A MURDEROUS MALADY

A FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MYSTERY

BY CHRISTINE TRENT



CROOKED LANE BOOKS

MYSTERY & THRILLERS

PUB DATE 07 MAY 2019





I am reviewing a copy a a Murderous Malady through Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley:





Cholorea broke out in London, but what is worth that people are dying of something else, they are murder.





Late in the summer of 1854 a Cholorea outbreak had spread throughout London . Florence Nightingale isoniazid the scene marshaling her nurses to help treat the countless suffering patients at the Middlesex hospital , while the disease tared through the slums of Soho! Beyond the danger of the disease something darker and more dangerous is lurking.









It starts with the attack on the carriage of Florence’s friend Elizabeth Herbert, the wife of Secretary at war Sidney Herbert, Florence survives but her coachman does not. In just a matter of hours, Sidney’s valet stumbles into the hospital, mutters a few cryptic words about the attack, and then dies from cholera. Afraid that an assassin is stalking his wife, Sidney enlists Florence’s help, who accepts but has little to go on save for the valet’s last words and a curious set of dice in his jacket pocket. Soon, the suspects are piling up faster than cholera victims, and there seems to be no end to the number of the people who hold a grudge against the Herbert household.



I found this book held my attention from the first page to the last and was filled with intrigue so I give A Murderous Malady five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Christine Trent you knocked it out of the park with A Murderous Malady, the second book in the Florence Nightingale series. Perhaps it is because I am a nurse and I am always curious to learn more about the founder of my profession. Perhaps it’s because Public Health intrigues me and learning about its origin is fascinating. Or perhaps it is because this was such a well constructed story that interweaves the origin of Nursing, and Public Health with a murder mystery. Whatever the reason this book absolutely captivated me and I couldn’t put it down. And the thorough overview of the historical characters provided at the end of the book was such a delightful bonus!

Five star read for me. I cannot wait for the next in the series and look forward to what Flo will do upon arrival in the Crimea.

I received a free e-arc in exchange for a honest review of this book.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the mix of fictional and historical characters.
The books is entertaining and engaging, the cast of characters fleshed out and likable.
The mystery is solid and it keeps you guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The story also gives the reader a clear picture of the situation in the slums of London during the Cholera Outbreak. Overflowing public toilets and water pumps, pathetic condition of the slum dwellers, violence and death – the reader is given more than just a glimpse of all these.

Dr. John Snow, the physician who played a major role in discovering the real reason behind Cholera outbreak, plays an important role in the story. There is also a mention or two of obstetrics anaesthesia – one of John Snow’s treatments. One also gets to read about Reverend Henry Whitehead. Rev. Whitehead helped Dr. Snow in making charts – charts that helped Dr. Snow identify the real cause of the outbreak.

The historical facts were well researched. One also gets to read (in detail) about Florence Nightingale’s life as a nurse.

The identity of the perpetrator was unexpected and shocking! I loved the story. Be it the relationship that Flo shares with Mary, or Flo's helpful nature, or the Cholera outbreak and how it affected people, Trent has done an excellent job in keeping her readers hooked on to the story.

Rating: 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this one!! The main character is smart, witty, & funny. A great read!! Recommend to others who enjoy a "witty" murder mystery.

I loved the first book in the Florence Nightengale series. However, I think this novel surpasses its predecessor. Florence Nightengales makes a strong and fascinating female sleuth! I liked the mystery and how fictional story had many true facts. Overall, this was an excellent combination of historical fiction and mystery!

A Murderous Malady is one of the first historical novels I’ve read in a while and I learned a lot. This novel was about Florence NIghtingale, cholera in London, and the wars fought in the late 1800’s. I enjoyed the book and the characters. It was a well thought out plot with interesting characters. I definitely recommend reading it.

This review was originally posted on my blog Trails of Tales.
Was I 7 then?

Or perhaps 8

I had a dream

I was going to grow up to be a police officer.

And then I was told

By a family member

that I should not dream of such difficult jobs

Because

My hands were too soft

A 7/8 year old’s hands were too soft!!

A child was expected to adjust her dreams simply because she was not born a man.

