Sweet Poison

Rating:
Summary: Sweet Posion
Review: "Sweet Poison" has been touted as a homage to the works of Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. I think that such statements do this mystery novel a disservice, for David Roberts has come up with a mystery novel with characters that are quite different from the ones found in Sayers' and Christie's works. "Sweet Poison" for example pays alot more attention to the political scene in 1930s Europe than you would ordinarily find in the works of Dorothy L. Sayers or Agatha Christie. Furthermore, while Lord Edward Corinth does bear some superficial resemblance to Lord Peter Wimsey, there are enough differences between the two characters for Lord Edward to stand out on his own as being somewhat unique. As for Verity Browne, she reminded quite a bit of Nell Bray, the sleuthing suffragette created by Gillian Linscott, but here again there were enough differences between the two characters.

Its 1935 and Germany under the chancellorship of Adolf Hitler is tentatively flexing it's muscles, enough anyway for quite a few people to fear that another war is in the offing. The Duke of Mersham, having lived through WWI and having lost his older brother to it, is keen to advert this possibility of war. To this end, he has decided to host a dinner party and invite influential people of like mind to it. The list includes a pacifist bishop, a newpaper magnate and a German diplomat who, it is believed, has Hitler's ear. The dinner party however also includes an old friend of Mersham's, General Sir Alistair Craig, who is opposed to any kind of peaceful relationship with the Germans, and Mersham's younger brother, Lord Edward, who has been inveigled by his sister-in-law to play escort to the magnate's very bored, angry and poisonous stepdaughter. Unfortunately Lord Edward meets with an accident while on his way to the dinner party. Fortunately however he is rescued by Verity Browne who is on her way to Mersham Castle in order to write an article about the castle for 'Country Life.' The duo arrive at the castle just as the guests are settling down for port and tea, and just in time to see the General collapse suddenly and violently. Lord Edward suspects that the General has been poisoned, however the Duke and the dinner guests are aghast at the thought of scandal, and with the cooperation of the police, the General's death is hushed up. Imagine everyone's surprise than when a communist newspaper hints that the General was poisoned and by someone at the dinner party. Lord Edward suspects that Verity had something to do with the leak, and goes down to London to confront her. Verity does not deny his charge, but passionately puts forward her case for justice to be done, even if it is for an old warmonger like the General.

Both Lord Edward and Verity at this point have rather low opinions of each other -- she thinks that he is just another one of chinless wonders that the upper classes frequently mass produces, and he thinks that she is a manipulative, empty-headed miss. However they are both forced to reconsider their preconceptions of each other, especially when they decide to work together in order to discover who murdered the General.

The greatest strength that this novel possesses is the care and attention that David Roberts has put into portraying the social and histroical tone of the 1930s Europe, and of England in particular. The popularity of the peace movement; the confusion that many felt about wanting peace and yet feeling leery about Hitler and the facist movement; Verity's concern about the path that the communist party seems to be embarking on -- all these issues are brillantly depicted, and made for interesting and informative reading. The detecting pair, Lord Edward and Verity, were intelligent and genial enough so that I definitely would read future mysteries in this series. The mystery however was a bit of a let down for me: Verity and Lord Edmund would start out trying to discreetly question suspects and end being involved in some other matter instead. This is probably more realistic in the sense that amateur detectives seldom get the answers they're looking for, but it can be very frustrating for the reader! However I did enjoy reading "Sweet Poison" even if it did not quite meet my expectations mystery-wise.

Rating:
Summary: No comparisons necessary --
Review: Comparing a book by one author to any book by any other author is always a dilemma. If the comparison is to an author the reader likes -- fine and dandy. But if it's one not so well-liked, then the risk is very real - quite possibly a reader lost for no very good reason. It's true, of course, that any period English-set mystery will conjure up mental images of earlier creations, but really, any book needs to stand on its own merits--and this one is well able to do just that.

Granted, Lord Edward Corinth is the younger brother of a Duke, as is Lord Peter Wimsey, but from there on, Edward is very much his own man. Hardly anyone does (or has done) period detail better than Dame Agatha Christie (in my own opinion, that is) but David Roberts has done an excellent job in recreating that period of England, between the two wars. At least I think he has, not having been there at that time myself, it being slightly before my time. Regardless of that, the writing is smooth and it's very obvious that a lot of research was done to acquire the wealth of period detail that is disbursed so credibly.

Edward's older brother, the Duke of Mersham (who inherited the title only because his older brother was killed in the first war) believes strongly that war is a giant waste of everything, and he believes he can help to avoid the possibility of another war. To this end, he invites several disparate persons to a dinner at his country home--Mersham Castle. There is the retired general, the press lord, the pacifist bishop, a politician, a distant German cousin and now diplomat, and Edward. These men will talk as civilised men do, in an effort to calm the rising hysteria.

Edward's sole task was to squire the step-daughter of the press lord, but rushing to the castle in his Lagonda, he runs afoul of a huge haywagon, and finds himself in the ditch. He is rescued by a dashing young woman, Verity Browne, who just happens to be a journalist on her way to the castle to interview the Duchess.

The two of them arrive at the castle just in time to witness the death of the general, and the further horror of reading all about it in the next mornings newspapers. From there, chaos ensues, and Edward finds himself strangely drawn to Verity as they work together to discover the truth. There will be more deaths as layer after layer of society is peeled back to reveal the truths previously unsuspected. During all of this, Verity is unmasked as a young communist, sincere if a bit mis-guided in her loyalties, whereas Edward is complex and chivalrous, in spite of himself.

You will have no trouble imagining yourself in 1935 London, as you travel its streets and nightclubs with Edward and Verity. The characters are well-drawn, likeable or not as the plot requires. The plot itself is not your ordinary one, but very workable. Justice is served in the end, and if not in an ordinary way, it is a mostly satisfying ending, clearly leaving the way open for a sequel or two or three. I'd be very happy to read more of the adventures of Edward and Verity, and if you like period mysteries, I suspect you might like them, too.

Rating:
Summary: Reminiscent of Lord Peter
Review: I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this book as it was so clearly a form of homage to the Lord Peter books. Lord Edward Corinth has much the same personality (although he lacks the monocle)as Sayers' sleuth. He has the both the sensitivity as well as the intellect hidden behind the foppish exterior. Miss Verity Browne is plausible as a potential companion but is by no means a copy of Harriet Vane. She's younger and somewhat more naive.

The story kept me interested and the writing had only one or two truly obvious errors in terms of the times and manners of the day. But fans of the period will enjoy this well-balanced depiction.