Friday, July 6, 2018

Murder by Arsenic




I recently read Dorothy L. Sayers' Strong Poison for the second time. This 1931 novel is the fifth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. It is the first in which the character of Harriet Vane appears. As a mystery novelist, Vane knew all about arsenic poisoning, and when her former lover died in the manner prescribed in one of her books, a jury nearly find her guilty. But Lord Peter Wimsey was determined to find her innocent.

In the novel, Sayers recounts some of the famous arsenic murders in British criminal history. That made me curious to know more.

Then I found this piece Murder by Poison in the New Yorker (2013) written by Joan Acocella, and I recommend it.

Alice C. Linsley

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