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Title: Strong Poison by Edward Petherbridge, Dorothy L. Sayers, Graham Goodwin ISBN: 0-88646-257-6 Publisher: Dh Audio Pub. Date: July, 1990 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 2 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.59 (17 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A classic and beautifully recorded Dorthy Sayers mystery.
Comment: Ably narrated by veteran British actor Ian Carmichael, Dorothy Sayer's dashing detective Lord Peter Wimsey is once again caught up in the murder and mystery in this superbly recorded, complete and unabridged audiobook edition of Strong Poison. Originally published in 1930, this is the mystery novel wherein Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Van's complex romantic relationship is revealed in detail. Strong Poison is a "must" for all Dorothy Sayers fans and will serve to introduce a whole new generation to one of the most enduring and endearing characters in the annals of "who dunnit" British mystery canon.
Rating: 3
Summary: Murder most literary
Comment: "Strong Poison" is a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, the first of four that feature his relationship with Harriet Vane, so if you are new to Sayers, this is a good one with which to start. Sayers was one of the authors of mystery's "Golden Age", following the pioneers - Poe, Wilkie Collins and Conan Doyle - and preceding the hardboiled school of Hammett and Chandler. She was thus a contemporary of Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen.
Her style is perhaps the most literary and polished of any mystery writer. (For further evidence of her skills, read her superb translation of "The Song of Roland"). She handles dialogue and human interaction extremely well and convincingly portrays a wide range of character types. Also notable is the occasional flash of ironic, rather dark, humor. I have to say however, that her penchant for bizarre names can be rather off-putting. We meet two jounalists called Salcombe Hardy and Waffles Newton, a lawyer called Sir Impey Biggs and an actress called - would you believe? - Cremorna Garden.
The plot is not as strong as the poison; it is too linear, with no twists and turns, although the central idea is quite good. It is more interesting as a literary portrait of 1930 English society than as a crime puzzle. But a good read, nonetheless.
Rating: 4
Summary: Love At First Sight In The Dock
Comment: In public life, Dorothy L. Sayers was a scholar, writer, and woman of impeccable morals. In private life, however, she had a torrid love affair and bore a child out of wedlock. In her literature, Sayers expressed the schism between these aspects of her personality via the character of Harriet Vane, who makes her first appearance in the Lord Peter series in STRONG POISON as a fallen woman on trial for her life.
Published in 1930, the novel opens with Harriet Vane in the dock, listening as the judge presiding over trial sums up against her. She is a writer of mildly popular mysteries who has had a liaison with Philip Boyes, a rather pretentious author better know to critics than to the public. Their acrimonious separation is quickly followed by Boyes' death from arsenic--and it seems that Harriet, and Harriet only, had both motive and opportunity.
But the judge reckons without juror Miss Climpson, employee of the celebrated Lord Peter Wimsey, who derails what would seem an open and shut case--and gives Lord Peter the opportunity to unravel the crime. And, not incidentally, to fall in love with the accused. With an infamous actress of the Victorian age lurking in the background and a sizable inheritance on the line, Wimsey rushes to sort out the mystery and save the woman he loves before the case can be retried.
STRONG POISON is not really among Sayer's greatest novels, which combine a unique literary style, memorable characters, and complex plots to remarkable effect. The opening description of the trial, with its detailed account of the judge's comments, feels excessive; the solution to the crime is tricksy and relies heavily on coincidence; and Harriet Vane stands out less effectively than such supporting characters as Miss Climpson. Nonetheless, it has its charms, most particularly in Sayers' witty and highly literate style and the continued evolution of the characters she had previously created.
Most particularly, STRONG POISON sets the stage for two novels in which Harriet Vane will become one of the most memorable characters in the golden age of the English mystery: GAUDY NIGHT and BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON, both of which are regarded as high-water marks in the genre. Sayers wrote several memorable novels in which Harriet Vane does not appear at all, most notably the famous MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, but her development of the character is a remarkable process to behold, and fans will enjoy watching the process. Enjoyable, but recommended more to established Sayers readers than first time visitors.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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Title: Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers ISBN: 0061043516 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 April, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers ISBN: 0061043524 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 April, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers ISBN: 0061043494 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 April, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers ISBN: 0061043532 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers ISBN: 0061043583 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 August, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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