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Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #6)

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 8,512 ratings · 381 reviews

Mystery novelist Harriet Vane knew all about poisons, and when her fiancÉ died in the manner prescribed in one of her books, a jury of her peers had a hangman's noose in mind. But Lord Peter Wimsey was determined to find her innocentas determined as he was to make her his wife.

Paperback, 261 pages

Published March 16th 1995 by HarperTorch (first published 1931)

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Jun 14, 2010 Madeline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-fiction, all-time-favorites

I'm sorry, Hercule Poirot. There's a new literary detective in my life, and while I will always cherish your silly Belgian antics, Lord Peter Wimsey just understands my needs better - he makes me laugh so much more than you do, and he has that sincerity that you lack.

Now don't cry, Hercule. It's not your fault; the fact is that Lord Peter is just...well, truth be told he's a better man than you. You take cases more out of boredom, and also because the police tend to beg for your help. Lord Pete...more I'm sorry, Hercule Poirot. There's a new literary detective in my life, and while I will always cherish your silly Belgian antics, Lord Peter Wimsey just understands my needs better - he makes me laugh so much more than you do, and he has that sincerity that you lack.

Now don't cry, Hercule. It's not your fault; the fact is that Lord Peter is just...well, truth be told he's a better man than you. You take cases more out of boredom, and also because the police tend to beg for your help. Lord Peter Wimsey seems to care so much more than you - when Harriet Vane was accused of poisoning her former lover, Lord Peter knew she didn't do it, and he decided to take her case because he genuinely cared about her, and this led to a delightful scene where he proposes marriage to her in prison. He's such a better speaker than you - he talks like Oscar Wilde wrote all his lines but decided to be sincere about them for a change. All I can do to prove my point is quote directly from his conversation with Harriet after he proposes:

"'No - dash it all, I seem to be saying all the wrong things today. I was absolutely stunned that first day in court, and I rushed off to my mater, who's an absolute dear, and the kind of person who really understands things, and I said, "Look here! here's the absolutely one and only woman, and she's being put through a simply ghastly awful business and for God's sake come and hold my hand!" You simply don't know how foul it was.'

'That does sound rather rotten. I'm sorry I was brutal. But, by the way, you're bearing in mind, aren't you, that I've had a lover?'

'Oh, yes. So have I, if it comes to that. In fact, several. It's the sort of thing that might happen to anybody. I can produce quite good testimonials. I'm told I make love rather nicely - only I'm at a disadvantage at the moment. One can't be very convincing at the other end of a table with a bloke looking through the door.'"

Also, and I know I've mentioned this before, you don't really share things with your readers, Hercule, or even the other characters in your stories. You have a tendency to discover Very Important Clues and then not mention them to anyone, just so you can reveal them at the most dramatic moment possible. There's just no communication. Lord Peter is different - not only did I know every detail of the case as he discovered it, but he even shared the investigation with other characters in the book! He has a veritable army of smart spinsters who do investigation work for him, and he dispatched two of them to help with the Vane case. This resulting in two wonderful scenes, where one woman learns how to pick locks from a born-again thief, and another where a Miss Murchinson uses fake Spiritualism to convince someone to search for a hidden will. It's all fascinating and funny and very educational, especially the Spiritualism stuff.

So I'm sorry to say that Lord Peter Wimsey is now my favorite detective* at the moment, and that I think it's time we took a break while I explore this. I'll return to your stories again some day, but for now I want to focus on spending more time with Lord Peter.

Thank you for understanding, and I hope we can still be friends.

Yours truly,
Madeline

*Sherlock, sweetie, don't you even worry. You're still my Number One and always will be. (less)

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Apr 29, 2012 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, crime, favourites

You would think that having read Strong Poison once, listened to the Ian Carmichael audiobook, and watched the Edward Petherbridge tv adaptation twice, I wouldn't be still at the point of giggling every few pages or staying up all night to finish it. You'd definitely be wrong.

