Dark Asylum

Beloved Poison is a marvellous, vivid book with a thoughtful, engaging protagonist at its centre - and a fascinating story to tell. It’s immaculately researched and breathtakingly dark. Elaine Thomson’s descriptive powers are so great that that I was surprised to see twenty-first century London rather than grimy, smelly St Saviour’s around me when I - eventually - looked up from its pages

Following on from the events of acclaimed debut Beloved Poison, Dark Asylum vividly portrays the Gothic horror and questionable science of Victorian mental asylums in chilling detail. Meticulously researched and masterfully plotted, E.S. Thomson has written a complex, harrowing and highly enjoyable tale - Daily Express

Dark Asylum positively oozes gothic menace, and the author’s evocation of the city at that time is visceral and engagingly morbid … A first class piece of historical crime writing - Big Issue

Here’s a tale of Victorian London to freeze your blood on a cold winter’s night - Evening Telegraph on Beloved Poison

You can almost feel the evil miasma rising from the page - Kirkus Reviews on Beloved Poison

This outstanding debut historical enthrals with its meticulously researched details - Library Journal on Beloved Poison

From the first page to the last, I enjoyed every brilliantly written, and often hideous, detail … A splendid read - Cambridge Magazine on Beloved Poison

A historical novel to be savoured - The National on Beloved Poison

E. S. Thomson’s work has been longlisted for the CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger, and shortlisted for the Saltire Prize, the Scottish Arts Council First Book Award and the William McIlvanney Crime Book of the Year Award. She has a PhD in the social history of medicine, and tries to fit as much medical history into her books as possible. She works as a university lecturer by day, and writes by night. Elaine lives in Edinburgh with her two sons.

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