What do readers think of Before the Poison by Peter Robinson? Write your own review.

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.

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.

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.

I ploughed through this expecting some sort of ending…a reveal of some sort, a denouement. There was nothing. Extremely disappointing. Don’t waste your time or money.