Laurence Jago hides a secret from his employers. As a government clerk in a time where England and France are becoming enemies, Jago does not want it known that he is half-French and fluent in the language. However someone knows his secret and is pressurising him to spy for the French, alongside which a mysterious dispatch that has passed through Jago's hands is now published in the press and an acquaintance is found dead in suspicious circumstances. As Jago seeks to repress his anxiety and insomnia in opiate drugs, the conspiracy net is closing in.
I really loved the setting of this book, in the late18th Century, as there is little historical fiction set in this period except for 'romances'. Jago is a flawed hero and the ending is neither neat nor satisfactory which suits the tenor of the novel. There is some really well-observed period detail and an oppressive atmosphere which serves the labyrinthine plot well. To my mind this is solid writing without being outstanding

Historical fiction is fast becoming one of my favourite genres. I really enjoyed this book. Laurence Jago is a great lead character amongst a cast of intriguing characters. I like the writing style although the pace is very sedate at times. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I did enjoy it.

An enjoyable yet disappointing book. Having read reviews linking it with Sansom and Taylor, I expected too much. Unlike Shardlake and Marwood, Jago is a weak, slightly foolish character even though he is almost 30. If there are future books, I hope he becomes more worldly and sensible. The historical detail was brilliant but needed a more likeable hero and a more cohesive plot. I confess, had Jago been murdered in the end I would not have minded. As a first novel, it was a commendable effort so I look forward to her next one so will upgrade 3.5* to 4* rather than 3.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

Black Drop makes use of that favourite device of authors – a diary or letters in which a character gives a first-hand account of events they have witnessed. In this case, it’s the written confession of Laurence Jago, a clerk at the Foreign Office (who obviously has a remarkable ability to recall conversations verbatim).

The suicide of his friend, which Laurence quickly becomes convinced is actually murder, is just the first in a series of grisly deaths. However, perhaps these are in keeping with a period in which many of the populace’s idea of entertainment is pelting muck at the unfortunate occupants of the pillory, watching the hanging of some poor individual, visiting a museum displaying specimens of human anatomy or viewing an exhibition of grisly waxworks. From this will you gather that Black Drop simply oozes – sometimes quite literally – atmosphere. As Laurence notes ‘The city is excessively rough, and there are pimps and whores and thieves everywhere, with an unwholesome interest in your pockets.’ Not to mention dark alleys and unspeakable substances thrown from windows into the streets below.

Laurence’s increasingly confused view of events is not helped by his growing reliance on the ‘black drop’ of the title, a concoction liberally laced with laudanum, which at times makes it difficult for him to discern what is real and what is imagined. In fact, he starts off on something with the innocent sounding name of Godfrey’s Cordial until he is persuaded by an apothecary that he should try the stronger Kendal’s Black Drop. ‘Tis a hearty medicine’ says the apothecary proudly.

Laurence becomes convinced he knows the identity of the person responsible for his friend’s murder and those that follow. But is that person too obvious a candidate or is the author building up to an audacious double bluff? You’ll have to read the book to find out. If I’m honest, one of the characters who plays a significant role in the plot felt a little under-developed; I really couldn’t picture them in my mind’s eye from the description provided. However, I accept this may have been deliberate on the author’s part to maintain an element of mystery about them. My favourite character – apart from Laurence’s dog, Mr Gibbs – was the irrepressible William Philpott, journalist and newspaper editor. He proves a good friend to Laurence and, although I may be mistaken, I wonder if there could be more of their partnership to come?

I’ll confess I knew little detail about the political situation in England at the time of the French Revolution or the attitude of the Government towards it so the author’s Historical Note at the end of the book was extremely useful for putting this into context, and for distinguishing between the real and fictional characters who appear in the book.

Black Drop is an engaging historical mystery with a plot that has plenty of twists and turns, all set against the backdrop of a time of political unrest and growing calls for societal change.