It's so good coming back to these characters and learning more about them, and having the fondness about them, and not having my mind occupied with trying to figure out the mystery. Miss Murchison! Miss Climpson! Bunter! Pa...more

11 likes · like · see review

Sep 27, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, in-by-of-england, mystery, reviewed

Do not read this book for the mystery. Read this book for the characters and politics and humor. Dorothy L. Sayers seems to have chosen her form of social criticism to best reach the largest audience. Few would be interested in a scholarly work about the double-standard of women and men's freedom in sexual relations. Fewer would like to have an unmarried, female Oxford don telling them about women of a certain age who make their living in a male dominated workforce and the sexism they face there...more

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Oct 21, 2008 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Peter Wimsey fans

Shelves: mysteries, katie-and-annie-bookclub

I think I would have liked this book better if I didn't already know Lord Peter Wimsey from "Clouds of Witness"—meaning, I love Peter so much, that I was disappointed he wasn't in "Strong Poison" more. I adored all the chapters with him in "Strong Poison" but they seemed few and far between, so as interesting and all as the other characters were, I was never as wholly invested because I wanted to get back to Peter and the other beloved characters from past novels. For me, the book felt a little...more

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Oct 20, 2008 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, annie-and-katie-bookclub

Annie-and-Katie Book Club selection! We had been looking forward to spending more time with Lord Peter, but alas he was not ever-present, and barely sometimes-present. This was a very confused sort of book--the first several chapters were quite dry, all courtroom stuff, blah-blah about the case against Harriet Vane. Then, the midsection of Lord Peter believing her innocence and trying to prove it--yet he employs several other people to do so and we end up hearing all about one of the lady's trip...more

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Aug 26, 2007 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Christie and Conan Doyle fans

Shelves: mystery, to-buy, fiction

The mystery in this was quite facile, to the point where I figured out who did it before the character even appeared, and the method the moment the clue was mentioned, but I didn't care about that. Lord Peter is utterly adorable and smitten here, and Miss Climpson, who does most of the heavy lifting in acquiring evidence, is absolutely kick-ass. The book is also very funny - the funniest Sayers I've read to date - and the dialogue is executed with a deft touch. I think this will be a favourite c...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Nancy added it · review of another edition

sayers books are like macaroni and cheese to me: comfort food that i've had before and go back to when i'm tired and don't want to make the effort of reading something new.
this is the one where he saves Harriet Vane from a murder charge.
favorite quote:
Wimsey is getting older. Someone has asked him "not to alter himself."
"The first time the request had exalted him; this time, it terrified him. ... he felt for the first time the dull and angry helplessness which is the first warning stroke of the...more

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Aug 16, 2008 Sharon Ervin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: All readers--men and women

Recommended to Sharon by: Michael Seidman

Sayers wrote many novels. Four feature Lord Peter Wimsey and love interest Harriet Vane. Those are my favorites: STRONG POISON, HAVE HIS CARCASE, GAUDY NIGHT and BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON.

There is something about Sayers' writing that conveys images, humor, characters, etc., from her brain to mine. GAUDY NIGHT actually is my all-time favorite book. I've recommended it to avid reader friends, many of whom could "not get into it."

Her murderers, motives and methods delight me. She simply writes marvelous...more

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Jun 16, 2011 mark monday rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: murdertime

introducing harriet vane! she's a loveable heroine and lord peter wimsey practically becomes a walking boner as soon as she arrives on the scene. dorothy sayers is one of the most elegant of writers and her super-detective peter wimsey is one of literature's most elegant creations. he's a semi-tragic war hero, he's brave & strong & fast & loyal, he's kind to service staff, he's a defender of the innocent...and all his heroic attributes would grow quickly obnoxious except that sayers...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: better-junk-food, unabridged-listening

