Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey) Paperback – October 16, 2012

Oh, Ms. Sayers, aren't we glad you made your way from advertising to detective fiction! Although we have you to thank for the Guinness logo still in use today, the literary world would have missed Lord Peter tremendously had he never been introduced to us.His character is so wonderfully simple and complex, as are all men of valors and fears, duties and delights, loves and losses. Thank you for letting us see the difference a faithful friend can make, although your portrayal of Mervyn Bunter, Lord Peter's devoted valet, makes us envy his services and capabilities with keen jealousies.As Harriet Vane enters Lord Peter's life, here in this volume, you give us yet more, immeasurably more, for the man of taste, discernment, good humor, colorful and lovable friends in every quarter of London and beyond, the man of passions and pleasures and pursuits that suit us in our happiest moments, is now undone by a woman in the dock. Harriet cannot help being practical enough to know that the weight of evidence, circumstantial though it may be, is heavily against her. Even less can she help it that Lord Peter's charming prattle across a table in the recesses of Old Bailey has begun to melt the defense she has made against hope for her life, much less her heart.While we have your attention, Ms. Sayers, won't you please extend a golden pen with a heavenly nib to someone, somewhere, who can take up where you left off? Tell us that Lord Peter is not the very last of his line! Even if that someone should elect to turn, as you did, in later life to the translating of Dante and his brothers, let us first be given another dozen mysteries like those you penned for us between jobs.

After reading Whose Body: The Annotated Edition [Annotated] (Mysterious Annotations Book 1) at the start of last year and not enjoying it, I was fairly concerned that I would dislike this book as much as I did the first. While I really enjoyed Lord Peter and his acquaintances, the plot was severely lacking and the mystery was extremely obvious. I was not sure a character could carry me through several books. Luckily, Strong Poison was exponentially better than Whose Body.Ironically enough, I gave the Lord Peter Wimsey series a second chance by reading a book about Lord Peter Wimsey trying to save a woman who has gotten a second chance to prove she is innocent of the murder of her lover. During the trail, Lord Peter Wimsey has become interested in the defendant and convinced that she could not possibly have murdered her lover. When the trail ends with a mistrial, Lord Peter offers his assistance to the prisoner along with something else..."What I mean to say is, when all this is over, I want to marry you, if you can put up with me and all that.”That escalated quickly. Who is this new character that has Peter acting more foolish then usual? Let me introduce you to Harriet Vane.Harriet Vane is an author avatar for Dorothy L. Sayers. Like Sayers, Harriet is a well educated woman, who writes mystery novels. Harriet has, also, live a Bohemian lifestyle with a fellow author that ended badly. Sayers uses her life experiences to create a backstory for this character and the murder in Strong Poison. This creates a realism to the events and points of view of characters that might come off as fake if another author had wrote this.While author avatars typically bother me, Harriet is actually quite likable in a flawed way. She fits in with the crazy cast of characters as well as being a good match for Peter. I adored every line of their playful banter. I already found Lord Peter Wimsey to be extremely charming. Now I'm ready to trade my boyfriend for Peter. (My first book boyfriend in over a year. How I have missed them!)However, the mystery was lacking once again. I have read reviews on Sayers' books that state the reviewer enjoys Sayers' books more because she does not hide clues like Agatha Christie does or you are let in on who Peter thinks the killer is sooner. This aspect does not really work for me in my mystery novels. I need the story to keep me questioning who I think committed the crime or I will not reach the end of the book. In Agatha Christie novels, a reader has to pay attention because the key to the mystery is usually mentioned in passing and can be easily missed. (Honestly, you begin to catch on to her tricks after reading several of her books.) On the other hand, Sayers basically gives it away by not having enough suspects. The mystery does not keep you reading until the end of the book. For me, it is the characters and Sayers commentary that keeps the book interesting until the end.As Peter and his associates investigate this death, Sayers interweaves a dialogue about expectations of woman at the time. The feeling that Sayers was bruised from her previous relationship is very clear. In Strong Poison, the trial has divided Harriet and the dead man's acquaintances with the majority of the men thinking the victim was a genius and that Harriet was jealous of him while the women pointed out that Harriet was supporting both of them with the proceeds from her work and that he had treated her badly. Characters that did not know either party believed Harriet was guilty of the murder just because she had lived with the dead man and they were not married. After reading Strong Poison, I was left with the impression that Sayers was a very forward thinker for her time.Strong Poison turned out to be a much stronger book than Whose Body. While the mystery is still not the best, the characters and dialogue about social expectations of the period make this an interesting read. I am very invested in the Peter/Harriet story line and I cannot wait to read Have His Carcase (The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries Book 8).

Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane meet as she is on trial for murdering an ex-lover. Peter and his friends and compatriots work to clear her of a twisted, almost perfect crime. Beautifully written, the beginning of a classic solve and love story

This is the first novel by Dorothy Sayers where Harriet Vane appears. She will reappear in a couple of forthcoming novels. She is a strong-willed outspoken woman in an age when women were felt to be better suited to look good but be silent and compliant. Lord Peter Wimsey, the whimsical hero of the Sayer novels, attends a trial where Harriet is charged for poisoning her lover, a man she lived with for some time. Both she and the man she lived with are novelists, but she made far more money with her books than he did. He refused to marry her until one day when he proposed. Harriet’s answer was to walk out on him. She is extremely fortunate to have as one of the jurors in her case a woman who works for Wimsey. As a result of this juror’s persistence, her refusal to agree with others and find her innocent, there is a mistrial, no decision, and a need for another trial, which would be held in a month. If proof could be found to show her innocence, it must be found within the month.The man died by arsenic poisoning. It could have been self-administered, suicide. But how can this be proven.As he sat watching the trial, Wimsey falls in love with Harriet, goes to the jail to meet her, and proposes marriage. He promises her that he will find a way to prove her innocence.Besides being a good mystery with clues, the book is filled with humor. The humor is found in the way people talk and act, all the people in the tale, especially Peter Wimsey. What he does makes sense, but it is eccentrics.

What a splendid narrative. The characters are so rich, and distinct, and engaging.Certainly makes up for the fact that the print is a glorified Duo-Tang with cover that is more pixelated the jpegs of Tom's image from MySpace.But what a splendid write Sayers was.Prompt delivery as well. And a very reasonable price.

The dialogue flows brilliantly and the sense of humour is wonderful. Lord Peter has long been my favourite of all detectives. I love his wit and his style and hate to put my book down when life gets in the way. Great read from start to finish 🥰

Another clever mystery featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. The book is particularly interesting because this is the book where he meets Harriet Vine.

It would be impudent in me to review this book, and I'm not going to attempt it.

Guessed the plot and the modus operandi of the murder right at the beginning. This hasn't happened for any Agatha Christie, and I've read almost all of them. Poirot would've solved it in an hour