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Strong Poison
by
Dorothy Sayers
It is part of the Lord Peter Wimsey #5 series and is a amateur sleuth, vintage mystery in a Kindle edition on July 31, 2012 and has 333 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Thrones Dominations, Whose Body?, Clouds of Witness, Unnatural Death, Lord Peter Views the Body, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, The Five Red Herrings, Book Review: Dorothy Sayers’ Hangman's Holiday, Murder Must Advertise, The Nine Tailors, Gaudy Night, Busman's Honeymoon
Fifth in the Lord Peter Wimsey vintage mystery series revolving around the frivolous-seeming Lord Peter in the London of 1929. The focus is on Harriet Vane, accused of murder. It was originally published January 1, 1930.
My Take
Oh brother. This is why I prefer our more “enlightened” age. Yes, we still have a ways to go. Between that judge and his prejudiced summing up and Boyes’ attitude — along with most of the rest of the men in this! Miss Climpson certainly has her own thoughts about the liberation of women in her own time!
It was a conundrum about Harriet’s sense of morality and honor. I really can’t blame her for being ticked off. Boyes sounds a right jerk. He expects everyone to fawn all over him. That he has the right to be looked after — by Harriet and his cousin! As for that Ryland Vaughan who thinks that “it [sh]ould have been enough for her to help and look after a genius like Phil”. Oy!!
This is the tale in which Peter meets the woman he wants to marry. And how appropriate that she’s accused of murder. Peter proposing to Harriet on their first meeting sets up a conflict that will go on for stories. He does give her a number of pluses as to why she should marry him, lol. They do make sense, they’re simply not the usual reasons. And Harriet, true to form, won’t have it.
”If anybody ever marries you, it will be for the pleasure of hearing you talk piffle.”
Marriage proposals seem to be the thing in Strong Poison. There’s Peter’s proposal and Freddy’s successful one, and then Peter’s roundabout approach to why Charles Parker is shying away from his proposal.
There’s an interesting listing of detective writers (of the time) who actually detect in real life and include Edgar Wallace, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Slater, and “the black man”. (There’s an fascinating article by Stephen Soitos, “African-American Detective Fiction”, that explores this.)
I adore Peter’s typing bureau that employs the “superfluous” women. For the time period, this bureau really is a lifesaver. Miss Climpson’s office “boasted a private telephone-line to Scotland Yard”. Yep, Peter utilizes the employees for undercover work. Hah!
Sayers is brilliant in setting up the atmosphere of those artists’ parties! It does sound as if there are some fascinating conversations.
While Sayers uses third person global subjective point-of-view, allowing for readers to experience the events, thoughts, and emotions of a number of characters, the primary perspective is Peter’s.
Strong Poison is mostly talk and detecting with as much action as is necessary to accomplish this. Our exposure to Miss Climpson’s thoughts, which are uniquely hers and her qualms about lying in her undercover role, Joan Murchison’s fears as she sneaks about the office, and ya gotta love Peter’s piffle as he quotes various books in different situations. He’s humorously self-deprecating and brilliant.
A good thing since this seems to be a slam dunk against Harriet, and it will take all of Peter’s intellect to figure out the truth.
The Story
It’s infuriating. Being put on probation to see if it works out. And Harriet isn’t having it. But then circumstances intervene and her writing a novel that involves poisons to kill off the victim, well, a jury of her peers is determined to fit her with a noose.
Lord Peter, however, doesn’t believe in her guilt, and he’s determined to set her free.
The Characters
Lord Peter Wimsey, a second son, has parlayed his experiences working intelligence during World War I into solving mysteries. Mervyn Bunter is his personal man who keeps Peter’s life on track. The Dowager Duchess is Peter’s sympathetic mother. Mrs Merdle is what Peter has named his car. Lady Mary is his sister, who is now running a house-decorating job. Gerald is his older brother, the duke. The snotty Helen is Gerry’s wife. Freddy is the stablemaster at Duke’s Denver. James is a footman.
Miss Katherine Climpson runs Peter’s typing bureau, his “Cattery”.
Harriet Vane is a writer of mysteries who is on trial for murdering her ex-boyfriend, Philip Boyes. Her friends include Sylvia Marriott and Eiluned Price, who scorns men. Her publisher is Mr Trufoot. Mr Challoner is Harriet’s literary agent; Miss Warburton is his secretary. Mrs Bright is a neighbor.