If you don't get what the fuss over Sayers' "'tec" books is, this just might be the one to illuminate you. Crackling dialogue, sweltering art parties, seances, spinsters ... Sayers really outdoes herself. I've been trying to read the Lord Peter books in more or less chronological order -- so can't speak for what came after this one -- but so far it's been far and away the best of the bunch. A rip-roaring entertainer that had me laughing aloud with such glee those in earshot would ask for explana...more

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Mar 09, 2008 Happyreader rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Happyreader by: Celia Pastoriza

Shelves: fiction, classics

Very 1930s British. Droll and eccentric. Loved Lord Wimsey and loved Miss Climpson and Miss Murchison. Harriet Vane only gets to be witty and uncompromising while awaiting her fate but I assume she gets promoted to a more active role in the subsequent two books. Carolyn Heilbrun talks about how unattractive Dorothy Sayers was which makes the harsh physical descriptions of the women in the "Cattery" seem cruel. Then you realize that the women may be physically unattractive but they're highly inte...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Theophania Elliott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Strong Poison is the fifth of Dorothy L. Sayers' full-length murder-mystery novels featuring aristocratic amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey. This is the novel in which he meets the love of his life, Harriet Vane, under adverse circumstances - she is being tried for the murder of her lover.

Lord Peter is convinced that Harriet is innocent, but unfortunately he is the only person (other than Harriet herself) to think so; indeed, the evidence is overwhelming. But Lord Peter is determined to prove...more Strong Poison is the fifth of Dorothy L. Sayers' full-length murder-mystery novels featuring aristocratic amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey. This is the novel in which he meets the love of his life, Harriet Vane, under adverse circumstances - she is being tried for the murder of her lover.

Lord Peter is convinced that Harriet is innocent, but unfortunately he is the only person (other than Harriet herself) to think so; indeed, the evidence is overwhelming. But Lord Peter is determined to prove Harriet innocent, and to woo her at the same time.

Both of this objectives turn out to be rather difficult; the real murderer is diabolically clever, and Harriet herself has been hurt by her appalling lover (a young man whom I consider to be very much better off dead) and by her ordeal. Lord Peter's proposal falls sadly flat: it's only one of many she's had since she was arrested, since notoriety is attractive to some. Her opinion of men, therefore, would require deep-shaft mining equipment to be lower, and her opinion of herself is hardly better.

I've read this book many times; it's one of my favourites in the series. Not only is Sayers' plotting beautifully, devilishly, clever, but she is an excellent writer of character. Lord Peter comes across as rather dramatic and affected, but as you get to know him, you realise it's mostly a pose to hide his real feelings from the world. After all, if the world is going to laugh at him, he is damn well going to be in control of what they laugh at, and when.

Harriet, on the other hand, is a clever, middle-class young woman who got involved with a young man who tricked her into becoming his lover - in a society where sex before marriage was still shocking - by declaring that he, an avant garde novelist, didn't believe in marriage. Now she's agreed, and damned herself into the eyes of society thereby, he is ready to reward her sacrifice with marriage. She sees right through his hypocrisy and dumps him, thus beginning the chain of events that ends with her in the dock.

The pair of them are real, complex people. They've both been hurt in the past; they're both ferociously intelligent (Sayers herself was one of the first female Oxford graduates, and she does the reader the courtesy of assuming they are just as intelligent as she and her characters are) and they're both proud, although of different things. They are clearly drawn to each other, but Harriet can't bring herself to trust anyone, certainly not someone to whom she owes a debt of gratitude. Right from the beginning, though, you know that they are meant for each other - it's a union of minds, not a union of bodies. It's a refreshing change from so many of today's novels where lust takes the place of love, and authors write characters who are physically attracted to each other but seem to pay no attention to each other's personalities.

Anyone, moreover, who expects that Harriet will fall into Peter's arms at the end of the book is doomed to disappointment: why would she? She has her life back, given to her by Peter, but does that mean that he now has the right to dictate how she will spend it? No, it does not, and Harriet is determined to make sure he - and everyone else - knows that. Poor Peter is going to have to do a lot more digging, and Harriet is going to have to forgive him for being the person to get her out of a humiliating hole - and forgive herself for being fool enough to fall in love with an unworthy man, which got her into the hole in the first place - before she can regain the emotional strength and equilibrium to make a new start.

