Before the Poison: A Novel

This book is quite a diversion from the Inspector Banks series, but it is to be appreciated in it's own right. Robinson has the craft to create suspense, bringing the reader to the end in a slow, seductive manner. An unpredictable mystery.

I slugged through that book, hoping there really was a mystery worth solving there. Frankly, the hero sounds like a fool, always seeing ghosts in mirrors. His sudden purchase in Yorkshire of a large house he has never seen, seems odd. He speaks of its real "isolation", but it is 1 1/2 mile from the town, a walkable distance. He is a name dropper, this composer or piece of music and that, details of his cooking and what he and others drink with it, all of which dilute the story and make it drag on for ever. The hero goes from one crazy supposition to the next.

We are also meant to believe the heroine was able to live for 5 years with her journal in an oilskin bag dangling from her neck [in the tropics some of the time]. Have you tried it? At the end, there is no true solution to the "mystery", it is a real let down.

I am surprised that so far even the worst review gave him 3 stars, maybe he has written better books, and it is in memory of that. For me this book is 1 star.

This story was an insightful narrative into the thought processes of a mature gentlemen. Only when we get to the novels conclusion do we understand the driving force behind his obsession with ghosts from the past.

Peter Robinson is a good crime writer when he concentrates on his Inspector Banks series.
But this stand alone novel lacks a well constructed plot, suspense and interesting characters.
I wonder why he has written this novel at all.

What a waste of time. What a waste of expectation for a Robinson fan. A self -indulgent regurgitation of touchstones for eclectic wannabees. Plot starts off tepid at best and goes directly to denouement without passing climax. Very disappointed.

3 1/2 stars -- It's enterprising of Peter Robinson to push the envelope beyond his highly successful Inspector Banks novels -- successful because they are very good indeed. In these novels, the narrator always stands outside the story -- "third person" or non-participant -- and a novel like this "stand-alone" thriller perhaps gives him an opportunity to try different narrative strategies. That's not to say that the Banks series all employ the same strategies by any means, but they do all employ the non-particpant narrator. Here, in "Before the Poison," the narrator is a participant. He's a 60-year-old Yorkshireman, Chris Lowndes, who has had a successful career in the United States as a composer of film music -- an Oscar winner, even -- who has returned to Yorkshire following the death of his wife after a long illness and has purchased an old house in the country called Kilnsgate, where he hopes to compose a freestanding sonata and take time to get over his wife's death. Soon after arriving, he learns that the house used to be the home of Grace Fox who had been hanged for the murder of her husband in 1953, 60 years before the "present" time of the novel. Chris gets it into his head that Grace might have been innocent, and he sets out to find out the truth about her husband's death and whether or not she had a part in it. The novel implies that in some mysterious way Chris associates Grace with his lost wife Laura, and some of the other characters in the novel view him as obsessed, although his narrative voice hardly sounds like the voice of obsession. So -- like the Banks stories, it's a mystery, though with a Gothic tinge, and like the Banks stories it does justice to the procedural thoroughness required, the more so since what's being investigated lies so far in the past.

Organizationally, Robinson makes an interesting choice -- Chris is the narrator, but sections of chapters are offered in two other voices. One of these voices derives from an account of Grace's trial, written by a lawyer in a book on "Famous Trials." The other is Grace's voice, from her wartime journal (she was a nurse) that her grand-daughter discovers and shares with Chris. The first 12 chapters are opened with sections of the account of the trial; the final 12 are opened with extracts from Grace's journal. It's a neatly symmetrical set-up, and Robinson does a good job in distinguishing these two voices. How it all comes together is ingeniously worked out, well worthy of the creator of Inspector Banks, and I'll avoid spoilers here.

My reservation is about the main narration, and it's basically simple: Chris Lowndes isn't interesting in himself, and even less interesting is the younger woman real-estate agent, Heather, who sold him on the house and to whom he is drawn. Heather is a crashing bore. Chris himself has Bank's interest in classical music as well as good food and wine, and we hear all too much about these interests to an extent that the pacing suffers in places. For all that, though, the novel is readable and at times engaging, for if Chris and Heather are dull, Grace and her situation are not. The trouble is that the story is only intermittently intense in the way it should be. No reason not to try it, however -- it's a novel that is perhaps better in conception and structure than in page-by-page execution.

The problem with murder mysteries for me is that they
have the same plot -- one or more people are murdered, now we
have to figure out who did it. This book is entirely different,
centered on a 1953 murder for which the apparent murderer was hanged
in that same year. The amateur detective obsessed with the hanged
woman is a rich, urbane, and complex grieving widower, a movie music
composer working on a "real" piece at an isolated although modernized
home in rural Yorkshire. The journey that his investigation takes him
on and the changes it makes in him form the substance of the book, along
with a description of the (to me ludicrously unjust) 1953 murder trial and
the WWII journal of the convicted murderer's service as a nurse during WWII.
Switching between the three time frames could have been confusing, but each
time I was happy to return to the other story.

The book is powerfully and movingly written, with several well-drawn
secondary characters, and the wilds of Yorkshire and the old mansion
make a terrific setting, especially contrasted against the
sophistication of modern Britain. His travels as he follows clues to
talk to those with information about the murderer also provide great
contrast to the dour Yorkshire Dales. All the music, food, and drink
also add to the texture of this work. The novel is involving and
gripping, and the ending seemed moving and just enigmatic enough for
me, as we finally learn just why this story is so compelling for him.

The only major flaw I felt was the ease with which he found people and
got complete strangers to open up to him at once about the most
painful moments of their lives. A secondary flaw was that I didn't
care for his new love interest much.

I highly recommend it to anybody interested in a good read; it's easy to
get into and rolls along pretty quickly. Fans of British fiction and obscure
parts of England will enjoy it, along with those who enjoy music, good food,
and a great mystery.

When soundtrack composer Chris Lowndes buys an old house in Yorkshire Dales, he has no idea of the history of the house. He soon learns it is the former home of a prominent doctor and his wife and child during and after WW II. Grace Fox was hanged for poisoning her husband in the 1950s. The story intrigues Lowndes and he strives to learn more from local citizens who lived in Yorkshire Dales during the trial and visits to the local library. A surprise encounter with the former owner of the house who happens the be the granddaughter of Grace Fox reveals even more evidence leading Chris to conclude that perhaps Grace was innocent after all. All while trying to determine the truth about Grace, the death of Lowndes’ wife haunts him and forces him to examine his real motives for wanting to know once and for all if Grace deserved what she got.