Set in London in 1794 - Robspierre from France was considered a threat to the UK's independence and ways of government, USA were negotiating a new treaty and Thomas Hardy was being tried for treason.

The book is about the life of Laurence Jago a young clerk from Cornwall working in Downing Street - his secret he has a French mother.

Shows leaks from Downing Street have been there since the 18th Century.

Quite slow at times and far too many characters.

In 1794 Laurence Jago, a clerk to the Foreign Office, is becoming more and more dependant on Black Drop or Laudanum. As a fellow clerk is found dead of suspected suicide, Laurence is convinced that it was actually murder – but with his addiction making it harder to make the right decisions, will he be able to discover what really happened?

Despite the fact that I am not familiar with London or this particular time period, the setting and atmosphere created were incredibly believable and I was fully transported to the gritty, darker side of Georgian life in the city. This, together with all of the corruption, sabotage and politics in the story made it a very complex but captivating mystery.

Laurence Jago was a really interesting character and I was pleased that the story has been left open for a possible sequel. Black Drop is the perfect choice for this time of year, and a must for any fans of political or historical thrillers.

4,5* rounded to 5
This book kept me turning pages as fast as I could as it's a riveting, bleak and well written historical mystery set in a very interesting time.
Mixing historical facts and fiction the author delivers a fascinating story featuring an unreliable narrator and a plot that involves politics and spy story.
I loved the descriptions of London, they were detailed and I was brought back in time.
I hope it's the first in a series as I'd love to read another story so well written and well researched.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks so much to Viper for letting me read Black Drop in advance. A historical mystery tinged with conspiracy, treason and secrecy, it follows Laurence Jago, a Westminster clerk in the 1790s, as he tries to uncover the secret of a fellow clerk's suicide.

This is an engaging, well-written, atmospheric novel, and the evocation of Georgian London, in all its foulness, is very well-done: it's easy to imagine the filthy streets, the crowds, the mundane activity of city life. (Incidentally, I love reading about historical London and seeing areas I know well described as villages - that's a fun part of this book too!) The mystery is entertaining too, although I was a little confused by all the different strands and how each one linked up. I have to admit that I read the bulk of the book on a plane journey and finished the rest in distracted little chunks, so that probably contributed to my slight lack of understanding!

But there were couple of things that bothered me though: I thought the title of the book was a weird choice considering the book barely touches on Laurence's so-called addiction to the Black Drop drug, and secondly, it's made clear early on that Laurence has been a spy for the French during the Revolutionary Wars - but little detail is ever given about this background. He says he was recruited in France but it's not clear why he was even in France if he grew up in Cornwall, and there's all sorts of hints about the Revolution and his past that are just not contextualised at all. I thought that was a real missed opportunity, not least because Laurence keeps moaning about how he doesn't want to spy anymore and does literally nothing to stop himself being embroiled over and over. More of a motive would have been good - in my opinion!

Anyway. Not sure what star rating I'd give this one but I'd recommend if you're a fan of historical mysteries like Andrew Taylor's novels!

In Black Drop Leonora Natrass created a vivid picture of 18th century London filled with engaging characters who drive the action, Mr Philpott being one of my absolute favourites. This is an interesting story that is a slow burn rather than an action packed spy adventure. There has obviously been a great deal of time & research put into writing of this novel & I loved spotting the well known names within the story.

The ending is satisfying & could be a set up for the further adventures of Laurence Jago.