Harriet and Peter are real; they are hurt, and they occasionally hurt each other, either intentionally or accidentally. They each want what the relationship promises, but they are also afraid of it. Their relationship begins badly on both sides, and it takes a long time for them to repair the damage. And we get to see it happen, not in one book, because it's too complex a process for that - such problems are not so easy to solve. It takes several books, but the wait is worth it.

The Lord Peter Wimsey books are classics of detective fiction; it was first published in 1930 and is still in print. How many of today's novels will still be in print in seventy years' time? But unlike many classics, Lord Peter has stood the test of time. Yes, in some ways he is dated - the way he speaks, the way he dresses, his whole world, is gone. But his humanity, the relationships he has with his beloved (eccentric) mother the Dowager Duchess, his huntin', shootin' and fishin' older brother the Duke of Denver and the appalling Helen, the Duchess; his valet - not only manservant but also right-hand-man and, in a way, trusted friend - these are still very relevant.

The Lord Peter Wimsey books are some of my favourites; I've read all of them over and over. If you like a well-written story with excellent characterisation and some fiendish plotting, then you will enjoy these books too.(less)

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May 23, 2012 Esdaile rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: whodunnit

I enjoyed the many literary quotations in this book and classical references and admired the sovereign style of writing, although I am a little suprised by the number of persons giving this 4 or even 5 stars. I have often asked myself if Dorothy L Sayers with Lord Peter Whimsey and Bunter was parodying PG Wodehouse or vice versa. Since Lord Peter says at some stage in this story to Bunter that he should not think he is Jeeves (or a similar remark-I do not have the book to hand) presumably the Lo...more

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Mar 25, 2012 CailinLayne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had to read this book in a university class, so it came as quite a surprise when I actually LIKED the book. Mystery isn't even really a huge interest of mine, however Dorothy Sayers manages to keep the reader guessing to the last page practically! Guilty? Not guilty? Guilty? Not guilty? And just when you think you've got the answer she tosses you a curve ball. At the risk of sounding naive and not very well read I will admit I had never heard of Dorothy Sayers before however I do intend on rea...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Dorothea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This might be my favorite Wimsey novel so far. Here's what I especially love:

+ MISS CLIMPSON! I was really uncomfortable some things she said in Unnatural Death, but they didn't come up in Strong Poison and so I was left to enjoy her opinions on Spiritualism, her wrestling with her conscience, and her astonishing ingenuity. Really the entire episode with Miss Booth is one of the cleverest things I've read in the Wimsey novels. And I love so much her comments on tradition and modernity: "In the o...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a big fan of what are often referred to as the “golden age of crime” novels especially those of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. Strong Poison is one I had wanted to read for some time but- though I have spotted her novels in charity shops and on book laden tables during bookcrossing meet ups – never seem to come across this particular novel. So I gave in recently and downloaded it to my kindle at a cost of £4 or £5 – I think it was worth it. Having stumped up the cash – s...more
I am a big fan of what are often referred to as the “golden age of crime” novels especially those of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. Strong Poison is one I had wanted to read for some time but- though I have spotted her novels in charity shops and on book laden tables during bookcrossing meet ups – never seem to come across this particular novel. So I gave in recently and downloaded it to my kindle at a cost of £4 or £5 – I think it was worth it. Having stumped up the cash – so to speak, for ‘Strong Poison’ I was chuffed therefore, when I found another Dorothy L Sayers novel ‘Whose Body’- the first Lord Peter Wimsey novel published in 1923 - available for free (girlebooks.com).