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson is a stand-alone novel, separate from his better-known Alan Banks novels. Robinson managed to tap into the curiosity we all might have about old houses in a place like England. This novel comes complete with a murder and a love affair, all set to the background of WW II and the post-war years, a tumultuous time in Europe. Robinson is one of my favorite authors and deserves 4/5 stars for this novel.

**A copy of this book was the only compensation received in exchange for this review.**

Chris Lowndes is a Yorkshireman who has made a successful Oscar-winning career in Hollywood writing music for the movies. But he's always dreamed of returning to his home and his beloved wife, Laura, was happy to agree. When cancer takes Laura, the devastated Chris decides to continue with the plan, spending the next year making arrangements, including buying a house, Kilnsgate, in the countryside.

Soon after moving in, Chris learns that his realtor, Heather, somehow neglected to tell him that in 1953, Grace Fox, the nurse wife of the house's owner, Doctor Ernest Fox, was hanged for murdering Dr. Fox with poison after they hosted a Christmas dinner party. At first just curious to find out more about the murder, Chris soon becomes nearly obsessed, almost literally haunted by Grace and wanting to find out what really happened that fateful night.

While Chris's investigation occupies much of his time, even taking him on trips to France and South Africa to talk to people who knew Grace, it's not his only occupation. He settles into his home and town, making new friends and even beginning a tentative relationship with Heather. When he is alone, he devotes much of his time to composing a sonata to honor Laura's memory and working to come to terms with her death.

Chris's preoccupation with Grace and Laura brought to mind Vera Caspary's book, Laura (and the movie adaptation starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney), in which a police detective becomes obsessed with the dead Laura, whose death he is investigating. Chris is tormented by his own dead Laura and, in his dreams, Grace and Laura become confused.

Peter Robinson is best known for his long-running police procedural series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. If you are familiar with that series (as I am), you'll find this book to be a very much a departure from its style. This is not a police procedural. It's a first-person narrative in two senses: Chris's story and the interspersed excerpts from Grace's diary of her harrowing experiences serving as a nurse in World War II's Pacific Theater of Operations and in France. This narrative style gives the book a feeling of immediacy and intimacy.

The contemporary story is set in late autumn and winter and Robinson paints a vivid picture of Chris's new home in the Yorkshire Dales: the beauty of the countryside, the quiet of falling snow, the warmth and conviviality of an evening in the local pub or at home making good food for visiting family and friends. He brings Grace poignantly to life through her diary and the stories her old acquaintances tell Chris, and his descriptions of Grace's wartime experiences and of Yorkshire in the 1950s will make you feel you are there.

The book has some weaknesses. Its ending was abrupt, and Robinson's characterization of Heather didn't convey anything that would explain her attractiveness to Chris----even aside from the obvious issue of her clearly intentional omission to tell him about the house's past. But these problems knocked off just one star for me. I'm glad Peter Robinson took a break from the Alan Banks series to bring us this moving and involving story.

After 35 years of living in L.A., writing scores for Hollywood movies and winning an Academy award, recently widowed Christopher Lowndes has come home to Yorkshire and Kilnsgate, a large and remote house he has just bought, sight unseen, through an estate agent. Chris wants to spend his new life writing music people might actually listen to and remember--for starters, a sonata.

He soon learns his new home comes with a history: Some 60 years ago, the chatelaine of Kilnsgate, Grace Fox, was hanged for murdering her husband, the town doctor. The more time Chris spends in her house, the more he comes to doubt Grace's guilt; and the more he comes to doubt her guilt, the more distraction turns to obsession.

Thus begins a search for answers that will take him into newspaper and court archives, used book stores, the memories of local oldsters, visits to key characters now living in Paris and South Africa, and an unexpected encounter with the prefers-to-remain-anonymous Fox descendant who sold him the house. Along the way we'll read excerpts from the "Grace" chapter of a book called "Famous Trials" and from Grace's own journals written during her World War II nursing days. Mixed in with all the amateur sleuthing and the conjectures and dead ends that result, we'll also get involved in the writing of his sonata, the music he listens to, the wines he drinks, the meals he cooks, the landscapes he explores and the married woman he's becoming increasingly enamored of.

Slow going, thus. But in a good way. And a nice first-person side-trip from Robinson's excellent "Inspector Banks" series.

This book was a selection in my monthly book club, which is why I purchased it. I'd never read Peter Robinson before but I had planned to add his Inspector Banks series to my future reading lists. To find this stand alone book and to read it was a positive experience and a good introduction, I hope, to his other books. This book tells the story of Chris, recently widowed, returning to his Yorkshire roots after years of working in Hollywood composing music for movies. Needing a change and an isolated place to compose his sonata, Chris buys, sight unseen, an isolated and very large home on the Yorkshire Dales. Arriving there, Chris settles in but has fleeting glimpses of the shadow of a woman. Deciding to research the history of the house, Chris discovers that the house used to be owned by Grace Fox, infamous in the area for poisoning her Dr. husband and hanged. Chris decides to discover more about Grace, and as he does, he begins to feel that she was not guilty and searches for the truth, difficult after so many years. This thoughtful but slow paced book was interesting to read and I enjoyed getting to know Chris and Grace. I look forward to reading the first book in the Banks series next.

Robinson is best known for his lengthy (and excellent) Yorkshire mystery series and featuring Detective Inspector Banks. This one, while also set in Yorkshire, is a standalone novel of generally high quality. Chris Lowndes is a talented composer of motion picture scores ("the music no one listens to") who has lived and worked in California for twenty-five years. But now, nearly a year after the death by cancer of his wife, Laura, Chris has returned to the Dales to try to sort himself out and regain his equilibrium. With money in his pocket now, he buys a big, old, secluded house a few miles from Richmond with the intention of more or less hiding from the world while he works on the piano concerto which he hopes will become his legacy. In short order, he discovers the previous family in the house included Grace Fox, who was convicted of murdering her cold-fish doctor husband in 1953 and was hanged. He becomes fascinated by the case, reads everything he can find, starts talking to the locals, and remembers that he himself was a young student at the school next door to the prison at the time of the execution. His interest becomes rather an obsession and he travels to Paris and then to Cape Town in pursuit of information and evidence of Grace's innocence -- because the more he turns up, the more he is convinced that she couldn't have done it.

