- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Bantam; New edition edition (1 Sep 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553815245
- ISBN-13: 978-0553815245
- Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 2.4 x 19.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 194,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Book Description
Another compelling murder mystery set in the eighteenth century from the acclaimed author of The Grenadillo Box.
Product Description
Summer, 1765. The renowned portrait painter Joshua Pope is eager to escape London and his unhappy past and accepts a commission to paint a wedding portrait for Herbert Bentnick and his bride-to-be, Sabine Mercier.
Joshua learns that the couple are avid horticulturalists. Bentnick's country house, Astley, in Richmond, is famous for its verdant gardens, designed by the master landscape artist Capability Brown. Sabine Mercier, who has lived most of her life in the Indies, is an expert in growing pineapples, the fruit of choice at the grandest dinner parties and an inspiration to artists and craftsmen.
But soon after Sabine begins to cultivate pineapples in the vast conservatory at Astley, she discovers a body among her plants. Why, wonders Joshua Pope, is so little attention paid to this bizarre death? Why do Bentnick's children regard their future stepmother with suspicion and fear? And what connection does Sabine's daughter Violet have with the dead man?
Outraged that any life can be valued so lightly, Joshua begins to investigate the death. But then Sabine's valuable emerald necklace disappears, and he is implicated. His need to discover what has happened at Astley suddenly becomes more pressing. Can Joshua solve the mystery before his reputation is ruined? And, more immediately, can he stay alive long enough to do so?
Following her acclaimed début, THE GRENADILLO BOX, Janet Gleeson has written another compelling tale of murder and mystery set in an exquisitely and authentically rendered Georgian England.
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First Sentence
JOSHUA POPE was not expecting a visitor to call. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
JOSHUA POPE was not expecting a visitor to call. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Janet Gleeson has done it again. Like "The Grenadillo Box", "The Serpent in the Garden" is a murder mystery set in middle and late 18th Century England. While "The Grenadillo Box" had as its protagonist a furniture maker apprenticed to Chippendale, this one has a portrait painter, a contemporary of Reynolds and Gainsborough. Gleeson evokes her period in exceptional detail and in vivid colour. She also has the ability to put the reader into the mind of her protagonist Joshua Pope, so that we go where he goes and learn what he learns. The main setting is a lush and lavish house and garden in Richmond, Astley House, seat of Herbert Bentnick and his soon-to-be second wife, the mysterious Barbadian beauty, Sabine Mercier. Sabine's passion is the cultivation of pineapples, a fruit which apparently became extremely popular in England in the 18th century. Pineapples and their cultivation play a central part in this mystery, as does the garden of Astley House, designed by "Capability" Brown, who makes a personal appearance and a vital contribution to the denoument.
I have now read all three of Janet Gleeson's 18th century books (the third is "The Thief Taker") and am longing for more.
I have now read all three of Janet Gleeson's 18th century books (the third is "The Thief Taker") and am longing for more.
Format:Paperback
I'm not usually a big fan of historical novels, or historical whodunits, but just for the sake of variety I picked up this book and was pleasantly surprised. It's about a painter, Joshua Pope, who has been commissioned to paint a family portrait of Herbert Bentnick and his wife-to-be, Sabine. While staying at the family's estate, a body is discovered in the pinery, and Joshua sets out to discover who the man is and who killed him as for some reason the couple seem to want to brush the death under the carpet. Then Sabine's priceless jewel is stolen, and Joshua is implicated in its theft. While trying to clear his name, he gets an opportunity to examine the different relationships within the family (Herbert's children and Sabine's daughter and family friends) and finds there could be several people who had a motive to kill the man or to steal the jewellery, but in the end it was a bit of a surprise to discover who the culprit was. I must say that, after getting over the slightly slow start, I really got into the book and thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to other readers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
interesting, very interesting
16 May 2005
Format:Paperback
I wont' try to sum up the events of this book as the other reviewers have done, I believe it is not my place to do so. I will simply give my opinion of it and my feelings towards the piece.
It is a very ineresting book, that kept my thoughts occupied for some time. The language is very nice and a murder mystery never hurt anyone, so if you're looking for a book that u want to entice you, I recommend this one among others to set you back in time and live the life of a successful portrait painter looking to solve a mystery.
It is a very ineresting book, that kept my thoughts occupied for some time. The language is very nice and a murder mystery never hurt anyone, so if you're looking for a book that u want to entice you, I recommend this one among others to set you back in time and live the life of a successful portrait painter looking to solve a mystery.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
An historical mystery with a twist
27 May 2005
Format:Paperback
The author of The Serpent in the Garden was trained in art, and has worked at Sotheby's in London-so it should come as no surprise that the protagonist of this book is an artist who pays attention to the small details. Although Janet Gleeson does indeed pay attention to detail, she tends to skimp on the plot, especially the mystery itself. However, this is a highly original book, and it was fun to read.