This should be just my kind of thing but sadly it didn't hold my interest. The writing is good and evokes the period but I don't think it's strong enough in characterisation, pace or political intrigue (for me it would need at least one of these, ideally all three). DNF

It’s London in 1794 and those with power are nervous. A fragile treaty with America is being attempted, relations with France have become further rattled by events following the French Revolution, and their own subjects fill the pungent air with talk of sedition and treason. This provides the starting point for Leonora Nattrass’ historical debut novel.
Nattrass has combined fictional characters with those really around at the time and provides us with a useful cast list at the beginning (I consulted this a number of times). Largely the confession of Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago, who is hiding his French ancestry and offering information to a shadowy female spy (an underdeveloped character I felt here and perhaps the only one the author does not bring fully to life). Jago becomes implicated in leaking information which would hurt the British army in France but he is innocent and the house of cards he had built up around himself begins to fall.
This is Jago’s narrative throughout and he meets some lively characters, most notably Philpott, a loyalist journalist who the author states she based upon William Cobbett, who brings a lot of life to the scenes he is in, including one set in a menagerie. There’s much political intrigue in this well-researched novel but I found it most gripping away from the main plot to uncover spies when it deals with the human cost and the changing loyalties of the volatile mobs. A trial for treason follows closely along historical facts and involves the Prime Minister William Pitt and provides a high point of the novel. The title refers to a laudanam type medicine Jago becomes addicted to but this is somewhat underplayed. This is a strong debut from a promising author. There were, admittedly, times when my attention wandered but I was pulled back in and found myself caring about the outcome for these characters.
Black Drop is published by Viper on October 14th 2021. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

In essence this was a good example of just how historical fiction should be. The mores, speech and attitudes of all the characters were in keeping with the period setting, not merely 21st century characters in period dress.. Even Anne, a secondary but rather prominent female character who showed perhaps a little more intelligence than upper middle-class men preferred in their women in the 18th Century, played the simpering miss when she was good and ready. Even the most ardent 'Girl Power' exponents should be satisfied with both Anne and Aglantine, a female spymaster.

The plot was tight and the pacing was just right. In fact, the only jarring note in the entire book was the absolute stupidity of Laurence Jago. Never was there a main character who was more of a fool. If there was a wrong thing to do, he did it, and if a wrong thing to say, he said it. Nevertheless, he was likeable enough and the sheer irony of his thoughts on the youthfully naive Theodore Jay were priceless - "it was a relief to be alone after the boy's idiot foolishness". What about his own idiot foolishness, one wonders?

For all that the rest of the book was a triumph, the end was rather unsatisfactory. What one assumes was intended as a twist in the tale in fact turned out to be nothing more than a slight bend, as by this time many readers would have already come to this realisation for themselves, and the fate of poor Jago was just plain unfair, for all he was a fool. There was a door left open for perhaps a sequel, and if there is, let us hope that Jago has learned a little wisdom.

The book starts with a bang- a triple hanging and a sensational chapter where we meet our protagonist and the themes of the book are set. Lawrence Jago is a brilliant character who I can’t believe wasnt a real person! He was funny and clever and became a reluctant spy.

The book was easy to read and I found the writing style to be wonderful, it’s hard to believe this was a debut novel!

I loved this original story and would recommend to fans of Blood and Sugar and other historical fiction.

I am very partial to a good historical read, but reflect that this book felt quite different due to its sobering account of living in London and working for the government around the time of 1714. Arguably maybe not much different to now, few can be trusted and the conspiracy to throw mud that sticks due to just the power of persuasion are all about.

Our protagonist Laurence Jago (clerk to the Foreign Office) has secrets - the kind of secrets that could cause him to face treason if ever caught. He can speak French but does not disclose this and so must be extremely careful not to give this away.

He is a likeable, measured and clever man who despite his position also appears quite green to the posturing and scheming that takes place. His increasing reliance on the drug Black Drop does him no favours either as it causes him to trip himself up a good few times.

Nattress does an excellent job of taking you back to a time when you can vividly imagine and almost smell the squalor of London. All feels dark and dangerous amidst a story full of intrigue, plotting, espionage and some great plot twists and turns. There is a good sense of tension and uncertainty, particularly when Jago needs to work to prevent himself for being accused and tied for treason that could see him hanged.

Well researched, with delightful linguistics to cement the immersive experience. Tight writing, insightful to the political times and with an exceptional and satisfying denouement.