The narrative is two-tiered in structure, which can be an iffy strategy, but it works very well. Each chapter opens with a section from an earlier time -- the "Great British Trials" account of the proceedings, and then Grace's earlier journal of her horrific experiences in southeast Asia and France as a Queen Alexandra Nurse (the best of the best) during World War II. Then we jump back to the present where Chris is uncovering some of the same information but has a very different take on it. And it becomes clear that Grace was tried and convicted not so much for murder -- the forensic evidence was pretty shaky, really -- but for being different according to the narrow-minded morality of the day, for being an older woman having an affair with a much younger man (and a farm-boy-turned-artist at that), for not knuckling under sufficiently to her husband. The story comes to life on several levels as you work you way into it. This is not a book to be skimmed. It's not at all like his Inspector Banks novels and some readers, I know, will reject it because it's not what they expected nor what they're used to. But settle in with it in a quiet place and let Robinson work his magic on you.

My only real problem with the narrative, actually, is that three-quarters of the way in, the focus jumps abruptly and the plotline (about which, obviously, I can't give details) heads off in a rather new direction. Frankly, it feels as though there should be a couple extra chapters in there to ease the transition and explain what's happening in considerably more detail. Robinson is a much better writer than that. I have to wonder if the bean-counters at William Morrow didn't decide the production costs were too high and give orders to simply whack a hundred pages from the manuscript. But even with that complaint, I recommend this one very strongly.

The book starts out with an interesting bit of history: one of the former owners of a house in Yorkshire was hanged for murder. The new owner wants to know more, and so it begins. Unfortunately, the book never picks up steam b/c it is weighed down with lengthy passages on music, food, wine, contents of bookcases, an unnecessary flirtation, etc. About two-thirds of the way through the book, the mundane turns ridiculous with the introduction of a journal written by the hanged woman during WWII that survived not one, but two, ship sinkings. Although stripped of most of her clothing, the journal (and pen) survived! It goes downhill from there. The ending is unsatisfying, and you end up not liking anyone.

Chris Lowndes is a successful film score composer, well-known in the business and financially very comfortable. Having promised himself he'd return home at the age of sixty, he buys an isolated country house near the Yorkshire town where he grew up. He hadn't expected to be doing it without his wife at his side, but she'd died a few months earlier. He goes anyway, telling himself he needs solitude to work on the piano sonata he's always wanted to compose.

Having completed the purchase well before he returns to England, Lowndes is unsure what to expect when he arrives at the house late one October afternoon. He certainly doesn't expect to learn that the wife of the original owner, a physician named Ernest Fox, had been convicted of murdering him.

Out of curiosity, Lowndes begins to research the history of the house and it's early inhabitants. The more he learns about Grace Fox and her family, the more he becomes convinced that she was not guilty of the crime. Although he knows better than to tell anyone, he thinks he catches glimpses of her around the house. People begin to accuse him of being obsessed with Grace and her story, and it certainly appears that way, though Chris believes that all he's trying to do is uncover the truth.

Throughout Lowndes' search, the reader has the uncomfortable feeling that there is some underlying reason for his investigation. It's not expressed outright, but extremely subtle hints that this is the case permeate the narrative, very much in the vein of Rebecca,

In fact, as in Du Maurier's novel, although the narrative is in the first person from the protagonist's point of view, the central character of the story is a ghost whose history somehow becomes intertwined with that of the narrator.

As a devotee of Robinson's Inspector Banks, I was at first disappointed that Before the Poison was not part of that series. But this is such a well-written and well-told tale that the sadness was short-lived.

The premise is simple: about a year after his beloved wife's death, a composer purchases a house, finds out about its history, and becomes a bit obsessed with the former occupant who had ostensibly murdered her husband. Chris isn't a bad protagonist in that, though he's a fairly well-to-do composer for Hollywood films, he still struggles with situations and emotions with which most people can relate - love and loss, loneliness, introspection, meeting new people and starting over, and the like. One of the problems that I had with him, though, was the extent of his obsession with Grace and the murder - for much of the book, it is literally all he thinks about, in terms of his insatiable curiosity, theorizing, and investigating. In fact, the lengths to which he goes in regard to the latter are kind of astounding to me, given the money he spends, the trips he takes, and the people he goes so far out of his way to find and [basically] interrogate. It's not that readers can't understand why he is so interested in what transpired, and the question of Grace's innocence or guilt, it's that he really does go a bit overboard sometimes in his quest to find answers; that's not an insurmountable problem, by any means, but there are times I found it to be a little eye-roll-inducing.

Other than that, the actual mystery is a good one, and Grace is a character with which it is easy to sympathize, particularly when passages from her journal begin to be included in the story. This is a character who goes through a great deal in the war, and witness unspeakable atrocities and death. It is amazing that she came through it as well as she did, which makes the matter of whether or not she could have really been driven to murder all the more intriguing. When the answers are all finally revealed, they make sense and do provide a reasonable enough pay off. However, it does take a turn that, for me, was a little out of the blue. One aspect that I did like was the explanation for Chris' obsession with Grace and the murder and how it ties into his own experiences - that revelation, while not entirely unpredictable, feels true to the character and inspires some sympathy in the reader.

Beyond that, potential readers should be aware of the pacing: if one is looking for a story that moves along briskly, this is not that book. Robinson takes his time laying the groundwork for the mystery and painstakingly reveals the puzzle, one piece at a time. There is a great deal of expository dialogue, and he utilizes Grace's journal and a written account of her trial to clue the reader in on still more background information. It is a slow story that, at times, can feel somewhat monotonous. However, I think slogging through the slower parts is worth it, because the mystery (flawed though it may be) is solid. So, if you've got time and patience and feel like picking up a good mystery that is a little light on suspense, this is the book for you.