Joshua Pope is a fictional artist living in 18th- century London. Commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of Sir Herbert Bentnick and his bride Sabine Mercier at their estate Astley, Pope immediately encounters a mystery of a singular kind: the death of a man purported to be a Mr. Cobb, in a greenhouse on the estate. Sabine Mercier, originally hailing from Barbados, is an avid cultivator of pineapples, a fruit that was in vogue in the mid-18th century in Europe. The death allegedly was by poison; since poison is thought to be the weapon of choice by women, could Sabine or her daughter Violet be the murderer? Its a tangled, twisted mystery that Joshua gets involved in, especially when no one in the family seems concerned over the death of a stranger on their property.
Coinciding with the death is the mysterious disappearance of a necklace that belongs to Mrs. Mercier- in the curious shape of a serpent, with the head clasping the tail. The serpent, a serpent of temptation, is the subject of a legal dispute which affects everyone in the Mercier/ Bentnick family. What amazed me, in following Pope's investigation, is how he trusts every untrustworthy person in the book, and mistrusts everyone who he should trust. For someone who claims to be an observer of human character, this feature of the book seemed out of character.
If you have read other reviews I have written on this site, you'll know that I'm an avid reader of historical fiction, as well as mysteries. While The serpent in the Garden is neither the best historical fiction nor the best mystery I have ever read, it is certainly well crafted. I can't wait to read other novels by Janet Gleeson.
Joshua Pope is a fictional artist living in 18th- century London. Commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of Sir Herbert Bentnick and his bride Sabine Mercier at their estate Astley, Pope immediately encounters a mystery of a singular kind: the death of a man purported to be a Mr. Cobb, in a greenhouse on the estate. Sabine Mercier, originally hailing from Barbados, is an avid cultivator of pineapples, a fruit that was in vogue in the mid-18th century in Europe. The death allegedly was by poison; since poison is thought to be the weapon of choice by women, could Sabine or her daughter Violet be the murderer? Its a tangled, twisted mystery that Joshua gets involved in, especially when no one in the family seems concerned over the death of a stranger on their property.
Coinciding with the death is the mysterious disappearance of a necklace that belongs to Mrs. Mercier- in the curious shape of a serpent, with the head clasping the tail. The serpent, a serpent of temptation, is the subject of a legal dispute which affects everyone in the Mercier/ Bentnick family. What amazed me, in following Pope's investigation, is how he trusts every untrustworthy person in the book, and mistrusts everyone who he should trust. For someone who claims to be an observer of human character, this feature of the book seemed out of character.
If you have read other reviews I have written on this site, you'll know that I'm an avid reader of historical fiction, as well as mysteries. While The serpent in the Garden is neither the best historical fiction nor the best mystery I have ever read, it is certainly well crafted. I can't wait to read other novels by Janet Gleeson.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
intriguing Georgian who-done-it
15 Feb 2005
Format:Paperback
In 1766, Herbert Bentnick, a widower of under a year, is betrothed to two time Barbados widow Sabine Mercier. Herbert commissions renowned portrait artist Joshua Pope to paint their wedding picture at his Astley estate. However, Sabine, a horticulturist working with her fiancé's pineapple plants, finds a corpse in the hothouse.
While the engaged couple and his family seem unconcerned that someone was murdered on their estate, a shocked Joshua takes it upon himself to investigate. He assumes the deceased is Barbados attorney John Cobb based on documents the dead man was carrying. Joshua also learns that Herbert's wife was still alive and with him when he met Sabine, but died shortly afterward. Finally, he realizes how knowledgeable Sabine is when it comes to plants. Joshua's sleuthing efforts prove fruitless and he now must prove he did not steal Sabine's valuable emerald necklace while the family points their accusing fingers at him.
As with THE GRENADILLO BOX (different artisan detective - cabinetmaker Nathanial Hopson, but similar theme and era), THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN is an intriguing Georgian who-done-it with the emphasis on the 1760s England. The story line is loaded with historical detail providing the audience a close look at the upper class mostly through the eyes of the moralistic artist. Joshua is a fine protagonist; however the two antagonists will fascinate readers. Is Herbert a besotted fool or a clever killer and even more intriguing is Sabine as Joshua's circumstantial evidence implicates her as the culprit in at least two deaths.
Harriet Klausner
While the engaged couple and his family seem unconcerned that someone was murdered on their estate, a shocked Joshua takes it upon himself to investigate. He assumes the deceased is Barbados attorney John Cobb based on documents the dead man was carrying. Joshua also learns that Herbert's wife was still alive and with him when he met Sabine, but died shortly afterward. Finally, he realizes how knowledgeable Sabine is when it comes to plants. Joshua's sleuthing efforts prove fruitless and he now must prove he did not steal Sabine's valuable emerald necklace while the family points their accusing fingers at him.
As with THE GRENADILLO BOX (different artisan detective - cabinetmaker Nathanial Hopson, but similar theme and era), THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN is an intriguing Georgian who-done-it with the emphasis on the 1760s England. The story line is loaded with historical detail providing the audience a close look at the upper class mostly through the eyes of the moralistic artist. Joshua is a fine protagonist; however the two antagonists will fascinate readers. Is Herbert a besotted fool or a clever killer and even more intriguing is Sabine as Joshua's circumstantial evidence implicates her as the culprit in at least two deaths.
Harriet Klausner
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