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Unnatural Murder: Poison in the Court of James I

The Overbury Murder

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Unnatural Murder: Poison in the Court of James I

By: Lady Anne Somerset
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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Summary

In the autumn of 1615 the Earl and Countess of Somerset were detained on suspicion of having murdered Sir Thomas Overbury. The arrest of these leading court figures created a sensation. The young and beautiful Countess of Somerset had already achieved notoriety when she divorced her first husband in controversial circumstances. The Earl of Somerset was one of the richest and most powerful men in the kingdom, having risen to prominence as the male 'favourite' of James I.

In a vivid, enthralling narrative, Anne Somerset unravels these extraordinary events. It is, at once, a story rich in passion, intrigue and corruption and a murder mystery - for, despite the guilty verdicts, there is much about Overbury's death that remains enigmatic. The Overbury murder case profoundly damaged the monarchy and constituted the greatest court scandal in English history. 

©2021 Lady Anne Somerset (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group 17th Century Europe Great Britain Modern Murder True Crime Crime
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Critic reviews

"A gripping detective story.... Wonderfully dramatic... Probably the juiciest court scandal of the past 500 years." (Daily Mail)

"This is a book about murder, witchcraft, adultery, lechery, intrigue and chicanery among the country's most powerful nobility." (Time Out)

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I really enjoyed this very in depth account of the nefarious doings at the court of King James 1. The depth of the research was impressive and detailed. The characters of the often unpleasant protagonists from King James, Somerset, Overbury and Frances Howard down to the rather eccentric and fascinating procurer Franklin came over well and the sense of the political machinations, aquisitiveness and class entitlement was vivid and while not shocking, was pretty outrageous. if you want a very complex but vivid insight into 17th Court life I'd recommend this book.

wonderfully researched account

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this was brilliantly researched and accessible as an audible book. The narrator's delivery was engaging conveying the horror of a terrible crime and the sheer stupidity of the 2 main protagonists. Today the Earl and his countess would be the talentless celebrities that they were in their own time

scholarly and really good fun

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I love Anne Somerset's work. I'm deeply disappointed by the lack of gravitas and jovial schoolroom intonation of the narrator. This is my third attempt. sorry Anne but I'm going to hand this back and buy the hard copy. I have no idea why such a well researched and well written book needs to be narrated as if to a group of bored ten year olds 😞

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