The Opium Purge by Elizabeth Bailey

The Opium Purge by Elizabeth Bailey ISBN-13: 9781912546480 ebook: 383 pages Publisher: Sapere Books Released: Nov. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1790, England. Lord Francis and Lady Ottilia Fanshawe are preparing for the birth of their first child. But Lady Fan won’t let a little thing like pregnancy get in the way of solving a local mystery. Their neighbour – Sir Joslin Cadel – who recently returned from a sugar plantation in Barbados, has collapsed and died on his doorstep. And his young ward, Tamasine Roy, claims to have murdered him.

With Tamasine clearly suffering from some kind of mental disorder, and the rest of Cadel’s household acting suspiciously, it is clear all is not as it seems. Why did Sir Joslin suddenly return to England? What happened to Tamasine’s parents? Could this seemingly angelic young woman really be a murderess…?


My Review:
The Opium Purge is a mystery set in 1790 in London. This novel is the 3rd in the series, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one. This story didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous books, but it did refer back to events in the first story.

The story revolved around a stunningly beautiful, young woman who inherited madness from her mother. Her guardian, Sir Joslin, dies after being pushed down some steps by the girl. She freely admits to trying to kill her guardian in revenge for something that happened several years before, but she won't explain what. Due to her medical training, Lady Fan knows that Sir Joslin didn't die from the push. He died from an opium overdose. She investigates what led up to that day and who in the household might wish to kill Sir Joslin. Complicating matters, her husband's nephew falls in love with the girl and refuses to acknowledge her mental deficiency.

Lady Fan is sympathetic towards the girl and her situation. She asked the household plenty of questions along with using her observational skills. The mystery was a clue-based, puzzle mystery. The characters were interesting, and I cared about what happened to them. The author used historical details to create the feeling of a specific time and place. There were only a few uses of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.