The author of the excellent Alan Banks series, "takes a break" from his protagonist - but not the Yorkshire, England locale - with Before The Poison. I didn't know what to expect after reading the brief plot outlines available, i.e. revisiting an old crime with new eyes - but had faith that even with this well-worn storyline, in Robinson's hands I wouldn't be disappointed. And I wasn't. Well-written, expertly paced with a cast of very real characters this novel very subtly, yet very effectively, draws the reader in and I found myself unable to put this book down.

Chris Lowndes is a 60 year old successful film score composer. After the death of his wife he leaves the environs of Hollywood, buying and moving to an old isolated mansion near his birthplace in Yorkshire, England. Literally before settling in, he learns the history of his new home - a murder occurred under its roof 50+ years earlier - and Chris becomes curious, puzzled and maybe even obsessed with the crime. He starts his own investigation meeting a wealth of characters, both past and present, including the "villain", as he "unravels" the mystery. So the race for the truth begins, yet it is not a sprint, but a marathon, albeit well-paced rather than tiresome.

And although the mystery is the catalyst, Chris' personal journey is the key driving force here. His quest rejuvenates him, even if it has his friends and family scratching their heads in concern, with our "hero" learning much about himself along the way. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, there are many culinary digressions - including libations - and much discussion of music - particularly classical - and movies. These literary quirks may or may not titillate - they worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Before The Poison - even though it's a little different. I also found it very reminiscent of Ward Just's Forgetfulness. Highly recommended.

The narrator grated on nerves terribly, always making sure to slip in references to all of his literary tastes, art, etc...ugh I could not stand him. Nor could I understand for for one second the affair with the real estate woman. That made no sense and added nothing to the story. Also, his whining about his late wife got old in a hurry, especially considering he was having no trouble in going about his very upscale life. He also seemed to think it was a great character trait that she loved great French foods and exotic travel, lol, who doesn't?

Also it was a little too convenient that all three 80+ year-old men he needed to find were not only alive, but spry and fit, with excellent memories and each just happened to have a piece of the puzzle and was willing to share it. The whole story was a little too contrived and the final exposure as to the truth of the doctor's death was kind of ridiculous.

I only managed to read it through because my sister had read it and we could then discuss it. Otherwise, I would have been far too turned off by the pompous main character to bother.

I have long admired Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series of British procedurals though admittedly the latest entries have not been his best. I was curious to see what he would do with this non series mystery novel that takes place in the very recent past but is centered on a murder in the early 1950's and includes many journal entries from a World War II nurse as clues.

For his narrator Robinson has chosen Yorkshire born Chris Lowndes who has recently bought a house in his native land following the death of his beloved wife. Chris is a sixty year old successful composer who has lived for years in Southern California where he achieved modest fame scoring films. He soon becomes obsessed with the story of Grace a former resident of the house who was hung for killing her medical doctor husband while living in that same home during the 1950's. After lots of research, interviews with elderly people who remember the leading players in the case and several red herrings Chris comes to a conclusion about what could have possibly caused a dedicated nurse such as Grace to be responsible for murder.

Because Chris is a widower in late middle age who is energetic and has a lot to offer life he is an appealing and somewhat unusual protagonist. Robinson tackles several themes in the book and his attempts at fully exploring them remain mostly unfulfilled. Still this is an interesting well written book especially for anyone interested in World War II as its aftermath plays more of a role in the murder mystery then it first appears.

I've never read anything by the author before, so I had no expectations based on his series work. I read a lot of mysteries,and I enjoy English mysteries, so I had high expectations for this novel. For the most part they went unfulfilled. The story of a recently widowed composer, Chris Lowndes, who moves into a house with a previously undisclosed history of murder seems at first as if it is going to be a compelling ghost story, or at least a mystery with a heavy dose of the supernatural, but it moves from a promising beginning to the story of an obsessive search to solve a cold case. The cold case is partially set in Singapore during World War II, and students of history will realize instantly that they are in for some dark moments.

The novel was an uneven read. There were moments when it almost became a page-turner, but not for many pages. The story switches among Chris's search, told in the first person, an account of famous trials, and a too-convenient-to-be-believable diary. The structure does nothing to speed things along, especially Chris's story: we know everything he thinks, feels, eats, and listens to. I found much of the plot contrived, and the ending abrupt and unsurprising, having figured out most of the solution in advance. I did like the author's sophisticated structure and appreciated certain parallels, which raised my review from two to three stars. It wasn't a bad read, but I would caution anyone looking for a simple ghost story or cozy to make another choice, as the war story is disturbing.

Author Peter Robinson is best known for his Alan Bank series, so let's start by saying that this is NOT part of this series. This is a standalone, and in my opinion a quite good one.
But if you are a fan of this series and pick this up expecting another, as it seems many reviewers were, you may be disappointed.

I love the feel of this book, in ways harkening back to mysteries of an early time. The atmosphere of the house, the Yorkshire setting, and especially the interspersed excerpts from the account of Grace's trial and her journal when she was a nurse in the heart of the horrors of WWII, make this a book with one foot firmly in the present and the other firmly in the world of the Second World War and it's aftermath in England. Chris is a great, very likable character...not so much his realtor girlfriend...but maybe the real star of this book is the executed Grace. She starts out an enigma, not testifying in her own defense, walking quietly to her death. But once we get to the excerpts from her wartime journals, her account of her horrible experience in the South Pacific and later in the battlefields of Europe, a very different woman emerges...and yes, one that might be capable of murder if she felt there was cause. And cause there might be.

The ending was very good, even if it felt a bit rushed. And most of the book was very interesting, even if it it took a big of a lag in the middle before we get started on Grace's journals. This is largely a character driven book. Not a great deal happens, much of the present day story consisting of Chris driving around and even flying to distant lands to interview people who knew Grace, a lot more talking than doing. Luckily, we have a successful amateur investigator, with the resources to pursue the leads that open up. And happily, the look back is much more eventful, creating a nice balance overall.

I think fans of Mr. Robinson will enjoy this book if they go into it not expecting it to be something it is not, part of the Bank's series, and readers new to his work, like myself, will find an author they will want to take a further look at.