I remember that I was gifted this beautiful set of big hardcovers I loved to read. They seemed much more bigger and grander to my Lilliputian body and that was a part of the charm. Ever a bookworm, I was completely addicted to reading my way through the books.

One of them was about historical figures

And there I was first introduced to

The Lady in the Lamp, Florence Nightangle.
Glad I found out about her when I did. I sure did not want to grow up thinking that women need to constrain their dreams.

Reading of Florence Nightangle made me believe that the only limits on a woman’s capabilities are the ones she puts on herself.

Now about two decades later

I find ‘ A Murderous Malady’ by Christine Trent

About that very woman not only handling medical epidemics but

Solving murders too, like a boss!!

I am totally on board with Florence Nightangle as a sleuth. It just….makes perfect sense to me.
The year 1854, a time of war and Florence Nightangle has more than enough on her plate.

Her dearest friend, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Herbert, wife of the Secretary at War Sydney Herbert

Has been shot at in her carriage while on her way to the British Museum with her Father.

Liz had narrowly escaped the attempt on her life but the carriage driver was not so lucky.

Sydney asks Florence for her help since he does not want to involve the police.

However, there seems to be absolutely no clue for Florence to follow.

All lines of deduction that Florence Nightangle takes seem to be leading to dead ends with a dead body at the end of it.

Are all these murders being carried out for one single reason?

At this exact inopportune moment

Cases of deadly cholera start cropping out in and around Soho, spreading at an alarming rate with no apparent source.

Will Florence Nightangle along with her trusty companion Mary Clarke be able to solve the murder mystery AND handle the epidemic before it claims more lives than it already has?

Historical Fictions have always been appealing to me and ‘A Murderous Malady’ was especially engaging. One of my favorite historical figures and a murder mystery!!!

What more could a girl ask for.

Christine Trent had created the Florence Nightangle mystery first in her book ‘No Cure for the Dead‘.

She continues the exciting mysteries of Florence Nightangle’s life in ‘A Murderous Malady’ with the same characters entangled in a completely new case.

So if you haven’t read the first book in this mystery series, then fret not.

I haven’t either and I did not experience any intrusive continuity issues in reading ‘A Murderous Malady’ as a stand alone.

It is hard to be not impressed with the sheer amount of research Christine Trent has put into this story. I can only imagine how much midnight oil she must have burnt to achieve such a scale of historical accuracy in her work of fiction.

As the author mentions in the Author’s Note at the end of the book, she has altered the timelines slightly for the sake of story-telling but the major characters that play out Christine Trent’s cleverly construed story are actual historical figures.

I do suggest to read the Author’s Note too when you get this book as she elucidates all the history of these characters. Pretty interesting.

What struck my heart and stayed there were the deft strokes with which Christine Trent painted a picture of the soul crushing helplessness in the times of War and Disease in Victorian England.

The pain and screams were overwhelming me through the pages of ‘A Murderous Malady’.

The appalling poverty, disparity in social status, medical ignorance, lack of health resources, the fruitlessness of war and of course….the murders right in the center.

You would expect that to be one too many story arcs to be effeciently addressed in a single story.

But ‘A Murderous Malady’ does not disappoint. Not by a long shot.

So the crux of all this incessant blabbering of mine is….

‘A Murderous Malady’ is an excellent choice for all aficionados of historical fictions and murder mysteries.

Get your hands on it at the earliest because book regrets are the worst.

Followed closely by food regrets. Or maybe they are at the same position…..okay, not important.

READ THE BOOK!

I went in to this book blind. I hadnt read anything by Christine Trent. I'm glad I read this one! WHAT A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS! This is deff a book you wanna look out for!

Passing was great for me. The way it was written was hypnotizing. Every detail was mind blowing! You dont want to miss this!

Thank you to NetGalley for this free Advanced Reader Copy. This is my honest, heartfelt review.

Florence Nightingale (already pretty cool) is called to her dear friends Sidney and Elizabeth Herbert's household, just to discover someone has taken deadly action against them. Fortunately for Elizabeth and her father, General a Court, they were spared. Unfortunately, the Herbert driver and servant was not. Sidney has asked, against the General's advice, Florence to conduct a discreet investigation. Florence agrees. As if she doesn't have enough to deal with, King Cholera has also decided to pay a visit to the streets of London, Soho more specifically. Now Florence must maintain her own nursing Establishment, investigate a fatal shooting, and devise a way to combatant King Cholera on behalf of the residents of Soho. All this before a murderer makes another attempt.