For those who are fans of historical fiction and crime fiction alike, this is the perfect book for you as it combines both brilliantly! Leonara Nattrass’ writing style is great and the whole book flowed very well, even for a reader whose historical knowledge isn’t great. Whilst I had to focus quite hard on the names of characters and events that happened, the story is very cleverly done and I loved the inclusion of the list of characters at the front of the book (I referred to this a lot!).

The characters in the book were brilliant and I really enjoyed reading about Jago as the main character; from his drive to find out what happened to a friend to the torments he faces with his addiction. There are lots of characters to both love and hate in this book!

Not only does Nattrass have such well written characters, but her scene setting is fantastic and you can really imagine what it was like in those times. The research she must have carried out to do this would have been huge and for that I commend her as it really does make this book.

Black Drop is a gem of a debut novel. It has vivid characters, a plot that keeps you on your toes, with a few twists and turns along the way, and an excellently written setting that truly transports you back in time!

Government clerk and reluctant spy Laurence Jago has good reason to conceal his French language prowess on gaining promotion and leaving the Foreign Office attics for the corridors of power in Leonora Nattrass’s debut novel Black Drop.

Black Drop rushes off the page in an urgent whisper that captures your attention right from its cloak-and-dagger opening. It’s the stroke of midnight on 5 November 1794 and a young clerk has hurried home to set down the truth as he sees it: here is the confession of Laurence Jago, Clerk to the Foreign Office, while he still has an opportunity to make it.

The book swiftly continues apace from there with Leonora Nattrass taking us to the scene of a public execution where our young clerk is on his way to a rendezvous at the foot of the scaffold. We’re jostled and shoved along with him through the gathering crowd and it gives us a real sense of the public unrest and suspicion rife at the time, which forms the historical backdrop to the book. It’s a highly-charged atmosphere; Black Drop‘s world one in which danger is ever present. Characters don’t trust each other; reputations and political careers rely on capricious patronage and can turn on a sixpence; Laurence almost constantly feels as if he’s being followed or watched, haunted even (typically when under the influence of opium), but rarely sees who by unless they want him to; the streets teem with the threat of violence from unseen assailants, and lives and livelihoods appear in a state of flux and constant jeopardy.

I found myself like Will Benson, starting at shadows… Alleys and doorways frightened me, and my skin crawled. Black Drop and terror combined to floor me, and for a week I took to my bed, white-faced and trembling among the sheets.

Laurence Jago intrigued me from the outset and I warmed to him the more I read the book. He’s a young man, who finds himself somewhere he wouldn’t be, had he not concealed certain information from his employers. And yet, his past actions also fully justify questioning where his present loyalties lie. He’s a puzzle and increasingly partial to a drop of opium to ease him through the workday or stressful social events, which makes him a somewhat unreliable narrator. His relationship with the mysterious woman in black, Aglantine, is problematic and risks compromising his position. But there’s also good in him, too. He refuses to stand by and do nothing when a fellow clerk is falsely accused and acts to exonerate his name.

His neighbour, the journalist William Philpott, is a terrific character who I adored. He’s an absolute joy, livening things up with his wry, impish humour and lack of regard for leaving some matters to the proper authorities. He’s also great at inveigling them in to places and provides a good foil to Jago’s fear of discovery and persecution, as does the eminent barrister, Thomas Erskine MP, KC, who has taken on Thomas Hardy’s case. He exudes calm and reason while he (almost) undertakes a one-man crusade against injustice and false imprisonment and it was wonderful to have a noble, almost heroic, lawyer figure to champion for a change. We’re not often portrayed so kindly. Philpott and Erskine bring some much-needed comic relief and hope to proceedings in Black Drop.

