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The Perfect Poison (Arcane Society, Book 6) Hardcover – April 21, 2009

by Amanda Quick (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,299 ratings
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Consulting on the investigation into a lord's murder, botanist Lucinda Bromley realizes that a poison can be traced back to her, prompting her to hire fellow Arcane Society member Caleb Jones to keep her name out of the investigation and to find the murderer, in a historical, romantic mystery, that has a dark conspiracy at its heart.
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Previous page
  1. Book 6 of 12
    Arcane Society
  2. Print length
    352 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Putnam Adult
  5. Publication date
    April 21, 2009
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    6.34 x 1.24 x 9.4 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0399155805
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0399155802
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) delivers her reliable blend of sex and suspense in her latest Arcane Society novel. In Victorian London, spinster botanist and psychic Lucinda Bromley meets her match in Caleb Jones, a member of the Arcane Society and descendant of an alchemist family that makes him the stuff of myth and legend. Together, this paranormal pair of snoops sets out to track down a thief who made off with a dangerous plant implicated in the death of a wealthy lord, but wind up uncovering a sinister secret order. Quick invents two dazzling 19th-century sleuths who combine paranormal prowess and raw sexual heat. But if they excel at fooling Mother Nature, it's their all too human nature that brings this uncommon Victorian duo to life. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

If Lucinda Bromley doesn’t discover who stole her fern, she could end up being charged with murder. Lucinda frequently used her unusual psychic gift to discern death by poisoning to help the London police, but when a nobleman is poisoned by a compound containing elements of a rare fern, one that can only be found in her conservatory, Lucinda knows she better act quickly. To help her find the real murderer, she hires Caleb Jones, a “psychical investigator.” Believing there is a connection between Lucinda’s fern thief and a deadly dangerous secret society, Caleb agrees to take the case, but he never expected to become so distracted by his new partner in detection or to find himself flummoxed on so many fronts. New York Times best-seller Quick delivers another fascinating addition to her original and spellbinding Victorian-era series about the Arcane Society, a 200-year-old secret organization founded by an alchemist and devoted to paranormal research. Once again, Quick (one of Jayne Ann Krentz’s alternative identities) expertly, even magically, dispenses delectably witty dialogue, simmering sexual chemistry, and a plot laced with secrets, dangers, and surprises. --John Charles

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Putnam Adult; First Edition (April 21, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399155805
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399155802
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 1.24 x 9.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,299 ratings

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Amanda Quick

Amanda Quick

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
2,299 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Courtney Maimon
5.0 out of 5 stars Part of the arcane society series, set in the 1800's. A great, fun read.
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022
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I love the series all fun reads with mystery and a woo woo factor. If you like psychic , mystery and romance you will enjoy this book!
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Sheila M
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasic Cross-Genre Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2014
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THE PERFECT POISON is the sixth book in the Arcane Society series. The Arcane series is about a society of those with paranormal talents. The books span historicals (Amanda Quick), contemporaries (Jayne Ann Krentz) and futuristic (Jayne Castle). Arcane has a secret...there is a formula created by its founder that can enhance paranormal talents. There is a secret cabal within Arcane that is plotting to perfect and use the formula for criminal purposes.

THE PERFECT POISON takes place in the late 1800s. Caleb Jones has started a private detective agency to investigate paranormal crimes. Caleb has a talent for putting pieces of a mystery together in other words, he is able to uncover conspiracies but fears that he will go insane the way others in his family with the same talent have. He is called to the house of Lucinda Bromley who is a paranormal botanist and is believed to have poisoned her fiance. Lucinda believes that a plant that was stolen from her has been used in a murder. The two end up working together to solve the mystery which also is connected to the overarching story of the cabal within Arcane.

Loved, loved, loved this story between Lucinda and Caleb. Caleb is more surly than the other heroes in the series. He is always working on his theories and he sees the world differently than others. The repartee between Caleb and Lucinda is witty and very sexy. The two have a deep interaction from the beginning. Neither of them are silly people. They both have dark spaces that end up resonating with one another. I think it is beautiful how these two people who don't expect to find love end up being the perfect couple.