It is in Strong Poison that we – and indeed Lord Peter – meet Harriet Vane – who is an important figure in some later Sayers novels. In this novel although she is at the centre of the story she doesn’t actually appear very often. Harriet is on trial for Murder; Lord Peter in the public gallery is convinced she is innocent. Thankfully Lord Peter’s employee Miss Climpson happens to be on the jury and although certainly not prompted by Lord Peter – she too believes the prisoner innocent and sticking to her guns throughout deliberations ensures that a verdict cannot be reached. Forcing the judge to order a new trail gives Lord Peter valuable time to investigate to truth of the matter. The problem though, is that the victim, Harriet Vanes former lover, was poisoned – his last meal he shared with his cousin and the servants and they suffered no ill effects, but he was later taken ill shortly after drinking coffee with Harriet Vane in her flat. There are three possibilities, he was murdered by Harriet Vane – obviously not, he committed suicide, or was murdered by someone else, only how?

The plot is fairly ingenious I thought – although I did guess the whodunit – I think most readers will. In a way the who is less important in this novel and could be said to be pretty obvious – but it is the howdunit that kept me guessing. Ably assisted by the utterly marvellous Bunter, Miss Climpson and the ladies of The Cattery – a typing bureau that is really a bureau of investigation funded by Wimsey, Lord Peter sets out to prove Harriet Vane innocent. The fact that he has immediately fallen in love with her and proposes to her upon first meeting her in prison adds a little flavour of romance to the story. The period of 1929/1930 – which of course is around the time the novel was written is beautifully portrayed – no doubt fairly seamlessly as Sayers was writing about her own era – but how wonderful for us now to have this period so humorously presented to us with its peculiarities of speech, social conventions and class snobberies.

I found this overall to be a thoroughly entertaining read, and for those readers new to Dorothy L Sayers it would make a pretty good one to start with.

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Dec 15, 2011 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: 4* of five

The Book Report: Lord Peter Wimsey, younger brother of the Duke of Denver, bibliophile, and dilettante in the arts and sciences of murder, meets his One True Love, the Other Half of His Soul; where else would he do this, but in court? Too bad she's the accused in a rather sensational murder trial, in which she is accused and about to be convicted of poisoning by arsenic her Illicit Lover, now ex- after having the *temerity* to propose honorable and legal marriage to her. He was...more Rating: 4* of five

The Book Report: Lord Peter Wimsey, younger brother of the Duke of Denver, bibliophile, and dilettante in the arts and sciences of murder, meets his One True Love, the Other Half of His Soul; where else would he do this, but in court? Too bad she's the accused in a rather sensational murder trial, in which she is accused and about to be convicted of poisoning by arsenic her Illicit Lover, now ex- after having the *temerity* to propose honorable and legal marriage to her. He was, it turns out, having her on when he refused to countenance the idea of marriage; he was counting on his Peculiar Charms to sway his Muse and fellow novelist into revealing her true depths of devotion to him by setting this test. Having fallen (and Fallen) for it, Harriet felt (not at all unreasonably) that she'd been a right prat and, in umbrage extreme, slung the rotter out on his ear, refusing thereafter to treat his suit. Subsequent to their final meeting, unluckily, the rotter collapses and dies at his cousin's home, where he's been living for over a year since the end of the dream.

Lord Peter, attending the trial (as who would not?) with the Hon. Freddy and the Dowager Duchess of Denver (aka Mater), forms the simultaneous convictions that Harriet is innocent, and that she shall be Lady Wimsey as soon as the event can be fixed. How to forestall the hangman's deft attentions is his sole focus, needless to say, and he goes about proving the identity of the real culprit with his accustomed panache, energy, and cunning.

Ah, but stay the strains of the Wedding March, dear readers, because Harriet...quite sensibly...is Once Bitten, Twice Shy re: matrimony. She offers herself as his leman, his dolly-bird, his bit o' stuff, but marriage? To a well-known aristocrat, with all the attendant hoo and pla? No, indeed. Wimsey is, well, not to fobbed off with mere sex when what he craves is glory and delight everlasting in matrimony golden, so he ankles off as soon as he sees her acquitted. The End. Only, of course, not so much. But that's another book.