Leonora Nattrass skilfully manoeuvres her fictional characters around London, inserting them seamlessly into Black Drop‘s nefarious world of political intrigue among its real historical figures. And it’s rather fitting that a novel about international political intrigue and espionage deals with events in the run-up to 5 November 1794 or Guy Fawkes Night, that all-too British annual celebration of the failed plot to blow up Parliament in 1605. As more and more bonfires are built around London and the numbers raising money on the streets with their dummy Guys increase, so does the tension. Laurence Jago feels the net closing in on him and fears he will be whisked away to a dark dungeon before anyone knows his side of the story.

Happily, we do hear it and how. Black Drop is a vivid depiction of London in 1794, with all its political manoeuvring amid a tangle of virtue and vice, secrets and lies, unrest on the streets, espionage in the shadows and faltering moves towards justice and reform. Ultimately hopeful and a total joy to read, Black Drop is a deliciously dark tale of intrigue, deception and the inherent danger in keeping secrets. I cannot wait to join Laurence Jago on another tumultuous adventure when he sets sail in the sequel next year.

Elizabethan crime and spy tale based on real characters and events in18th century England. Lawrence Jago the reluctant spy is a brilliant, clever and sometimes funny character who I really believed in.

From the early chapters, including a triple public hanging, Ms Nattrass weaves a wonderful story and I am not going to reveal any spoilers. The book is a 5 star historical thriller from a debut author.

Thanks to VIPER part of Serpents Tail for the chance to read and review.

🖤 Black Drop by Leonora Nattrass 🖤

A historical mystery set in London during the latter parts of 1794. At a time when the streets are filled with rumours of revolution, political radical Thomas Hardy is on trial for treason, the war against the French is not going in Britain's favour, and negotiations with the independent American colonies are on a knife edge.

Black Drop is the confession of Laurence Jago, clerk to the Foreign Office and reluctant spy caught in a myriad of secrets, lies, espionage, murder and treason.

Nattrass has cleverly built a fictional story that has basis in fact, where fictional and real life historical characters live side by side. As a huge fan of Hamilton I enjoyed that this had links to that time period. I couldn’t help picturing Jonathan Groff when they talked of the King 🤴

It was evident the author carried out extensive research whilst composing this novel resulted in it feeling authentic in both detail and writing style. I likened it to reading a classic written of the time, Jago as a narrator I could have believed actually wrote those words 227 years ago.

The trial of Thomas Hardy and subsequent discussions about class, the right to vote and those borne in power was my favourite part and rather depressingly highlighted that for all the reforms we have seen come to be many similarities could still be found in our modern day.

There was so much I loved about this book but in parts I have to admit struggled to keep reading, I just wasn’t compelled to pick it up and as a result it took me much longer to read than I would have anticipated. One of my main issues being I became confused around who characters were (I appreciate that the physical book has a character list at the front which may have helped but reading on my kindle didn’t easily allow that to be accessed) and as a result I lost my way through much of the middle. That being said once the trial began as I mentioned above I was glad I had continued reading.

Thank you to @viper.books for this eArc in exchange of an honest review.

#bookreview #bookstagram #historicalfictionreview #historicalfiction #bookblogger #northernbookbloggers #booknerd #booklover

