A Review of Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers.
‘There were crimson roses on the bench; they looked like splashes of blood.’
That’s how Strong Poison begins. It’s hard to stop reading after that captivating first sentence. It is a fabulous start to a fabulous mystery.
I must admit when I first picked up the book I was not all that excited about reading its contents. It’s an old book, worn, with pages falling out, and it didn’t look all that interesting.
After the first sentence, I changed my mind. In fact, I read the whole thing in four days.
This novel is funny, intelligent, and captivating. Dorothy Sayers, an English author, began writing books at a young age, and continued all through her life. She has written many different types of books, but found her calling in mystery novels, and created the immortal and, ironically, whimsical character, Lord Peter Wimsey. Perhaps one of the best known mystery-solvers, next to Sherlock Holmes, Wimsey adds a spark of witticism and intelligence to the books. Lord Peter Wimsey has appeared in many books by Sayers, but most memorable are those with Harriet Vane, with whom he is suitably matched.
Strong Poison is the first in the trio of the Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries. Strong Poison begins at the trial, where an aged Judge describes the particulars of the murder case. Philip Boyes, Harriet Vane’s ex-lover, is found dead with traces of arsenic on his body. Coincidentally, at the same time of Boyes’ murder, Harriet is working on a novel all about poisons, and had samples of a variety of poisons in her possession. Also, it comes out in the trial that Boyes was giving her a rough time about the break-up. Despite the fact that Harriet no longer loved Philip, he continued to bother her. Harriet had the motive, the murder weapon, and was one of the last to see him before his death. If she is found guilty of murdering Philip Boyes, she will be executed.
Just when things look hopeless for Harriet, Lord Peter Wimsey comes on to the scene, and, stricken by Harriet’s beauty, he falls in love. Determined to prove her innocent, he uses every resource he has to investigate the crime. With only one week before Harriet’s conviction, he and his friends (and butler Bunter) question Boyes’ friends, relatives, and inspect the scene of the murder. Brilliant as he is handsome, Wimsey finally discovers the real culprit — the one no one suspected. A delicious twist, in which Wimsey tricks the murderer into a trap and catches him right when there is no chance for escape, brings the book to an end. However, the reader will have to read the next book, Have His Carcase, to find out whether or not Wimsey and Harriet end up together.
Strong Poison is one of those books you just can’t wait to get home and read. The adventures of Wimsey and Harriet are marvelously entertaining. The reader cares about the protagonist. It is impossible to read a Dorothy Sayers novel and not empathize with the characters, especially Wimsey and Harriet.
“Everything a Wimsey does is right and heaven help the person who gets in the way,” Wimsey says when he is trying to persuade Harriet to marry him. “We’ve even got a damned old family motto about it — ‘I hold by my Whimsy’ — quite right, too.”
Complete with a subtle romantic touch, views from many different characters, and a flare for comedy, Strong Poison is one of the best mystery novels ever written.
Tags: dorothy l. sayers, harriet vane, lord peter wimsey, strong poison