this to start rebuilding her life and looking to the future of university. She tries to convince another girl who has been attacked to go to the police to build a stronger case. I really think that both of these books could have been one book together than two separate novellas, However I did like seeing the court case and how brutal it can be when things are twisted and people appear to be something they are not. We still had her best friend included and the court case brought her family closer together. This again had powerful messages of seeking justice and support.
I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
I rated this 3 out of 5 stars