The Alchemist's Daughter
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3.5 • 13 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
“Unique characters, a twisty plot and a bold, bright heroine . . . Mystery and Tudor fans alike will raise a glass to this new series.”—Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author
In the year 1543 of King Henry VIII’s turbulent reign, the daughter of a notorious alchemist finds herself suspected of cold-blooded murder . . .
Bianca Goddard employs her knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants to concoct remedies for the disease-riddled poor in London’s squalid Southwark slum. But when her friend Jolyn comes to her complaining of severe stomach pains, Bianca’s prescription seems to kill her on the spot. Recovering from her shock, Bianca suspects Jolyn may have been poisoned before coming to her—but the local constable is not so easily convinced.
To clear her name and keep her neck free of the gallows, Bianca must apply her knowledge of the healing arts to deduce exactly how her friend was murdered and by whom—before she herself falls victim to a similar fate . . .
A Suspense Magazine Best Historical Mystery of the Year
“A realistic evocation of 16th century London’s underside. The various strands of the plot are so skillfully plaited together.”—Fiona Buckley, author of the Ursula Blanchard Mysteries
“The writing is terrific . . . will keep readers engaged until the very last page . . . a real page-turner.”—San Francisco Book Review
“Whereas some historical fiction bristles with self-importance, this novel eschews it to excellent effect.”—Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in London in 1543, Lawrence's serviceable first novel inaugurates a new Tudor mystery series starring Bianca Goddard, an alchemist's daughter. Jolyn Carmichael, an impoverished young woman who's been suffering from stomach pains, seeks a remedy from her friend Bianca at Bianca's "room of Medicinals and Physickes" in Southwark. When Jolyn dies after drinking the potion that Bianca prepares for her, the local constable suspects Bianca of murder. To avoid the gallows, Bianca must prove that someone poisoned Jolyn before coming to her for help. Some readers may find Bianca, who believes "most people were responsible in some way for their predicaments," less than sympathetic at times. Those hoping for an independent lead will be disappointed that she has to be rescued from peril twice by her love interest. Awkward prose doesn't help ("plying the waters beneath the galleon floats a humble wherry steered by one not of the stuff of man but of something else").