First thing first, I did like reading this novel. I enjoyed the friendship between Florence, the Herberts, and Mary a.k.a. Goose. My favorite part about Florence was her mind. There is a comment made by Mary about not being able to remove Florence from Henry Whitehead's study because of charts. But I felt this gave the reader the window into Florence. She was genuinely interested in healing, and found joy in researching the various paths. However, I was expecting just a bit more. I wanted to "get to know" Florence. Not just about her passion for healing, but her other desires, fears, and her past. There are veiled illusions to something, but nothing in depth.

Second thing is the plot itself. The description is why I wanted to read the novel. Florence Nightingale solving crime? Who could pass that up? But in the end, it fell kind of flat. There is one scene in particular that has no bearing on the rest of the novel until particularly the end. As I was reading, I kept thinking, why is this necessary? And while a good mystery writer keeps the identity of the murderer a secret, this one felt like a leap. I mean, once the explanation was given, it made sense. But there wasn't really a build up to it.

I should also preface all this opinions by also saying that this is the second novel in this series. I clearly didn't read the first one, but I think I will go back and see if maybe Florence's character is more developed there. Maybe the author had built her up so much in the first one, that she wanted to focus on the crime in this one? I'm not sure. But, as someone who is reading this for the first time, I feel comfortable rating this novel 3 even 3.5 stars out of 5.

Who has it in for Elizabeth Herbert -- the wife of the Secretary of War? For somebody seems to, as "A Murderous Malady,” the second mystery “starring” Florence Nightingale (written by Christine Trent) starts with the lady’s attempted murder. She is Florence Nightingale’s good friend, and it is to Miss Nightingale that Mr. Sidney Herbert, he of Her Majesty’s Government, turns to to solve this mystery. Who would want to harm “Liz?” Nobody, it would seem. Then, perhaps the intended target was General a’Court, Mrs. Herbert’s father and traveling companion in the carriage. He’s rather a horrible old man, so it’s certainly possible. Sidney himself? Ah, Mr. Secretary has his own secrets. Good gracious, the plot thickens. Soon enough, readers are drawn into a darker world of evil.

This is not a story filled with sweetness and light. The description of Soho and its citizens is dreadful, the misery of the times overwhelming. Miss Nightingale receives an invitation to visit another hospital and see to its running and revitalization. Again, a horrendous situation. Again, described in excruciating detail. Hospitals of the time were pretty appalling -- indeed, you were as like to die inside a hospital as outside one. The author doesn’t stint in her descriptions here, especially towards the end after the mystery has been cleared up, when our Miss N learns of the medical conditions in the Crimea. In between is a study in the detection of how cholera was determined to have spread in the streets of London in 1854 and laid waste to the populace (I’ve spared you these details). Miss Nightingale has her theory -- which turns out to be false.

Some of the characters are perfectly disagreeable, especially General a’Court. And that lady’s maid! Also, a little of “Goose,” AKA Mary Clarke, Miss Nightingale’s companion, secretary and friend, goes a long way. But as a Watson to the Nightingale Holmes, she functions wells enough.

The ending comes out of left field somewhat, but it’s explained in such a way by the author that readers should be content with it. This is a study in how pasts come back to haunt, as pasts often do. A long Author’s Note at the end of the book explains more fully the medical side and further history of the times, including events in the Anglo-Afghan Wars. If you like education with your historical mystery fiction, Ms. Trent’s “A Murderous Malady” fits the bill.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of the book in advance of publication, in exchange for this review.

The second book in Christine Trent’s Florence Nightingale series is even more gripping than the first. The story opens with a friend of Florence’s innocently heading to the British Museum with her father and on the way, their carriage is attacked and their driver is killed. Because Florence’s friend is married to the secretary of war, the family wants discretion, and ask Florence to investigate rather than the police.

