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There are currently 27 member reviews
for Before the Poison
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Priscilla M. (Houston, TX)
A solid read
I have read the Inspector Banks series written by Peter Robinson, so I already have a healthy respect for his writing. This book was a slight departure from his usual mysteries. It takes place in the Yorkshire area as do his other stories, but it is a gentler tale- part ghost story, part love story, and part mystery on several levels. The story moves slowly at first, and I couldn't really tell where it was headed. For that reason, I began to wonder how long it was going to take to gain some momentum.
The plot unfolds in several voices. The narrator is Chris Lowndes, returning to England after the death of his wife in California, where they had lived for many years. Chris buys a house, sight unseen, and once he moves in, he discovers that the wife of the original owner was hanged for the murder of her husband. Partly because of his need to distract himself from the grief he still feels for the death of his wife, and partly because he feels and sees something in the house, he starts investigating the circumstances of the murder and subsequent trial. At this point , the narration is interspersed with accounts of the trial. At another point, Grace's journal becomes another voice heard. Grace was the woman hanged for the murder of her husband, Dr. Ernest Fox. This is when I became hooked and couldn't stop reading.
The author has done an excellent job of carrying the story back and forth from England during WWII to the present time as he weaves the different threads necessary to the solving of the mystery of who Grace Fox was and if she truly murdered her husband. The various characters are believable and interesting, and I think many readers will find this to be a first rate read.
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Nan G. (Mazomanie, WI)
Perfect winter afternoon reading!
First let me say I am a huge Peter Robinson fan. His Inspector Banks series is one of my favorites so I started this stand alone novel with high hopes and was not completely disappointed. Robinson's talent for transporting his readers to the scene of his novels is in high gear in Beore the Poison, as is his love of music and knack for adding a soundtrack to the pages. With one exception, the characters feel fully thought out and the protagonist, Chris Lowndes, is charming. The exception, Heather, comes across as shallow and one dimensional compared to others even less important than she is to the plot.
The mystery at the heart of the novel kept me engaged until the last page- well researched, full of historical detail about the experiences of nurses during WWII, Robinson delivers a novel that I will recommend to others.
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Joan C. (Warwick, RI)
Before the Poison
Before the Poison is a low-key mystery that seems to draw you in gradually as you read the text. It offers some interesting facts concerning what it like for women who served as nurses in the military during WWII. As you read along, you certainly want to know what the dead heroine was all about. Did she commit the crime? Little by little the author draws you into the story as he reveals clues and speculations around "Grace", who died years before the story begins to unfold. This book turns out to be an unusual "who done it" and You have to follow the story through to the end to find out what really happened.
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Kathleen S. (St Louis, MO)
Different Direction for Peter Robinson
This is not a book in the Inspector Banks series by Robinson, so those expecting one will be disappointed. That said, this book was very thoughtfully written and kept me up at night wanting to read "just one more" chapter. It's atmospheric narrative brings Yorkshire and its villages to life. It is a very visually written story that put me readily into the plot. A good read for a cold winter night.
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Angela G. (Byram, MS)
Before The Poison by Peter Robinson
This book is as great a departure from the Inspector Banks novels as one could imagine.
It is not a procedural nor a classic who dunnit. It's a novel that asks the questions "Was a crime committed and if so, then who was behind it all?". The story line is minimal but it's fleshed out with lots of character studies, moody atmosphere, and period settings. There are enjoyable, detailed descriptions of the rural English countryside. The story journeys further afield with an immersing sense of place for parts of France and South Africa. A very old journal will carry the reader through a voyage to the Pacific Rim.
Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks novels are filled with references to music but this novel carries it even further. The protagonist, Chris Lowndes, is actually a retired musician, so there are many references to music written for movies. The denouement was a surprise, albeit a disappointing one for some. Many, including this reviewer, will not agree with the ethical choice revealed by Lowndes.
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MN book lover
obsessing over an old crime
A composer of Hollywood music scores, mourning the death of his wife, returns to Yorkshire where he grew up. He moves into an isolated mansion and becomes interested in the former owner who was hanged for the murder of her husband. His curiosity becomes an obsession as he tries to prove her innocence. A good premise for a novel, but it is quite slow-moving, not very realistic, and not all that interesting. The conclusion makes one wonder why one had to spend so much time getting there. Average at best.