My Review: A Certain Party, who shall remain nameless herein but is frequently addressed by me as "Horrible" and is known on LibraryThing as "karenmarie", has really, really put her foot in it this time. I mention, oh so casually in passing, that long, long ago I read and disliked this book. "Oh," burbles The Evil One, "I read that and found it both witty and amusing, don't you think it would be fun to re-read it?" I, ever the innocent and naive victim, forgot that the aforementioned Evil One has hooked me on ever-so many mystery series with her offhand cruelty, fell for it and re-read the book. Reader, beware! NEVER VENTURE NEAR HER! You'll end up reading long lists of (admittedly quite good) mysteries.

Wimsey is certainly not for every taste. His erudition, not notably fine for that era, is huge by modern standards, and so his references to poets, writers, and cultural furniture quite ordinary in the 1930s, will come across as condescending to thos of this less well-versed (!) time and place. His general attitude of privilege might cause some sensitive souls in the era of Political Correctness to flinch. And Sayers' lovely, steady, and quite dry prose will go down like a martini at a Salvation Army bash with the modern reader accustomed to gutter talk, explosions, gunshots, and generally seamy turpitude that passes for most modern mysteries.

And thank GOD for that. It's a breath of chamomile-scented mountain meadow air to me to re-find these books in a state and at a time when I can appreciate them. No one tell The Evil One, blast her eyes, that I am thoroughly glad to have read this book at 51 that I understood and so little of at 25. Loose lips sink ships! (less)

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Nov 21, 2011 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not a real big fan of mysteries and had never read anything by Dorothy L. Sayers, although I have heard of her. This British mystery is set around 1930 and features Lord Peter Wimsey, who appears to enjoy solving mysteries as a hobby. The case he is working on involves a young female mystery writer named Harriet Vane, who is accused of murdering her ex-lover, Philip Boyes. Harriet claims that she purchased several types of poison in order to do research on a book she planned to write. When B...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Madame X rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, mystery

This was the first Peter Wimsey mystery that I didn't find totally satisfying. I had really high hopes; I couldn't wait to find out how Peter and Harriet met, and why Peter fell in love with her.

It starts off promisingly enough - the judge is summarizing the case against Harriet for the jury, who are about to start their deliberations. It's a pretty strong case; Harriet's former lover died of arsenic poisoning, and Harriet had been buying arsenic for research purposes.

Now, first of all, it was...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Bev Hankins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery lovers, particularly those who enjoy Golden Age mysteries

Shelves: vintage-mystery

I love Dororthy L Sayers. I can't say it any better than that. I could read her Lord Peter Wimsey novels any time and I've already read them many times (more than I can count). I reach for Sayers when I need a pick-me-up, a soothing read, good writing, great quotes and references, a good dose of golden age mystery, any or all of the above. I also reach for Sayers when the Fall Into Reading Challenge calls for me to "Re-read a book you consider an old friend." My only quibble with the Wimsey book...more I love Dororthy L Sayers. I can't say it any better than that. I could read her Lord Peter Wimsey novels any time and I've already read them many times (more than I can count). I reach for Sayers when I need a pick-me-up, a soothing read, good writing, great quotes and references, a good dose of golden age mystery, any or all of the above. I also reach for Sayers when the Fall Into Reading Challenge calls for me to "Re-read a book you consider an old friend." My only quibble with the Wimsey books is that I have already read them all and I have no new stories to look forward to. Oh to be in the position to pick up a Sayers for the first time--that would be bliss.

Strong Poison marks the beginning of real changes in the Wimsey character. Prior to this he comes across as a bit of a Bertie Wooster type--but with brains. Starting with this novel and his romance with Harriet Vane, Wimsey begins to develop more and more layers. I love watching Wimsey and the romance develop over the course of four books.

