Sweet Poison
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Product Description
Product Description
It is August 1935 and the Duke of Mersham is hosting one of his influential parties, bringing together public figures interested in improving Anglo-German relations. One of his guests is General Sir Alistair Craig VC, who swallows poison in the duke's excellent port and dies just as latecomer Lord Edward Corinth and journalist Verity Browne arrive on the scene. The unlikely pair - the younger son of a duke and a journalist committed to the Communist Party find common ground as they seek for the truth behind the genera's murder and discover that everyone present - including the duke himself - had a motive for wanting Sir Alistair out of the way. First published in hardback in 2000, this classic detective story introducing Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne was much acclaimed.
About the Author
David Roberts worked in publishing for over 30 years, most recently as partner in Michael O'Mara books, before giving up to devote his energies to writing full time. He is married and divides his time between London and Wiltshire.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was persuaded to buy this book by the attractive cover design (yes, I know!) and the promise that this might be a series worth getting my teeth into. In the end I felt it was something of a letdown. The 1930s setting is well-established, and the deliberately two-dimensional characters are pleasant enough, but the STORY IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS. It's a classic country-house murder setup, with plenty of opportunity for depth and intrigue, but very little of either resulted. There is barely a moment of tension in the whole book, and by the end of all the pointless to-ing and fro-ing I couldn't have cared less who did the murder. The lead characters (Verity and Edward) have some potential to be engaging in further stories, but the plotting of "Sweet Poison" has just put me off any more of these novels completely. And what a dreadful idea to make them such carbon copies of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane! This just amplifies the considerable inadequacies of these two cardboard creations and does nothing more than make you long to be reading the original. Also, the prose veers into PG Wodehouse territory on quite a few occasions which just muddles the style further - "comedy dramas" rarely work on TV, let alone in print. Go and read Sayers' "Habeas Corpus" instead - you'll have more fun!
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's 1935 and we are introduced to Lord Edward Corinth, upright but loveable British aristocrat, and the independent, rather contrary Verity Browne, journalist and paid member of the Communist Party yet from a bit of a rich background herself. Both are on their way to a dinner at Mersham Castle, Edward's brother Gerald's country seat, where the Duke is trying to promote peace between the nations of Britain and Germany, to avoid another war like the last at all costs.
But someone has other plans than peace, and the late arrival of Edward and Verity gives a murderer the cover to poison the duke's wonderful port. General Craig, one of the guests, dies before them all, and though the feeling is he must have taken his own life, that verdict sits poorly on the shoulders of Edward and Verity, who decide to investigate further.
This is the first book in a wonderful series of 1930s murder mysteries featuring Edward and Verity, but unfortunately for me, it didn't quite live up to some of the other stories in the series, which I read beforehand. Chock-full of politics and war, which of course was very much the order of the day, it just seemed to me that the mystery fell by the wayside a little as we followed this and the background lives of Edward, and in particular, Verity and the Communist Party. Though there was some sleuthing, it didn't seem to me to be done very logically or heartily, even though both sleuths maintained they were sure the victim had been murdered and they wanted to see justice done. Also a little irritant constant use of the word 'bourgeois'...
Anyway, still worth a look, particularly if you've loved nearly all the rest of the series, as I have, but not the best.
But someone has other plans than peace, and the late arrival of Edward and Verity gives a murderer the cover to poison the duke's wonderful port. General Craig, one of the guests, dies before them all, and though the feeling is he must have taken his own life, that verdict sits poorly on the shoulders of Edward and Verity, who decide to investigate further.
This is the first book in a wonderful series of 1930s murder mysteries featuring Edward and Verity, but unfortunately for me, it didn't quite live up to some of the other stories in the series, which I read beforehand. Chock-full of politics and war, which of course was very much the order of the day, it just seemed to me that the mystery fell by the wayside a little as we followed this and the background lives of Edward, and in particular, Verity and the Communist Party. Though there was some sleuthing, it didn't seem to me to be done very logically or heartily, even though both sleuths maintained they were sure the victim had been murdered and they wanted to see justice done. Also a little irritant constant use of the word 'bourgeois'...
Anyway, still worth a look, particularly if you've loved nearly all the rest of the series, as I have, but not the best.
Format:Paperback
I am interested in the music and fashions of the thirties, and when I saw that this was set in 1935 I began with high hopes. The author has identified a few handy points of reference, like the Cocoanut Grove in Regent Street, and the 400 Club in Leicester Square, not forgetting Lord Weaver the Canadian press baron, in order to bolster an unconvincing plot. Sadly it does not cut the mustard.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
It's OK, but .......
I like my country house murder mysteries. I really do. So I was quite excited when I saw this. Started with this one, the first in the series. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Playwright
Absolute poison
The author of this tripe should be ashamed of themselves. The pre-war setting is just about the only interesting thing in the whole waste of paper. Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2009 by snowqueen01
Just Sweet Enough
It seems to me that Agatha Christie pretty much sewed up the 1930s-50s in terms of crime fiction. Her stories brilliantly evoked a sense of time and place as well as being... Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2009 by Sam
Sweet Poison
Interesting lead characters but the murder mystery lacks suspects with real motive and takes an age to get going. Its resolution is no great surprise. Read more
Published on 20 April 2008 by Rich
Don't believe the hype !!!!
If you exclude the many 5 star reviews by "a customer" the consensus seems to be 1 or 2 stars for this novel. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2008 by fivestarfrankie
No good
There are lots of reasons why you should avoid this book but the most damning one is that it's boring. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2007 by Emil 22
Huge Disappointment
Being a particular fan of the classic 1930s whodunit I was drawn to read this book by the comments likening it to the best fiction of the period and by the gushing reviews. Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2007 by KT Reader
Sadly, the worst detective novel I have ever read. Disastrous!
I agree with other reviewers here that it was foolish for the author to invite comparisons with Dorothy L Sayers. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2006 by Persephone
Sayers it ain't
Anyone who enjoys the books of Dorothy L Sayers - and I go back to them again and again - will know how frustrating it is never again to find a writer who lives up to the... Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2005 by hwade17
Sweet Poison
A fantastic book you can really get your teeth into. A bit Agatha Christie but with more depth. Set in the thirties it combines fictional murder with history fact. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2003
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