I had never read anything by this author, but was interested in the summary of the book so I bought it. It was a very good read...complicated, detailed and intriguing. The main character - Chris - is a composer of music for movies. Wanting a break after the death of his beloved wife, he buys an estate in Yorkshire sight unseen, only to learn that an earlier owner/occupant was not only accused of poisoning her over-bearing physician husband in the house, but was also hanged for the crime.

Having a lot of time on his hands, Chris does some investigating into the crime. He wants to believe that Grace is innocent...and he becomes a bit obsessed by the case.

Throughout the book, the author has Chris watch movies when he can't sleep and we get a peak into a lot of classic films. He does tell one bit of trivia about Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." It seems that is the only movie that has no background music at all! If this is true (and, frankly, I can't remember any music from the movie), it is a very clever device.

As Chris investigates Grace's deeds and life, the bigger question evolves of what is "innocence" and what is "guilt" both in Grace's life and in Chris' life too. And we learn that the "poison" in question means more than the poison that Grace may have given her husband.

I found this book good enough to explore others by this author. If you like mysteries that are more toward the intellectual side than the "blood and guts," then this is one to get.

Diverting his attention from the popular and successful Inspector Banks series, the author has written a murder mystery of a different genre. Instead of a police procedural, he has undertaken to use a variety of literary devices to unravel the truth behind a death that took place sixty years ago.

It begins when Chris Lowndes, reeling from the death of his wife, decides to buy a home on the Yorkshire Dales. He purchases Kilnsgate House, a large, bleak, isolated structure in which he hopes to recover from his depression, and, perhaps write a sonata instead of the incidental music for motion pictures which he did for many years on the West Coast of the US. No sooner does he take possession than he becomes haunted by its past: Grace Fox, the former owner, was accused and convicted of poisoning her husband, a respected local physician. And she was hanged for it.

Chris becomes so obsessed that he endeavors to "discover" the truth, initially convinced that she was innocent of the charge. The author leads the reader (and Chris) from supposition to fact, alternating excerpts of Grace's wartime diary (she was a nurse, first in Singapore, then escaping the Japanese, suffering a series of devastating experiences, finally serving in France before returning to her husband at Kilnsgate House) and various interviews with aged characters, including her younger lover now living in Paris and a man who as a seven-year-old lived with the Foxes for a time as an evacuee at the beginning of World War II.

The shifts in the plot, as Chris conducts his "investigation," are truly ingenious, keeping the reader off balance to a fare-thee-well. The characters are well-drawn, and the author undertook deep research to create Grace's diary. While the novel may seem at times somewhat dry and slow to read, it constantly draws the reader forward and is well worth reading, and it is highly recommended.

Perhaps I'm spoiled by Robinson's other works because this just doesn't measure up. His writing remains crisp and graphic but the protagonist is the only character who is fleshed out, unless you count the historical figure he researches. She is the crux of the tale but it is difficult to care about someone in the remote past. There is an attempt to create a link between her key decisions and that of the protagonist's but it just doesn't wash. The ending is anticlimactic.

If you are expecting a "traditional" style mystery with this book, then you need to understand that is not what you will get. Author Peter Robinson has written a very intense study of a crime which is presented from three different angles. Actually, more than three if you count all the characters involved in helping Chris Lowndes investigate the murder which happened in the home he bought in the Yorkshire dales. Grace Elizabeth Fox was found guilty of the murder of her husband and hanged on April 23, 1953. Dr and Mrs Fox had lived at Kilnsgate House outside of Richmond for many years prior to his death. Now Chris has discovered the story of the murder which took place and something about the entire situation is pushing him on to find out whether the guilty verdict was right or if Grace Fox was wrongly executed. The novel is told with an excerpt from a book written in 1953, giving details of the trial, at the beginning of each chapter. Then the first person narrative from 2010, picks up with the investigations Chris is pursuing. Toward the middle of the novel the chapters begin to lead off with portions of a journal written by Grace Fox starting in 1940. Even though these sections of her journal have nothing to do with the actual death of Dr Fox, they do paint a picture of some of the happenings in Grace's life that made her into the person she was when her husband died.

This was an engrossing reading experience and one that I enjoyed very much. Because of the method of presenting the information regarding Grace and the murder of her husband it was impossible for me to pick up clues and "solve" the crime because this was not a standard police procedural or amateur detective novel. For the first half of the novel you have to take the word of everyone for what type of person Grace was. After her journal entries start you can get more of an idea of what type of character you believe she might have had. All of his obsession with the solving of the case from so many years ago was tangled up with the feelings of loneliness and depression Chris was still feeling over the death of his wife. Moving from the States to an isolated home in Yorkshire certainly seemed to add stress to his mental attitude and contributed to the atmosphere he found in the home. Chris was determined to find out what had happened in Grace's life "before the poison". As I said before, this was an enjoyable reading experience and it will definitely lead me to read more novels written by Peter Robinson.

"Before the poison" by Peter Robinson follows Chris Lowndes, a widower Hollywood musical score writer who moves back to England after becoming a widower--only to get swept up in his new home, called Klinsgate, and its dark history. Back in the early fifties, Grace Fox was hanged for poisoning her husband, Dr. Ernest Fox, in this very home and accused of being an adulteress with her young lover Sam Porter.

When Chris sees a picture of Grace, she reminds him of his wife Laura and he becomes obsessed with her story. The book switches from the present time, to the fifties description of Grace's trial and her ultimate conviction, before jumping to Grace's diaries from the World War 2. Meanwhile, Chris interviews anyone who was remotely familiar with the story, and tries to find out whether Grace was actually guilty of the murder or not.

I found this to be one of those mysteries with fully developed characters and a detailed plot that only gradually unravels rather than being a breakneck thriller. Even minor characters are fully developed in this English mystery. For fans of character-driven mysteries.

The resemblance of this novel to Vera Caspary's LAURA isn't so much a device of the author as it is the main character's mind which associates his obsession to find the truth about his house's former owner, a woman arrested, convicted, and hung for her husband's apparant murder. The main character, a film composer retiring to his native England, is naturally a film buff and widower. The fact that his wife was named Laura along with his familiarity with the famous film leads him into fantasizing the accused woman as the fictional character. Also spurring his obsession is a feeling of guilt connected with his wife's death from cancer.