Of course Florence is no lady of leisure – she’s running a hospital (the center of the action in the first novel) and in this novel, she’s asked to consult when cholera breaks out in the Soho section of London, a notoriously poor and miserable part of the city. She does agree to take on the investigation though and so when another of her friend’s servants turns up at her hospital suffering with cholera, she’s on a tear.
The servant dies and the only clue are three oddly marked dice. Florence is sure deciphering the code scratched into the dice is key, and she goes about finding out what happened. I don’t know how closely the fictional Florence Nightinagle as portrayed by Chirstine Trent is to the actual Florence Nightinagale, but I suspect she’s pretty close.

As Trent portrays her, she’s a relentless force to be reckoned with. In the first book, her novel approach of opening windows and requiring the nurses to wash their hands was examined; in this one, while she went to her deathbed believing that cholera was caused by an airborne “miasma,” her approach to collecting data about the outbreak is far more scientific and forward thinking than most of the people around her.

In this novel, Florence encounters a Dr. Snow and a Rev. Whitehead, both of whom were ultimately responsible for tracing and proving that the cholera outbreak in the novel and in real life stemmed from an infected water main. The three of them in the novel make for an interesting match up, and you can almost feel the excitement, so many years later, as the three begin to puzzle out why there’s an outbreak, and in the case of Florence, what to do about it.

Florence’s investigation into the murder of the carriage driver also leads her into some knowledge of the British conflict in Afghanistan, one that will ultimately lead her to her famous hospital in Scutari. This novel was a completely compelling and enjoyable read, one that had me both wondering who killed the carriage driver, but even more interestingly, what caused the cholera outbreak.

Trent is a deft writer, skilled at illuminating her chosen time period via character and setting, so the history part is in equal partnership to the narrative. I literally can hardly wait for the next installment in the series, which will find Florence and her team of nurses on the way to Scutari. She’s already righteously engaged in this novel as she hears of the poor preparation on the part of the war department. I can’t wait to see her in action once again.

Trent includes some fascinating historical notes at the end of her novel, so even if you never read an author’s afterword, this one is highly recommended. For further reading I would also suggest Lytton Strachey’s indelible portrait of Florence Nightingale in his classic, Eminent Victorians (1918).

Thankyou to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author, Christine Trent, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of A Murderous Malady in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I was drawn to this book initially by the cover. The artwork really catches the eye and interest. I was hooked by the premise of the story, so I was very excited to receive a digital copy to review.
I absolutely loved it. I was drawn into the storyline and was not let go again until I finished reading.( I can always catch up on housework tomorrow. Hahaha )
The storyline was well thought out and written, mixing fact and fiction seamlessly.. this is historical fiction at its best. 4.5 stars.
Definitely well worth a read.

I wasn't aware that this was part of a series, so maybe it would've been helpful to read the previous books. However, I did enjoy the mystery that was presented.

3* This is a murder mystery combining fact and fiction, around the protagonist, Florence Nightingale. The famous English nursing pioneer lived from 12 May 1820 until 13 August 1910. It was only when I began reading this book that I learnt this fact, making me fear that a historical treatise would take precedence over the mystery. This fear was realised. The book seems more of a history lesson than a murder mystery, which is educational and illuminating, while at the same time makes the pages drag.

There are inconsistencies in the use of English that could perhaps have benefitted from more stringent editing. For example, “is frequently that which we cannot possibly suspect is true which is very often the deadly culprit.” This is a convoluted way of saying that the thing one least suspects often turns out to be true. But with padding and purple prosing thrown in.

Another example of convoluted phrasing: “Even if Fenton was guilty of a gambling vice, he still deserves justice in the form of apprehending my wife’s attacker.” The speaker, Mr. Herbert seeks justice in finding his wife’s attacker, which doesn’t fit with what happened to Fenton.

There are redundant verbs e.g. the act of sitting in the following sentence, “Around a long oak table sat six of Goodfellow’s colleagues, seated in tufted leather chairs.”

Oswyn Davies, an English publican in the story, speaks a pidgin English, for which an irrational reason is given, and which is irritating, and muddlesome to read. His nouns and verbs are inverted, e.g. “’Be blamed, can I? Davies snapped.”

