Tahiti, also called Otaheite, has been the land of dreams for many sailors since the voyage of 1769. A new voyage has now returned in 1812 from that same land, this time with a ship full of botanical cuttings and seedlings.

Unfortunately, something has gone seriously awry since the Solander returned to shore and now sailors are turning up dead. Thames River Police Chief Charles Horton is determined to find out what is killing the sailors, THE POISONED ISLAND is the second book featuring Charles Horton and is definitely a standalone novel, as I haven't read the first book, The English Monster. However, some of the relationships and politics between the various characters and police units seem to have already been established in the first book. It took me awhile to get caught up on some of the more subtle issues between the various factions. I would also suggest that anyone unfamiliar with some of the history at that time do a little research as Lloyd Shepherd seamlessly blends together the historical with the mystical. The richness of the tale will be better appreciated if the reader has a sense of the time period the book is set in, particularly the Ratcliffe Highway Murders.

Lloyd Shepherd's lyrical prose makes the flow of THE POISONED ISLAND seem beautiful, even amidst the deaths and gritty details of the murders. Some of his phrases are so poetical that I had to stop and savor them while others are quite witty for their unexpected and very British humor. Lloyd Shepherd does a marvelous job at breathing life into his characters and their worlds. While Charles Horton is the main character of the tale, the secondary characters are so well developed that I wanted to keep reading about them even as I wondered how the various threads of the tale would be resolved by Charles Horton. THE POISONED ISLAND is a thoughtful, lyrical historical thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the very last page is turned.