Review: The Poison Bed

The Poison Bed by E.C. Fremantle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Poison Bed is a historical fictional account of the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, the most infamous scandal of the Stuart era in English history. Robert Carr, the Earl of Somerset, and his Countess wife, born Lady Frances Howard, along with four others, were charged with poisoning Overbury, who had been Carr's friend. It was a salacious and shocking event bourne of bitter dislike between Carr and Frances Howard, a deathbed confession of murder on the part of the man who supplied the poison, and multiple attempts to kill Overbury with everything from arsenic to mercury. It's a gruesome tale; however, Fremantle's goal is to make Frances, the confessed murderer/lead planner relatable and sympathetic. Along the way, we see James I's purported bi- or homosexuality as a factor in his relationship with Carr, Carr's purported pansexuality (Fremantle postulates he was involved with not just James but also Overbury, but drawn to Frances Howard), and Frances's being a mere pawn, albeit occasionally a scheming one, in her uncle's grand plan for position at Court. I wasn't convinced of the accuracy or the character voicing (Frances and Carr alternate chapters), and the occasional gross anachronism (whether language or fact) bounced me out of the story entirely.

I received a Digital Review Copy from NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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