I have long admired Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series and this is a welcome stand-alone addition to his literary output.

Peter Robinson takes a break from his award winning Detective Banks mystery series with this stand alone novel where the focus is on the past. The narrator, Chris Lowndes, lives in California and composes music "that nobody listens to" for Hollywood movies . After his wife dies of cancer, Chris decides to return to his native England where he buys an old house in a secluded area of Yorkshire . After moving in, he becomes obsessed with a murder that occurred in the house in 1953, for which its former owner, Grace Fox, was hanged for poisoning her husband, Dr. Ernest Fox.

As he learns more about Grace, Chris becomes convinced that she could not have killed her husband. At the beginning of the first dozen chapters, there is a narration of the case from "Famous Trials", a book written at the time. The more Chris reads, he sees that Grace's defense was very weak and that the jury probably convicted her based on the testimony of an inn keeper who swore that Grace and her lover, Sam Porter, had plotted to kill Dr. Fox.

Chris tracks down Sam and other people from Grace's past, including her granddaughter, who provides Grace's wartime journal, in which she writes of her experiences as an Army nurse in the Pacific during World War II. Little by little, he pieces together Grace's past, but more importantly, he discovers her qualities, which ultimately lead him to his conclusion. Once you are drawn into Chris's search, you, too, will become obsessed with learning what really happened to Grace. Highly recommended.

This book reminded me of some older "Golden Age" mystery, in spite of the presence of ipods and the Internet. Having bought sight unseen an old house in his native Yorkshire, American Chris Lowndes find unusual experiences, an unusual story and a fascinating history attached to it. As he unravels the mystery of the hanging of the previous owner of the house, we travel with him to the hospital ships and terrible events of World War II, and learn a great deal-about war, about humanity, and about the fallible character of perhaps not so ordinary people. Mr. Robinson's writing is lyrical, compelling, and immediate. I've read his Inspector Banks books and loved them. This will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.

There's a decent premise to the murder mystery here, but at least one too many red herrings, plus a superfluous romance arc. The motivation for the protagonist to pursue the conviction and hanging of a former lady of the manor is inauthentic. Way too much attention to the background music--we get that he's a composer without an inventory of each etude spooling out during dinner. Ditto re: repeated tallies of alcohol consumed.

I really did like the underlying story, including the WWII nursing experience of our long-dead heroine. New characters pop up conveniently and just as conveniently disappear. I don't regret reading this book, but it doesn't have me reaching for more Peter Robinson.

I found in "Before the Poison" a more ruminative and at times, poetic Peter Robinson than the series mystery writer I've come to rely on (but from time to time, grow a little bored with) in the Inspector Banks mysteries. I was pleased with the change and enjoyed Robinson's reaching into new territory with his murder mystery, in the broadest sense, pursued by a non-police protagonist, Chris Lowndes.

I grew used to the rhythms of the story's skipping between Grace Fox's life in WWII/post-war and the present day, though at first, I was somewhat resistant to these jumps in time because the narrative pull was so strong in both eras. Robinson's segments from fictional books--a trial account and Grace's journal--are masterful, help explain Chris' fascination with her and secure our good opinion of her.

It occurred to me the nostrum of writers focusing on what they know is heeded in Robinson giving us a main character recently returned to Britain from a life in North America. The ghost story aspect of the book was handled in such a way that we don't overly object to Chris' occasionally seeing unusual sights.

It's enjoyable to watch a writer developing sophistication and nuance over time, rather than beating over and over on the same drum. I hope for more non-series books like this one from Robinson.

Chris Lowndes leaves Hollywood to go back to Yorkshire after his wife dies from cancer. I purchases a house sight unseen, but soon learns of its history and becomes obsessed with learning more about the previous owners Ernest and Grace Fox. Grace was convicted and hanged for poisoning her husband some fifty odd years earlier.

Although, I found it a little slow, I also found the diary of Grace interesting enough to continuing reading. I enjoyed the Chris's search to find out if Grace was innocent or not and his travels across the globe to find the answers he seeks, but the climax was some of a letdown for me.

I waited for this for months from my local library, and when it finally arrived, I was immediately disappointed that it wasn't a new Alan Banks novel, since I've read all of those at least once.
However, once I dove in, I immediately got over the initial disappointment, and as the plot built, I was very happy with the book.
It's definitely not your usual Peter Robinson, but more complex, both in the plot and in the writing style, and it compares favorably with the books of Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.
I haven't read any interviews with Robinson about this book, but I've no doubt he's pleased with the result. I am.

Peter Robinson has long been one of my favourite authors and I pick up anything with his name on it, knowing I'll be in for a good read. His latest book Before the Poison, is not part of his series featuring Inspector Banks, but is instead, a stand alone work.

Chris Lowndes left England when he was younger for the United States. He made quite a name for himself as a movie score composer. When his wife dies, Chris decides it's time to return home to England. He and Laura had planned to retire there. He buys an isolated house, sight unseen. When he arrives at the home, he is curious about the former inhabitants of the house. When he finds that it was the site of the murder of local physician, Dr. Fox and that his wife Grace was hanged for that murder, Chris indulges his curiosity and begins looking further into the trial. Curiosity quickly turns into almost obsession as he begins to doubt the official version of what really happened.

" I had a curious sensation that the shy, half-hidden house was waiting for me, that it had been waiting for some time."

This was a very different read from the Banks books. The pacing is much slower, taking time to build the layers of the story slowly and carefully. We follow Chris as he becomes increasingly insistent on discovering more about Grace. The story is told from three sources - Chris's inquiries, excerpts from a book called Famous Trials and finally bits from Grace's own journal, kept during her wartime nursing years. I found the journal entries especially poignant and extremely well written.

Much time is spent on developing the characters, their reasoning and their emotions. And this absolutely works for this story - anything faster would have ruined the atmospheric, period piece tone and feel of the tale. Some of that atmospheric feel comes from Chris's thinking he's seen something in the mirror of an old wardrobe in the house. There is another 'incident' such as this in Chris's childhood and I wondered if this would be explained or used in the story further. It wasn't, but added another layer to Chris's obsession. A revelation I didn't see coming late in the book does much to explain Chris's behaviour.

