Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Before the Poison

Before the Poison
By Peter Robinson
William Morrow, 2012.  358 pgs.  Mystery

After enjoying a successful career in California, Yorkshire native Chris Lowndes decides to move home after losing his wife to cancer.  He purchases a large mansion deep in the country and is hoping to escape the world and finish composing his symphony.  Chris certainly manages to escape the world but the old house becomes as much a trap as his career was.  Chris feels compelled to find the truth behind the house’s mysterious history which involves a beautiful woman who was hanged for poisoning her prominent husband.  These ghosts from the past haunt the house and Chris struggles to keep a grasp on reality and truth.

This is not a fast-paced supernatural thriller.  It is, however, a fascinating detective story filled with historical, as well as personal, revelations.  While I didn’t always connect with Chris, particularly when the storyline involved his romantic adventures, I was surprised with how much I liked him and felt invested in his investigations.  Again, ‘Before the Poison’ is not a thriller, but it is certainly a solid mystery with surprising depth and, best of all, a couple truly unexpected plot twists.

CZ

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