Philip Boyes is a well-regarded writer of the intellectual. Ryland Vaughan is a friend. The Rev. Arthur Boyes is Philip’s father. Dr Green, Dr Weare, and Dr Grainger have all attended him at different times of his life. Nurse Williams became suspicious. Boyes’ neighbors include Mr and Mrs Dyer. Messrs Grimsby & Cole are Boyes’ publishers.
Norman Urquhart, a solicitor, is Philip’s cousin. His staff includes Hannah Westlock, a very sensible maid who invites Bunter to church to hear the Rev. Crawford, and Mrs Pettican is the cook. At Urquhart’s law office, Mr Pond is the head clerk who engaged Joan Murchison. Mrs Hodges is the cleaning lady. Mr Partridge has an office in the same building.
The village of Windle is . . .
. . . where Cremorna Garden, a.k.a. Mrs Wrayburn, Philip’s and Norman’s great-aunt, a notorious actress of the 1860s, lives. Caroline Booth is a retired nurse looking after Mrs Wrayburn. Guests in Mrs Liffey’s boarding house include the stout Mrs Pegler whose late husband, the General, had no truck with that wicked nonsense; Miss Etheredge, who has a spiritualist friend; and, Miss Tweall, who doesn’t trust any of them. Mr Bulteel has the best stationer’s. Mrs Craig is the spiritualist who’s conning Miss Booth. Harry, Tom (G. Booth appears to be Tom’s son), Gertrude, Alice, and Mabel Herridge who went out to India are all known to Miss Booth. Pongocelli “Pongo” is the spirit guide. George Washington is intrusive. Dr Brown appears to be Cremorna’s attending.
Old John Hubbard, a banker, was a common ancestor. His daughters were Jane (married Henry Brown, a schoolmaster; they had a daughter, Julia, who married the Rev. Arthur Boyes), Mary (married beneath her socially but better financially to Josiah Urquhart, and they had a son, Charles, who became a lawyer), and Rosanna, who ran off and went on the stage.
Scotland Yard
Chief-Inspector Charles Parker is a good friend of Peter’s. Sir James Lubbock and Stephen Fordyce are analysts.
Sir Impey Biggs (he wins prizes for his canaries) is a King’s Counsel (the senior lawyer on a case) and a friend of Peter’s while Mr Crofts of Crofts and Cooper is the solicitor for the defense. Freddy Arbuthnot, a friend of Peter’s, is not all that bright in most things, but he’s brilliant at finance. Goldberg is a cousin to old Levy (Whose Body?, 1). Rachel Levy had been Levy’s daughter and about to become Mrs Freddy. Lady Levy seems more agreeable to the ideas since Freddy has spent the last seven years in love with Rachel.
Salcombe “Sally” Hardy is a journalist with a nose for news and liquor. Other journalists include Waffles Newton and Cuthbert Logan. Mrs Bulfinch, the former Miss Montague, is a witness to the screw of paper left at the Nine Rings saloon bar. Trial attendees include Frank and Archie. Mr Brown is a chemist. Both Mary Slater and Edith Walters bought aresenic. Burke is a taxi driver. Madeleine Smith, Seddon, and Armstrong are all famous poison trials. Mr Judkins is a good friend on the bench for pubs and taverns.
Marjorie Phelps, a friend of Peter’s (with illusions), is an artist who makes porcelain figurines. Nina Kropotky hosts one artists’ party. I think she’s married to Vanya. Guests include Stanislas, a musician, Boris, and Marya. Joey Trimbles is an artist of the opposition. Barbara was the girlfriend who jilted Peter — she started Peter on his sleuthing career. The Megatherium Trust had a huge crash. The guests at Duke’s Denver over Christmas included Mrs “Freak” Dimsworthy, Captain Tommy and Hilda Bates, Mrs Featherstone, and Miss Titterton. James Douglas picks and chooses for his review. Diana Rigby’s wedding inspired Freddy. Laban. Bill “Blindfold Bill” Rumm, a friend of Peter’s, is a former burglar and safebreaker and now a locksmith. Married to Bella, Esmeralda Hyacinth is their daughter. Sam is a friend from Bill’s previous profession.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a grayish mint green background with the series info (at the top) and the author’s name (at the bottom) in black. The graphic is the upper torso of an elaborate tweedy plaid suit jacket in grays, purples, and green with a deep red, high-necked sweater vest, a white shirt with rounded collar, and a dark green bowtie. Peter’s monocle swings up on the left in an arc to frame the title, which is in white.
The title is both truth and metaphor, for Strong Poison is both the murder weapon and the emotion.
