The Poison Keeper ⭐⭐⭐

The Poison Keeper by Deborah Swift


G👀dreads About Summary

Aqua Tofana - One drop to heal. Three drops to kill.

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother's apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell her the hidden keys to her success. But the day Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade.

Giulia must run for her life, and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her Aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan. But when Giulia hears that her mother has been executed, and the cruel manner of her death, she swears she will wreak revenge on the Duke de Verdi.

The trouble is, Naples is in the grip of Domenico, the Duke's brother, who controls the city with the 'Camorra', the mafia. Worse, her Aunt Isabetta, under his thrall, insists that she should be consort to him.

Based on the legendary life of Giulia Tofana, this is a story of hidden family secrets, and how courage and love can overcome vengeance.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Italy, Renaissance

The How/Why: Poison and Italy. Two of my favorite things! 😁Influenced by the author and a random commenter. I saw a FB ad by Deborah Swift. It didn't have the title and the link wasn't linking so I checked the comments to see if anyone had mentioned it. No, but one of the comments said she'd check it out because she loved The Poison Keeper. I thought TPK sounded familiar and low-and-beyond it's been on my TBR for a long time. I think it was originally recommended because The Lost Apothecary was a five star fav. I liked it so much I bought the hard copy. 
Anyhow, I've had it tagged in Hoopla since the beginning of time so decided to give it a go since just I DNF'd three books in a row! This one has 4.16 stars on GR FWLTW . It sounds promising although none of my GRs bookie friends have it on their shelves. 

⭐⭐⭐ 

🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉

  • Setting the stage. Atmosphere, Vibe 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
  • Likeable Characters:
    Protagonist 🎉🎉
    Supporting Cast 🎉🎉🎉
    Extras     🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 
  • Unlikeable Antagonist 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 (They were perfectly awful!)
  • Executing the premise 🎉🎉🎉
  • Lives up to the promise 🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Maybe 🤷 

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ 
This is actually Book 1 in a four book series. Librarian Google has assured me it does not end with a cliff hanger. It's a standalone but leaves the door open for future adventures.
I'll let you know.
Update: No cliff hanger or intro to Book 2.✅

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author?  Maybe 🤷 

⚠️💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? D0mɇstic and PhɎsicɐl AbŲsɇ, Eᶍeḉuti0n and T0rturɇ*, MŪrdɇr and P0is0ninᵷ. 
*Librarian Google says the E&T are graphic, written with historical accuracy, and illustrate why the desperate women in the book resort to using lethal P0is0ns to escape their circumstances.
I'll let you know. 
Update: I didn't cringe. 

🌶️🫑Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? Yes, Predictable: No

👟 Pace? up and down

💻 Tidbits ~ History says Giulia Tofana was responsible for providing poison to end the lives of over 600 men. I feel like this story explores the beginning of her deadly career. 

Growing up, Giulia desperately wanted to learn her mother's craft as an apothecary. Unbeknownst to her, her mother was secretly using her apothecary skills to help abused wives escape their husbands. "One drop to heal. Three drops to kill." 

Her mother was captured and Eᶍeḉuted, but not before forcing Giulia to flee Palermo and go to her aunt in Naples. She discovers Aunt Isabetta is a high-class courtesan and Giulia must earn her keep. 

When she gets word of her mother's horrific end of life, she must avenge her mother's DɇaṪh and help women escape the evils of the Duke and men like him. It doesn't take long until she befriends the wife of the ɐbȖŞive Duke and easily follows in her mother's footsteps. 

She discovers dark family secrets, learns hard lessons of trust, and ultimately she builds protection from the women she's saved. 

Favorite Character: Maestro Simone. He was fiercely protective and refused to disclose Giulia's location, thereby suffering the consequences. 

FACTS vs FICTION (because I always take the deep dive with historical fiction).

Facts: 
The Eᶍeḉuti0n of Thofania d'Adamo, Giulia's mother: She was legally Eᶍeḉuted in 1633 for the crime of poisoning.
Aqua Tofana: The lethal, arsenic-based poison was real. It was disguised as a cosmetic product or religious oil so women could buy it and keep it on their vanities without suspicion. 
Giulia's Business: She operated a massive and highly successful poisoning ring that spanned Palermo, Naples, and Rome. 

Fiction:
The Duke de Verdi and his vengeance: The cruel Duke and his brother are fictional driving the thriller subplot.
The timing of her escape: Timeline altered to force the teenage Giulia to her aunt's.
Aunt Isabetta and The MɐꞘiɐ: Fictionalized to show the dangers of Naples during the 17th Century. 

Author's Note: The historical records for the 1600s are notoriously "slippery". Real court documents from Giulia's trial were damaged, incomplete, or untranslated. She fictionalized Giulia's early life, romantic interests, and family dynamics to fill in the blanks. 

🎧 Narrator: Diana Croft 👍

🎧12.56 hours (Hoopla) 🕮 408 pages

Meme altered with Gemini AI
to label one jar Aqua Tofana


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