A Beautiful Poison

By: Lydia Kang

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned - and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone - even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.

©2017 Lydia Kang (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Excerpt from “Two Fusiliers” by Robert Graves, from The Complete Poems Volume I, edited by Beryl Graves and Dunstan Ward. Reprinted with kind permission of Carcanet Press Limited, Manchester, UK. © 1995 The Robert Graves Copyright Trust.

A Beautiful Story

I truly enjoyed this book. A killer I didn't guess (which I normally get right) a plot that didn't go as I thought it should. The makings of a great story!

Convoluted

Lots of twists and turns. In a book that included chemistry...it would have been better if the effects of poison in the human body made more sense...ie you don’t take poison daily for months without any physical changes, then have them all in the 10 min before you die....

Wonderfully written

This is a great book, full of beautiful description and great plot lines. I loved it.

A decent historical mystery hidden in overwrought language

It’s during the first world war and people are dying in ways unrelated to war and later the flu. The deaths look accidental, but 3 childhood friends know better. The characters are clearly delineated and the mystery has some twists but the overwrought, romanticized language reads like something written in the 1800’s rather than present day. Certainly you expected a certain style of language in 1918 that you don’t see today but even descriptive passages sounded like they were written by a lovestruck teenager with a thesaurus. I stuck with it to the end, but can’t give it a wholehearted endorsement. Then again, it might be your cup of tea!

Also, the reader did a fine job - better than the material.

The flu or murder?

A complex story about several families, some well-to-do, some not, and the mystery of how key members keep dying.

Downton Abbey meets CSI

Engaging story that blends history, high society and mystery all wrapped up in a lab coat.

Interesting, lovely story

It took a bit for the story to evolve but I would not call it a romance story.
Those were turbulent times in the US, World War I and the influenza epidemic.
There was a mystery, tragedy, death and yes a bit of romance. Not a complicated story, not a YA story, even though the characters were under 19.

There's no car chases, shoot outs, any whiz bang, just a basic historical mystery.

Saskia Maarleveld adds a great deal to the story. Even though it took me a while to figure out which male character is speaking, it took nothing away from the story or her performance. I find myself taking a chance on a new author, if the synopsis sounds interesting AND Ms. Maarleveld is reading.

A lot of chemistry talk, which to be honest, for me did not add or detract from the story, just a part of it.

If you like period/historical, low key mysteries, you surely will enjoy it thoroughly, I did.

Starts off slow

Be patient it starts slow but if you give it time you’ll want to keep listening. Twists you don’t see coming ended up being worth the listen to.

Character driven historical medical mystery

At first I found the writing a bit too flowery, but as I got into it, the murders and plot twists pulled me in. The narrator was good, but I couldn't always tell one character from the other by voice alone. Overall, a good story and well worth a credit.

It is the details that solve the mystery

The story of three childhood friends coming together for a dinner and the death of a guest set them on a search to solve the murder. It is set in New York City during World War I . The characters are varied and well developed so your interested is held throughout the tale. The question to answer is what and who are killing all these characters.