A few years ago, I discovered that Georgette Heyer, who I had long associated with regency romance, wrote murder mysteries as well. I came across a few of her books in the crime section of my local bookshop. I picked one up, read it and loved it. She’s an excellent writer. I’ve read a few of her crime novels and a couple of her romance novels since then, and I must say that I love what she can do with character and dialogue.
She writes interesting, well-defined characters, and her dialogue is clever and witty. While plot is the most important part of a good murder mystery, the characters and the dialogue are important too. Georgette Heyer has the ability to create well rounded, engaging characters, that you can’t help but care about. There’s a certain liveliness to her dialogue that draws you in, and makes you want to keep reading.
Behold, here’s Poison is a thoroughly enjoyable read. At the centre of it, is the Matthews family, which is a bit dysfunctional, with the sort of family dynamics that one tends to see when the head of the family controls all the money, and everyone else is trying to curry favour with him, even though he can be selfish and thoroughly unpleasant.
The book begins with said head of the family, Gregory Matthews, being found dead. Everyone assumes that he’s had a stroke, even the doctor thinks so, but Mrs Lupton, one of Gregory’s sisters, insists that there’s something fishy about it. So, the coroner is called in, and it turns out that Gregory Matthews was poisoned.
The police are called in, and the investigation begins. It’s obvious to them that the dead man was an unpleasant character, and that most of his family members had a motive to murder him. But the more they investigate, the more confusing it all becomes, and try as they might, they can’t figure out how the poison was administered. They chase down every lead, and find that most of them don’t lead anywhere.
The family, in the meantime, is living under a cloud of suspicion. They’re tense and worried, and their already dysfunctional dynamics get worse. Heyer brings real skill to detailing the characters and motivations of each of the family members, and while it is easy to see that any of them could have done it, you find yourself sympathising with them as well. The narrative keeps you hooked, and it keeps you guessing. It’s an engrossing read. So much so, that at the end of the novel, I found myself wishing that there was more.
between the pages 