The story begins with Harriet Vane on trial for her life. Accused of murdering her former lover, things look mighty black for the detective novelist until Miss Climpson, "a tough, thin, elderly woman with a sound digestion and a militant High Church conscience of remarkable staying power," decides that Miss Vane did not do it and will not let the jury convict her. A new trial is called and Lord Peter, who has in the course of the trial both decided that Harriet is innocent and that he loves her, has about 30 days to find new evidence to prove her innocence.

What follows is an absolutely delightful investigation which involves everything from teaching a legal secretary how to pick locks to Miss Climpson's posing as a medium to find a missing will. The novel contains some of the best quotes and this is one of my all-time favorites from Wimsey's first visit to Miss Vane in prison:

(Harriet Vane) "But, by the way, you're bearing in mind, aren't you, that I've had a lover?"

(Lord Peter) "Oh, yes. So have I, if it comes to that. In fact, several. It's the sort of thing that might happen to anybody. I can produce quite good testimonials. I'm told I make love rather nicely--only I'm at a disadvantage at the moment. One can't be very convincing at the other end of a table with a bloke looking in at the door."

I could write pages and pages...but not nearly as well as Miss Sayers. I'll just leave it at this: If you enjoy good prose by an intelligent writer then you'll want to read this series. Start with Whose Body? and work your way through to get the full effect of Lord Peter's development. Five out five stars.

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Jan 01, 2010 Yngvild rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

In Strong Poison, Lord Peter Wimsey must clear Harriet Vane, a detective storywriter, of the charge of killing her live-in boyfriend. On the way to that goal, we see an amazing cross-section of British society in the 1920’s – including some people who never appear in textbooks or other novels.

Dorothy Sayers begins by poking fun at the 1920’s surrealist movement.

“Bah!” said a voice in Wimsey’s ear, as the cadaverous man turned away, “it is nothing. Bourgeois music. Programme music. Pretty!—You

...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Brandy Painter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, mystery

Strong Poison is a book that is mystery, romance, philosophy and social commentary combined in a very interesting and funny story. This is the third book of Dorothy Sayers I have read and now I know why so many people claim she was a genius.

Lord Peter Wimsey is in a hurry to figure out who murdered a little known writer before the wrong person is convicted and hanged. The police are convinced he was murdered by his former lover, Harriet Vane, who is a mystery writer. When her first trial ends w...more

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Sep 16, 2009 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the book that introduced me to the character of Lord Peter Wimsey and Dorothy Sayers in general. At the time I was not as impressed with the mystery itself, but the characters of Peter, Harriet, and Bunter. They were just so interesting to me, and I had to read more. (I've since collected all but two of the Wimsey books by Sayers and am looking forward to getting through them all.)

The other thing that I love about the book is the time period that it takes place in, as well as the style...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Abra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-classics, re-read, 2013

The first of the Wimsey-Vane novels, in which Peter Wimsey meets the love of his life as she is on trial for poisoning her former lover with arsenic. I have always liked the strong-minded character of Harriet Vane -- she is intelligent and does not dim her intellect for anyone. This mystery seems so classic at this point -- not necessarily because I've read it multiple times, though I have, but perhaps because it shares so many tropes with others of the period -- the British courtroom, and judge...more

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May 09, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Where I got the book: my bookshelf.

Lord Peter Wimsey's latest case has high stakes. He's fallen in love with the accused, novelist Harriet Vane, and has one month to save her from hanging for the death of her former lover, Philip Boyes. Boyes was poisoned with arsenic, the method Harriet used in her latest novel; and who else would want to kill a young man of dubious talent and no wealth?

As my bookfriends have reminded me, Sayers used this novel to work out some of her own relationship issues wi...more Where I got the book: my bookshelf.

Lord Peter Wimsey's latest case has high stakes. He's fallen in love with the accused, novelist Harriet Vane, and has one month to save her from hanging for the death of her former lover, Philip Boyes. Boyes was poisoned with arsenic, the method Harriet used in her latest novel; and who else would want to kill a young man of dubious talent and no wealth?

