Sara Poole

This is another book that I picked up a while ago to read. I did get to chapter sixteen but lost interest and put the book down. It has been so long ago since I read this book that it was collecting dust. So I picked the book up again and proceed to read it from where I left off. I had no interest or desire to re-read from the beginning. I read about ten more chapters and was done with this book. There was nothing in these ten chapters that really intrigued my interest. Plus, I found Francesca to be meek. Also, I can't quite put my finger on it but the way the characters spoke got on my nerves. Sadly, this book was not for me.… (more)

This book came out after the first season of The Borgias began to air. I began watching the tv series but I don't recall if I finished the first season or not. The premise behind this book, about a court poisoner was most interesting. This is the second book in the Poisoners Mystery series. I did not read the first book, Poison. According to the Reading Group Gold interview with Poole, each was written as a stand alone book. Poole felt there could be as many as a dozen books in the series but to date only three have been written. In fact, the Sara Poole site is no longer in existence and Goodreads indicates Sara Poole is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling author who wanted to write historical fiction. As the Twitter and Facebook accounts haven't been updated in a few years, I think it's unlikely there will be more than the three books.

I'm disappointed as I fell a little bit in love with Sara Poole's Francesca. Francesca could easily have an ordinary life with a husband and child and she sometimes thinks about it. She learned poisons from her father and her profession puts anyone who cares about her in danger. She wishes to avenge the death of her father and the life of an ordinary woman would not allow that. Francesca's intelligence and the trust Borgia places in her provides her with opportunities she otherwise might not have. Francesca's complexity is why I liked her so much.… (more)