An absolutely delightful book, that really throws the reader into the political turmoils of the French Revolution, alongside the American War of Independence, as seen through the eyes of Laurence Jago, a clerk in the Foreign Office, responsible for copying out secret documents and treaties, whilst trying to forget his past youthful indiscretions as a spy for the French!! Way to go Laurence!!
London is full of spies, for both America and France. London wants peace with America, but France wants these talks to fail, so America will come into the war on their side. The Guillotine is busy in France, and when a secret document gives away troop movement details, Jago is suspected of betrayal.When a fellow clerk is murdered, Jago determines that he will find the real spy and clear both their names.
This sounds a simple task, but when Government departments and egos are involved, the waters rapidly become muddied. There are further murders, an MP is suspected of this crime, but plenty of obstacles are thrown into Jago’s path, as he tries to capture a spy, become nursemaid to the American Ambassadors son, run the gauntlet of hired thugs and is taken under the wing of William Philpott, a journalist, who is in the process of setting up a new newspaper, called The Cannon. Lawrence is also trying to keep secret, not only did he previously spy for the French, but his mother is French and living in Cornwall, and he has perfect knowledge of both French speech and writing!! What a tangled web this author weaves, but how enjoyable and exquisite this wordsmith conveys all that happens in this novel, it’s fast paced and so well researched, it almost reads like a West End Farce!! Formidable!,
I loved the character of William Philpott, in my view, he steals the show, with his puffed up sense of importance, but he really investigates all events, and becomes a true friend to Laurence, and perhaps, a pain in the backside to others!! I also enjoyed the presence of Peter Williams, a negro slave, who works for Mr Jay, the American Ambassador. He brings an added dimension to this tale, as he is not only working to keep his owners son safe in London, but is working hard and loyally, in the expectation that he will gain his freedom and be able to return home to his family as a free man. He expects much nothing in the way of favours, and sees the way events are turning in France, but remains steadfast to his employer, Peter does have some social standing by virtue of his employment, it’s interesting to reflect upon this aspect of social history.
I wondered about Black Drop as a title. It rapidly became clear it was a drug, I wondered Cocaine, but it turned out to be Opium. The East India Company were really busy about this time exploring the Caribbean, perhaps they paved the way for its import to the country. I had to do some research on this Black Drop, and it was fascinating to read how a Quaker Chemist in the Lake District probably created this drug. More reading needed.
A thrilling look at Georgian Society, and great fun to boot, I am loving this book. My history at school back in the 1960’s went from the Romans, the Middle Ages, the Tudors, then World Wars One and Two!! It is to be hoped it has improved now!!
This stroll through Georgian London, puts me in mind of the BlackAdder series. The two are not in direct comparison, but were both clever and appealing to me. I shall certainly recommend this as a five star read. I will leave reviews to various outlets later.
My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance digital copy and the publishers Viper, in return for my honest review.

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we accidentally become a French spy embedded in the English government. Such is the predicament of Laurence Jago, a clerk in the Foreign Office during the late 18th century, a time when said government is navigating a diplomatic negotiation with America, war with France (which is itself mid-Reign of Terror), and the impending London trial of political radical/shoemaker Thomas Hardy.

All this and more Jago must navigate. Black Drop is, largely, his written confession for treason, which he is technically guilty of - but in perhaps the most hapless way imaginable. He’s a man about whom friends would probably say things like “oh, Laurence means well,” if he had more than approx. three friends - which restrained number is quickly reduced by a suicide that turns out to be a framed murder.

Jago is set on a tense adventure of political intrigue, where some plots are real and some imaginary. Nattrass has made a spellbinding if unreliable narrator of Jago, not because he is deliberately concealing things, but because he is unaware of his own biases and relative lack of importance, and because he writes with some authority as an audience we remain largely on his side. In particular Jago seems not to notice that he is high on the titular Black Drop opiate quite a lot of the time, until it reaches the point that he’s completely off his gourd.

You view the rest of the rambunctious cast (some fictionalised-ish versions of real historical figures, like the future PM Canning) through Jago’s eyes, and the story subtly changes in line with his opinions. The supporting characters are excellent, putting me in mind of period political cartoons of the 18th century, with a firm favourite being proto-tabloider Philpott, simultaneously farcical and shred, genial and calculating.

But I shouldn’t be too mean to poor old Jago. There are so many twists and turns and layers to the mystery and murder in Black Drop that it would bamboozle anyone - and certainly did me. In the end it was more than enough to take a romp - an overused word, but entirely correct in this case - through a historical London teeming with life, in the way a dog's fur can be teeming with fleas. Nattrass gives you all the smells, sights and sounds so you can really wallow in the grimness of it all. And though it is undoubtedly very dark, Black Drop is also funny, hopeful, and at times almost as much a comedy of manners as it is a political thriller. Nattrass is a deft and witty writer who cuts a dashing swathe through historical London and leaves you wanting more.