Robinson has always injected music into the Banks books. The Inspector's music collection and choices always provide a soundtrack for the story. This is continued in Before the Poison as well. Chris's choice of music often sent me online to listen to Robinson's selection of musical background.

Although others may find the pacing and lack of action a bit too slow, I enjoyed the change of pace from an author I have followed for many years, but Banks still remains my favourite. Before the Poison deserves to be slowly savoured under a single lamp, by a crackling fire in a house with creaking floors....

This is an amazing book. Yorkshire, a historical mystery and a little love interest thrown in. I can understand why it won both the Aurthur Ellis and Chloe awards. Well plotted, believable characters, and humanity all in one book.

An absolutely brilliant book. Excellently written. You will wrap yourself in the words and be captivated by the story that you will never want to end. It's the story of the search for truth and its a tender love story. The search for the truth behind an old murder, a trial and a young woman's execution leads the story's protagonist to examine not only the young woman's story but also to examine his life and his motivations. Sometimes, the search for truth can be a double-edged sword. In this story that sword cuts away many mysteries.

I have never read Peter Robinson before. The back cover sounded really interesting. Overall the book was hard to put down except for the love interest. Didn’t add anything to the story and in fact distracted from the mystery. Why the romance in the middle of a mystery investigation? Book would have been so much better without love story.

For those of you that are Peter Robinson fans, this is not an Inspector Banks story, but his third stand alone novel.
4.5 stars

The story starts shortly after Chris Lownde's wife dies after a long and terrible bout with cancer. Chris is an accomplished Oscar winner of movie film scores, however his true passion lies in composing. He has decided to move back to the UK where he is from to start over and try and help deal with the loss of his beloved wife. Chris buys an old mansion (sight unseen) called Kilnsgate and almost immediately is drawn to the house, its secrets, it's dark corners and it's heavy history. Unbeknownst to him, some 50 years before, a Doctor was poisoned by his wife and the wife was tried and hung for his murder.

In the book the author alternates chapters between his life at Kilnsgate 2010 and simultaneously the book on 'Famous trials' describing the murder of the described uppity and arrogant Dr. Fox, by his wife Grace. Halfway through the book, the 2nd narrative is the actual diary that Grace carried during her tenure as a Queen Alexandra nurse during World War 11.

The story revolves around Kilnsgate and Chris's obsession or infatuation in solving the riddle of Grace Fox and her family.

I loved the book but only gave it 4.5 stars because I thought the first 1/3 was very slow moving. Many people would pick up the book and stop as it unfolds very slowly. I loved his narrative at Kilnsgate but was a bit bored with the chapters on famous trials, as it was obvious what the outcome would be. When Grace started speaking through her diary the story became much more compelling.

This is a very complex and beautifully written story and Peter Robinson takes his time telling it. Grace's war years as a nurse were the most interesting as was the depth of the characters that he introduced throughout the book.

The ending was a bit of a letdown only because I think I was expecting so much more, but it did not deter from the haunting story that was told. Overall, I thought it was an excellent book.

If you are a Peter Robinson fan, it's a must read and for those others, have a cup of tea, start a fire and get lost in his amazing prose and the depth of the story.

Received for Review
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 4.25
Character Rating: 3.75

First thought when Finished: That last half of this book was really well done and kept me riveted!

What I Loved: I can't really go into detail about what I loved about Before the Poison or the review would be full of spoilers. I will say there is a distinct point in the middle of the book where we start reading parts of Grace's journal that really, in my opinion, made the book start to sparkle. I was riveted and intrigued. I couldn't turn pages fast enough in an effort to learn what really happened!

What I Liked: I liked that there was a twist with the main protagonist that I just didn't seem coming. It did explain much of his behavior that I did not quite understand. The twist also tied together some things that I had been questioning the whole book.

What made me go HUH?: There were a few parts of the story I didn't like: the affair was a big one. I just didn't see the need for it but it didn't distract from the story for me. It did make me like the characters a little less though.

Final Thought: I think if you are a fan of Peter Robinson, you will like this stand alone novel. I also think if you are history/true crime buff you will enjoy it too. The crime isn't real but the way he hunts down the story reminds of investigation discovery

I have never read Peter Robinson before. The back cover sounded really interesting. Overall the book was hard to put down except for the love interest. Didn’t add anything to the story and in fact distracted from the mystery. Why the romance in the middle of a mystery investigation? Book would have been so much better without love story.

For those of you that are Peter Robinson fans, this is not an Inspector Banks story, but his third stand alone novel.
4.5 stars

The story starts shortly after Chris Lownde's wife dies after a long and terrible bout with cancer. Chris is an accomplished Oscar winner of movie film scores, however his true passion lies in composing. He has decided to move back to the UK where he is from to start over and try and help deal with the loss of his beloved wife. Chris buys an old mansion (sight unseen) called Kilnsgate and almost immediately is drawn to the house, its secrets, it's dark corners and it's heavy history. Unbeknownst to him, some 50 years before, a Doctor was poisoned by his wife and the wife was tried and hung for his murder.

In the book the author alternates chapters between his life at Kilnsgate 2010 and simultaneously the book on 'Famous trials' describing the murder of the described uppity and arrogant Dr. Fox, by his wife Grace. Halfway through the book, the 2nd narrative is the actual diary that Grace carried during her tenure as a Queen Alexandra nurse during World War 11.

The story revolves around Kilnsgate and Chris's obsession or infatuation in solving the riddle of Grace Fox and her family.

I loved the book but only gave it 4.5 stars because I thought the first 1/3 was very slow moving. Many people would pick up the book and stop as it unfolds very slowly. I loved his narrative at Kilnsgate but was a bit bored with the chapters on famous trials, as it was obvious what the outcome would be. When Grace started speaking through her diary the story became much more compelling.

This is a very complex and beautifully written story and Peter Robinson takes his time telling it. Grace's war years as a nurse were the most interesting as was the depth of the characters that he introduced throughout the book.

The ending was a bit of a letdown only because I think I was expecting so much more, but it did not deter from the haunting story that was told. Overall, I thought it was an excellent book.

If you are a Peter Robinson fan, it's a must read and for those others, have a cup of tea, start a fire and get lost in his amazing prose and the depth of the story.

