Customer Reviews

Unnatural Murder: Poison At the Court Of James l

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just couldn't get enough of this book. As other reviewers have pointed out, the main characters in it are a young, rich and fashionable couple --loved by few, envied by many-- who were charged with the murder of a former friend of the man's, a disgraced courtier imprisoned in the Tower of London. As a consequence of the trial, several people's lives were ruined --- some were executed, while others were imprisoned and their property confiscated. Yet others managed to escape with their lives and goods more or less untouched.

Anne Somerset takes us on a tour of the decadent, corrupt court of King James I --- where people seeking advancement knew that the person to approach was the King's latest male favorite, and where, as the song goes, no one got to get it for free --- ever. She also carefully and painstakingly leads us through the legal issues at stake and the trial itself, introducing us along the way to fascinating characters such as the obsessive, hateful Lord Chief Justice, Edward Coke, and the ambitious and wily Sir Francis Bacon, both of whom played leading roles in the criminal proceedings.

I happen to be a lawyer, so of course I loved all the information about the trial, but I really think this book will appeal to many, regardless of their connections to the legal profession. Contrary to what another reviewer says, I don't think her style of writing is at all boring --- her wry humor and compassion are refreshing, and the details only add to our enjoyment of the story, providing us with clues as to what may have happened. Ms Somerset also highlights the many differences between court proceedings in Jacobean times and those of modern times --- it's chilling to think that defendants weren't allowed to have legal counsel, call witnesses in their defense, or even given ink and paper to write down notes to help them in their arguments. In many cases, especially those where the Crown's interests were involved, it was a foregone conclusion that the accused would be found guilty.

But, despite the gripping storyline, I found the book ultimately sad. Not only because most of the people in it are unlikeable and morally flawed, but also because it is, after all, the story of a man who was too stupid to take advantage of the staggering opportunities offered him --- and of a woman who, despite her wealth and social status, was so terribly unhappy as to make some very unwise choices --- with dire consequences. Most heartrending of all, it is also the story of many 'little people' who had neither this man's opportunities nor this woman's status, and because of that were simply swept away in the great wave of the King's wrath and the court's envy. There are moral lessons galore.

All in all, a highly recommended read!

Anne Somerset has written a comprehensive non-fiction account of the Overbury scandal that reads as if it were fictional narrative. The sources are exhaustive but not oppressive, so that this murder mystery turns out to be one of the best historical "whodunits" I have read. The plot is of the ages: the Countess of Somerset is young and beautiful; the Earl of Somerset is rich and powerful. In the Fall of 1615 the Countess and the Earl of Somerset were arrested on sucpicion of having murdered Sir Thomas Overbury. Does the passion, lust and greed
that lead up to their arrest turn the plot? This has it all.

Much more about her husband rather than the supposed "tart" at the center of the conspiracy, Unnatural Murder leaves you wishing to know more about the Countess of Somerset. For a young woman living at a time when women had even less real power than the present, she made some difficult (and, admittedly, poor) decisions in attempting to wrest control of her life from the men around her. And apparently had the courage to take responsibility for those decisions. Tragic story.

i decided to write this review differently from my others. this wil be like a story
using some modern slang and here is the DEFINITION of slang:"highly informal speech that is outside standard usage and consists of both coined words,phrases and of new
meanings given to established terms." i usually do not talk this way. i wanted to
have some fun with it.
unnatural murder is a true tale. it happened more than 400 years ago in england.
fifteen year old cutie frances H married boring robert D. the young couple had been
forced into marriage by their wealthy families but,frances was never in love with
boring robert and in fact never grew to even like him. frances did(however),fall
for ANOTHER robert-the sexy robert C. after much"ado" boring robert and frances
were divorced(unheard of in those days!) so,frances was free to marry her,"true
love" sexy robert. now,one would think that this would be a "happy ever after"
story that we all hear of but,NO.
sexy rob had a close friend named thomas who had quite an aversion(near hatred)
for frances. thomas tried to talk mr sexy out of entering a state of married bliss
with our cutie by bad mouthing her. frances caught wind of thomas talking trash
about her and decided to do something about it! meanwhile,annoying thomas was no
shrinking violet in fact,very few people liked him and he pissed offf a lot of
folks who knew him. thomas managed to anger queen anne and king james so much so,that thomas was arrested and tossed into the tower of london.
it is here where frances steps in and is supplying thomas with,"tarts and jellies"
to eat and guess what was in the vittles? poison....slowly thomas got sicker
and sicker and then he died(no one but his family really caring). was it the
end of the story? NO.
later on there were rumors that frances(and sexy rob) had poisoned thomas so,they
were both arrested,put on trial,and found?!?!-"guilty"-sort-of(the guilty in quotes is because,they were to spend some time in the tower of london-several years BUT-were not executed for the crime) but,here is the sad reality,other people"involved"(middle class/average joes) more or less with
frances(who seems to have been the ringleader) were executed.end of story.
did mr and mrs sexy have a happy life and great marriage? NO.
so,no one really "won" here. it is just a sad footnote in english history. it
has never been actually proven that frances DID poison thomas. the evidence
leads me to think that she did. she had motive(thomas basically stood in the way of frances marrying her beau-hunk). why was SHE of all people giving anything to thomas,especially food??? she hated thomas and he hated her. i am puzzled why
thomas would even accept these food gifts from her,but probably,he did not
know it was from frances-(wrong move my man).
read this book and discover for yourself,that these people who lived so long
ago are not that different from us. they had the same passions/angers we have
and some will stop at nothing to get what they want!
...anne somerset explains this WHOLE story in her book. her book is fascinating in
it's detail. this book is one of the best on this subject. there are some black
and white illustrations in the book which makes these people more real to the
reader. this book is a must for any history readers who want a small slice of
king james and his world.

This book is exhaustively detailed and reads as interestingly as any legal brief -- a snooze! It's like being in a history class where the professor thoroughly enjoys discussing every remote detail while the class is sound asleep. I am half-way through and will finish the book because I can find nothing more interesting about the court of James I. Too bad though because this could be an interesting story if not for the telling.