I always love how strong the women in these books are. Lucinda is independent and is not threatened by Caleb. She meets him as an equal and he ends up with a deep respect for her.

This book is tied for my favorite of the series. My other favorite is IN TOO DEEP which is the story of Caleb and Lucinda's descendant Fallon Jones.
3 people found this helpful
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LynnS77
4.0 out of 5 stars Arcane Society
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2023
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As Amanda Quick fan, I always enjoy her stories and her lead characters always have depth and well-developed backgrounds. Lucinda Bromley and Caleb Jones are two such characters, and their romances are always exquisite. I found The Perfect Poison to be a good story with a deep plot, although the Arcane Society undercurrents were almost too convoluted to follow. Not that it was impossible, but I noticed threads that weren’t tied up at the end. This story became too deep for the writer to to end with her usual flair. Still worth reading, but not the five stars Amanda Quick normally rates.
One person found this helpful
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CJ Hoey
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2023
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I have read this book several times. I enjoy it every time. It just doesn’t get old. It’s like seeing old friends again.
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Lulu Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, price too high.
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2022
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I love this book, and the series in which it is, but the publisher has the price too high. I usually buy both the Kindle and Audible editions, but the price here is prohibitive.
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Isabelle Jolly
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Poison
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2009
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Lucinda Bromley, a botanist, has been ostracized by polite society since she was accused of murdering her fiance. As she can detect and identify almost any kind of poison, even on a dead body, she is often called on by the police to determine if a person has been killed by poison. She was very upset to discover that a Lord has been poisoned by a very rare fern, one stolen from her conservatory just a month ago. She verifies that he was indeed murdered, but does not identify the poison for the police. To protect herself, she hires fellow Arcane Society member, Caleb Jones, to track down the thief.

He does identify the thief, a doctor for whom he has been searching as the doctor is attempting to copy a drug which enhances one's paranormal powers. It was originally made by a Jones ancestor, but no antidote was named. It is extremely addictive and eventually kills the user if withdrawn.

Although Caleb and Lucinda are drawn to each other, he knows that insanity runs in the men of his family who have the same kind of power he has and has decided he will never marry.

She finds that the men in the Jones family have been slowly poisoned to cause the insanity.

They work together to find the doctor and to recover the fern.

I really like this series. This is the sixth of the 'Arcane Society' paranormal/mystery/romance stories. Although 'Perfect Poison' is a series book, each book stands alone. (There are often references to people mentioned in the previous books, but it is not distracting.)
19 people found this helpful
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KA Wright
4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Poison- Review
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2022
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What a great story for the founding of Jones & Jones.

Years old murders are solved and the first real start of the founders formula are all part of the great story that unfolds.

As a long ti e reader of the Arcane Society, I always look forward to the next book.
One person found this helpful
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Debra Jo McDaniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2021
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Very enjoyable to read. I enjoyed the characters and the situations they were in. I found the whole story very interesting.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carol Montgomery
5.0 out of 5 stars Sets up background for further reading in this series
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2023
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I have read lots of Jones books - nice to get was background info on the characters
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very easy to read and enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2023
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As I wrote above, very easy to read and I found it incredibly good!
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iain
5.0 out of 5 stars I suspect though that the strong heroine and the mysterious but troubled hero will become quite tedious with subsequent novels
Reviewed in Australia on August 20, 2014
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As this is the first Quickie that I have read,it was very enjoyable escapism. I suspect though that the strong heroine and the mysterious but troubled hero will become quite tedious with subsequent novels, still liked it.
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ahb130
5.0 out of 5 stars Une agréable surprise.
Reviewed in France on July 27, 2009
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Livre un peu difficile à lire en dehors de l'ensemble de la série, mais plein de charme et de surprises. A noter : si les trois "Arcane" de l'époque victorienne en Angleterre sont signés par A Quick, ceux de l'époque actuelle aux US sont sous le pseudo de JA Krentz et... tous sont reliés ! Un seul de ces derniers est hélas traduit en français.
4 people found this helpful
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Bernard Carey
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on September 23, 2015
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up to her usual great standard. well researched. keep doing this series
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