The Perfect Poison (Arcane Society)

Historical romance readers will be very, very happy with Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle's newest 'Arcane Society' novel, "The Perfect Poison". This is the long awaited story of Caleb Jones, founder of Jones & Jones Investigations. As a long-time and fervent (rabid might be more truthful) fan of the author, I loved how she contrived connections, both written and implied, to her contemporary 'Arcane Society' books and her Jayne Castle Harmony/St Helens books. But even if you've not been following any of those books, "The Perfect Poison" is a perfect delight.

Lucinda lost her father, his business partner, and her fiance within two horrible months a year and a half ago. However, it was the fiance's death that caused Lucinda's infamous notoriety. You see, when the fiance of an expert botanist dies...well, rumors run rampant; and the ton loves nothing more than a good, juicy scandal! Lucinda is also a member of the Arcane Society and assists a certain local police inspector (also a Society member) in determining death by botanical means. So when she's called to assist in the inspector's latest case, and discovers the means of death was not only poison--but poison from an extremely rare plant that was recently stolen from her conservatory... well, she calls upon the unique services of Caleb Jones, psychical investigator.

Caleb has his hands full with his new agency. As a strategic and hunter 'talent', his skills make him uniquely qualified, and quite gratified, to do this type of work...if he just didn't have to deal with PEOPLE. Caleb also has another little problem. You see, he's pretty sure he's inherited the insanity that comes with his particular family talent and fears his descent into madness is closer than ever. But it only takes a few minutes in Lucinda's company for Caleb to realize something amazing...she calms his tension and invigorates his passion. And for a man who can't pass up a puzzle, she's the most interesting puzzle he's ever seen.

But there's trouble ahead for these two. A group of power hungry talents have created their own society within the Society. Their aim is to recreate a dangerous drug that can enhance psychic talents...but also kills. It's up to Caleb and Lucinda (despite Caleb's protests) to stop them.

There's so much I enjoy about Quick's writing. Her historical novels have lots of sensual tension, but the actual deeds themselves are few and mostly PG-rated. Not to say I'm averse to hotter, but it's still a fairly easy gauge for me...if it's a Quick novel, it's PG. Also, her wonderful and witty dialogue always lures me into another chapter...and another chapter...and another chapter...until I look up and find myself done with the book and wanting to go back and read it again! There's humor, passion, suspense, very little real violence, a tidy mystery, and always a happy ending. Who can resist?

Lucinda Bromley, a botanist, has been ostracized by polite society since she was accused of murdering her fiance. As she can detect and identify almost any kind of poison, even on a dead body, she is often called on by the police to determine if a person has been killed by poison. She was very upset to discover that a Lord has been poisoned by a very rare fern, one stolen from her conservatory just a month ago. She verifies that he was indeed murdered, but does not identify the poison for the police. To protect herself, she hires fellow Arcane Society member, Caleb Jones, to track down the thief.

He does identify the thief, a doctor for whom he has been searching as the doctor is attempting to copy a drug which enhances one's paranormal powers. It was originally made by a Jones ancestor, but no antidote was named. It is extremely addictive and eventually kills the user if withdrawn.

Although Caleb and Lucinda are drawn to each other, he knows that insanity runs in the men of his family who have the same kind of power he has and has decided he will never marry.

Although the doctor escapes, the men who had sponsored him are vanquished. She finds that the men in the Jones family have been slowly poisoned to cause the insanity.

It all ends well. (Of course!)

I really like this series. This is the sixth of the 'Arcane Society' paranormal/mystery/romance stories. Although 'Perfect Poison' is a series book, each book stands alone. (There are often references to people mentioned in the previous books, but it is not distracting.)

I wish Jayne wrote more often under the Amanda Quick stories. The Arcane Society books are great!! Keep them coming....

In late Victorian England, Inspector Spellar prevails upon notorious lady botanist Lucinda Bromley to find out if Lord Fairborn was murdered or died from a heart attack. The inspector has psychic powers that enable him to see the minutest clues at a crime scene; Lucinda has the ability to detect poison. She applies her skill and determines that Fairburn was poisoned with one of the ingredients being something she picked up when she went to the Amazon with her parents.

A member of the secretive Arcane Society, Lucinda calls on their detective agency, Caleb Jones. She explains what happened and they realize Dr. Basil Lindsey stole the poison and is trying to duplicate the founder's formula to enhance psychic powers. They broke up his lab and took away his material, but he found a new employer who allows him to pursue his research. Lucinda wants to bring him to justice before she is accused of killing Fairburn as many in Polite Society are mindful of her notoriety due to the tabloids holding her culpable for her fiancé's death. The longer Caleb and Lucinda work together, the greater their attraction grows; but he fears his psychic skills will turn him mad like his ancestor if he is not already a lunatic.

As expected from Amanda Quick, the author writes an exhilarating historical romantic suspense that is filled with a strong cast, terrific twisting plots and a sense of time running out that grip the audience with a need to know the outcome in one sitting although it is a back story. Caleb is a rational person who never allows emotion to interfere with his thought process except when Lucinda is near (think of classic Spock using logic except during the Amok Time episode when emotions forced him to go home). Lucinda is a free spirit not concerned with Polite Society, which already condemned her for her vocation and her fiancé's death. Together they make a great Victorian sleuthing duet.

Harriet Klausner

It is rare that I keep up-to-date on a series that has been running as long as this one. But whenever a new Arcane Society books hit the bookstores, I grab me a copy. Fans already know Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz are the same person. It wasn't until this series that I found out this bit of information. At first, I found it confusing, but now at book six, I've grown comfortable with the idea. The series under Quick is historical. Under Krentz, the story is set in modern day. Here are the books so far:

Second Sight under Amanda Quick
White Lies under Jayne Ann Krentz
Sizzle and Burn under Jayne Ann Krentz
The Third Circle under Amanda Quick
Running Hot written under Jayne Ann Krentz

In this latest installment, Lucinda Bromley is called in to assist a police inspector with a case. He believes the death of a nobleman was no suicide. That he was murdered. Lucinda, an expert botanist, has a rare psychic gift. She can pick up traces of the type of poison used. When she discovers the poison was from a very rare plant stolen from her home, she realizes she could be accused of murder. There was already a rumor she killed her fiancé.

She hires Caleb Jones to investigate. Caleb believes her predicament is related to another case he has been trying to solve. As with the previous books, when the passion heats up, so does the danger. But one thing that makes this book stand out more so than the others, is readers will learn how Jones and Jones began, where the name came from and so on.

If you haven't tried this series, do so. I've found the way the author jumps around in this series, from past to present, surprisingly intriguing.