I found out in the author’s afterword that the historical elements I thought were factual, were sometimes changed for the cause of fiction. I didn’t think even long-dead historical figures, like General A Court ought to have their name falsely smeared, as the author confesses doing in the novel. The timeline of the Crimean outbreak is also smudged. I thought that the history had to be correct when using historical figures like Florence Nightingale, the Herberts and the A Courts; and historical events like the Crimean War.

There is a reference to “milquetoast,” the word derived from a cartoon character, Caspar Milquetoast, created by North American cartoonist, H. T. Webster, in 1924. Florence Nightingale lived until 1910, and this book is set in mid-1854.

The mystery goes thus: Mrs. Herbert, the wife of the English politician, is attacked while traveling through Soho, London, with her father, General a Court. Soho is a down-at-heels suburb, surrounded by affluential suburbs. They are spared but their coachman is shot. A second Herbert coachman dies of cholera in Florence Nightingale’s hospital, giving a cryptic clue and three dice. There is another murder later in the book.

Due to this ambling, stilted style, the mystery takes a back seat. Florence Nightingale’s character and her hospital reform takes much of the book, as does her good deeds in helping cholera sufferers.

Was it a worthy read? Yes.
Was it a fun read? Not really.
My thanks to #AmurderousMalady #NetGalley and Joffe Books for an ARC copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
This review also appears on: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2695283009 and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2019/01/a-murderous-malady-by-christine-trent.html

Florence Nightingale is focusing on her improvements to the Establishment when she’s summoned to her friend’s home, an attempt having been made on Liz Herbert’s life. Liz’s husband Sidney, the secretary of war, asks Florence to investigate. As Florence looks into the attack on Liz, there is also a cholera outbreak and her assistance is needed in determining the cause of the epidemic as well as assisting at a local hospital taking in the afflicted. The closer Florence gets to the truth, the more damning secrets she finds about the Herbert and a Court families, and it’s not only cholera that threatens Florence and those she holds dear - the killer will do anything to protect themselves.

When I reviewed No Cure for the Dead, the first book in this series, I had a bit of an issue with how the author writes women. They were catty and backstabbing, and Florence herself was quite judgmental of the women around her, her patience easily tested. I found the author had improved with this issue, but only slightly - there were still moments where Florence was annoyed by the women she came into contact with, and there was one moment early on in the book where she expresses surprise that her friend would have a servant so attractive, and that her friend would “”allow”” the servant to outshine her - a classist attitude, to be sure, and one not favorable to Florence’s friend, either, nor to Florence herself.

That being said, once again I was impressed with Trent’s ability to weave historical fact with her mystery. I really enjoyed how she brought in the cholera epidemic of 1854; I had read a book about this and found it fascinating, so it was nice to realize as I was reading the book that Trent was addressing this and the real life heroes who discovered what caused and spread cholera. The political commentary on colonialism and the British war in Afghanistan (and Crimea) was timely and interesting, especially as I had no prior knowledge of either conflict beyond having them mentioned in other historical fiction. The characters had interesting dynamics, and it’s fun to explore London through the lens of Florence Nightingale and her hospital reforms. I appreciated the twists and turns of the mystery, and found the book enjoyable, and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up the next in the series.

If you like reading about life in the Victorian age with a bit of mystery thrown in this is a book for you. Nice to know a little more about Florence Nightingale. Yes there are some tweaks to the historical data so please read he authors note at the end of the book which explains the liberties she took with the facts. This book was easy reading, one to relax with and hard to put down. Highly recommend.

I didn't know this book is second in a series, but that didn't hinder my understanding. A Murderous Malady is a story about Florence Nightingale. It's a bit historical fiction and a bit fact based. It's a very intriguing story. The characters are likeable and engaging. It's a good read overall.

This was a great mystery set in London before Florence Nightingale's work during the Crimean War. I didn't realize this was a second book in a series but it wasn't difficult to read this book without reading the first one. I've read some of Christine Trent's previous books and I've always thought her writing style was enjoyable to read and it's the same here. There were some "Americanized" sayings but nothing that distracted too much. The mystery was fairly standard but fairly well plotted. I was a bit underwhelmed by some of Florence's character traits in this book. Still, worth a read for a different lead sleuth in a historical mystery.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was very good book