Received for Review
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 4.25
Character Rating: 3.75

First thought when Finished: That last half of this book was really well done and kept me riveted!

What I Loved: I can't really go into detail about what I loved about Before the Poison or the review would be full of spoilers. I will say there is a distinct point in the middle of the book where we start reading parts of Grace's journal that really, in my opinion, made the book start to sparkle. I was riveted and intrigued. I couldn't turn pages fast enough in an effort to learn what really happened!

What I Liked: I liked that there was a twist with the main protagonist that I just didn't seem coming. It did explain much of his behavior that I did not quite understand. The twist also tied together some things that I had been questioning the whole book.

What made me go HUH?: There were a few parts of the story I didn't like: the affair was a big one. I just didn't see the need for it but it didn't distract from the story for me. It did make me like the characters a little less though.

Final Thought: I think if you are a fan of Peter Robinson, you will like this stand alone novel. I also think if you are history/true crime buff you will enjoy it too. The crime isn't real but the way he hunts down the story reminds of investigation discovery

After three decades residing in California, following the death of his wife Laura after a bout with cancer, Oscar winning film composer Chris Lowndes returns home to Yorkshire. He purchases Kilnsgate House because he wants the isolation to grieve in peace. However, Heather Barlow the realtor failed to inform Chris that his new home was the site where Grace Fox poisoned her husband Ernest in 1953. Following her conviction Grace hung for her murder of her spouse and a true crime book Famous Trials became a popular seller.

Chris learns about the infamous incident and curious, he conducts a little research. He becomes fascinated by Grace who was a dedicated nurse in France and the Pacific during WW II and begins to investigate what drove her to kill her physician husband. As he follows Grace's trail, Chris composes a sonata to honor his late wife while also guiltily attracted to neighbor Heather.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and company take a breather as Peter Robinson provides an intriguing character study that contains three interrelated subplots from different eras. Readers observe the modern day sexagenarian widower struggling to move on with his grief while his inquiries into Grace circa 1953 (excerpts from Famous Trials) and WWII (Grace's diaries). Although Heather's attraction to Chris never comes across as real, Before The Poison is a terrific moving first person tale of grieving widow stepping out alone for the first in decades.

Harriet Klausner

Well written, atmospheric and totally marvellous novel which is supposed to be a thriller/murder mystery but ascends to something far more....the characters are imperfect and absolutely credible, the UK Yorkshire setting a place I would love to immmediately visit.....reading this book was to me as good as it gets. Thank you, Peter Robinson, for improving with every book you write.

It was an interesting book, I enjoyed all the information on films and the author( that I am now reading) in
the book. I will look for more Peter Robinson's book to read, so that gives you an idea about how muck
I liked the book.

This was a frustrating read for me. The setting in Richmond (Yorkshire) and the murder itself were compelling enough. The primary and secondary characters were well developed, too. But the protagonist is an elitist snob who is pretty hard to like. Through his voice the author spends way, way too much time describing experiences that are not essential (or even necessary) to the storyline. After the umpteenth diversion into yet another meal, date or night on the town (not every glass of wine or meal preparation is worth a paragraph) I felt like I was reading filler half the time. Almost as annoying is the protagonist's repetitive contemplation and analysis of the mystery, as he endlessly asks himself the same questions over and over (yes, we get it, you didn't think she did it). And if those elements weren't enough to sidetrack you from the mystery, there's a smarmy romance that eats up half the book as well. Funny thing is, a second murder (not an execution) is introduced at the tail end of the story that receives a simple two paragraph brush off. Where's the sympathy for that murder? The strongest elements are the personal journals of the woman who was executed, shining a light on the brave British nurses in WW2. But in the end, the book reads more like a soap opera than a murder mystery. Seriously lacking in action as well.

One of my favorite authors has written an entirely engaging novel (not Inspector Banks) that cleverly moves across decades for clues (similar to his Inspector Banks' "In A Dry Season" and has such finely drawn characters and a mystery that holds till the end. It does have Robinson's trademark illustrations of music that the main character is listening to and atmospherics of the English dales.

Seems like many of the other reviewers are in agreement with me. Overall this was a very entertaining read, but the end is disappointing and anticlimactic. It's almost as if the author has something else come up and wanted to get the writing over with.

I enjoyed it and will give a lukewarm recommendation for it, but I'm not going to shout my love for it from the rooftops or anything. Clearly I've got mixed feelings about the story (not unlike the author!).

"Before the Poison" is a well-crafted and beautifully created novel of intrigue, blending current times with former times, seen through the perspectives of unforgettable characters. This is one of the best modern novels I have read. The author subtley uses/suggests the people, scenes, stories, and moods of many great British novels and writers before his time: Hardy, Austen, DuMaurier, Dickens. He understands "Englishness" and the local color is dazzling. A wonderful read.

Another disappointment from Peter Robinson. Although the theme and story line were good, this just seemed too long drawn out with too many details about everyday life of the protaganist. It would have held my interest more without these. As it is I skimmed through several pages of snow storms and lone wanderings because I wanted to get to the end. The end itself was a bit of a let down.

If I have ever persisted through a slower, more mundane and boring book, I cannot remember it!

Is this really written by the same author who writes the Inspector Banks books? This is slow, describes every last detail (the weather, the nature of his breakfast, lunch, dinner and sleep), and needed an editor to carve away about 40 000 words. Maybe more.

Also, the hero/protagonist is a deadly dull old fart. I battled to care about him, let alone his breakfast or how he takes his coffee.

Rather read an Inspector Banks novel.

This was a very surprisinging intense and thoughtful book I am still thinking about it and feel sorry for the characters but as usual Peter Robinson portrays very moral people in difficult situations. I had to read it twice!

I thought this book was well written and engrossing. The period of history when the story begins was portrayed well. The ending was unexpected and the characters were clearly defined. I found the book to be a little unusual and was glad to have found it.

Peter Robinson was a great discovery, and I have read all of his books except for the short stories. "First Cut" was a stand-alone and I thought it was pretty good. "Before the Poison," not so much. And I was ready to put it down, but I've read the reviews and will give it another try. Note to author: Never mind the stand-alones.