As my bookfriends have reminded me, Sayers used this novel to work out some of her own relationship issues with an ex-boyfriend, the writer John Cournos. He had pressured her to sleep with him and she'd refused; after their breakup, she had a rebound affair that resulted in a secret illegitimate child, thus proving her point. In Strong Poison Sayers has Harriet live "in sin" with Boyes and then break up with him when he proposes marriage, on the principle that he made a fool of her by propounding free love and then going all traditional after she'd given in. Wimsey, of course, is not in the least bit perturbed by Harriet's past (having sown his own wild oats fairly liberally) and proposes at their first meeting. I remember reading that Sayers intended to end the book with Harriet and Peter falling into each other's arms, and then realized that this would be completely wrong for the character she'd written. It takes another two books and five years of the characters' lives to get to yes.

As far as the mystery goes, this is fairly standard stuff, based almost entirely on motive (thus, I believe, breaking Wimsey's own rule that when you know how, you know who--the how only gets worked out at the last minute). The charm of this book lies in seeing the characters break out into so much human fallibility. Love is in the air all over the place, and Charles Parker and Freddy Arbuthnot also get in on the romance act.

The charm of Sayers' books is their sheer readagainability, if I may put it that way. I notice that nearly all the reviewers have read the book before. It's literary comfort food, still fresh and satisfying despite its age, and even though I'd read it several times before I had a hard time putting it down. Hence the five stars despite my realization that there is an enormous, clanging inconsistency in the story, and it is this. Miss Climpson, brought in once again to go into the female world where Wimsey cannot easily achieve a sufficient degree of inconspicuousness, behaves as if she knows nothing about the case she is investigating. And yet this is the very same Miss Climpson who was on the jury at the Vane trial and thus knows every detail. Yes, the very same Miss Climpson, despite her name changing from Alexandra (in Unnatural Death) to Katherine (amusingly, one time, Katherine Alexandra as if Sayers knew she'd got something wrong but couldn't be bothered to check). I'm trying to remember if Miss C appears at all in subsequent books - I have the feeling that she fades away after this one, leaving Wimsey all the investigative glory.

On to the next Wimsey book, my least favorite, Five Red Herrings.

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Feb 09, 2010 astried rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, detective-mistery-etc

An enjoyable one, even though the start of it is a bit heavy, all of those narration can't be helped but not enjoyable. On the story itself it could be said that this bookis not Lord Peter's but Cattery's book. Those women are smart and they've done all the sleuthing whereas Lord Peter simply sat and read book to borrow his conclusion. Is it comparable to Hercule Poirot-Captain Hasting relationship? I think not, for one thing, Captain Hasting only reported what he saw and Poirot saw what really...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

I really enjoyed this but was rather surprised at how slight a yarn it is as far as the detection goes. A chief suspect is made apparent early on and the rest of the book is taken up with simply uncovering the evidence to prove his guilt: information which is gathered in somewhat unlikely ways. The only remaining puzzle was, how did he administer the poison and I guessed that as soon as the clue was presented. But Sayers is a skilled writer, Lord Peter Wimsey an engaging detective and there were...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Cassandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had thought my passion for mystery novels had died forever. Ingenious though they may be and as efficacious as they are in terms of mental exercise, I could not read them very much because they seemed dryly-written, sordid affairs without enough sympathetic, well-rounded characters to keep me emotionally grounded. Even the great mystery-mongers like Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle seem to think that the only measure of a good mystery novel is how involved and obtuse the solution to...more I had thought my passion for mystery novels had died forever. Ingenious though they may be and as efficacious as they are in terms of mental exercise, I could not read them very much because they seemed dryly-written, sordid affairs without enough sympathetic, well-rounded characters to keep me emotionally grounded. Even the great mystery-mongers like Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle seem to think that the only measure of a good mystery novel is how involved and obtuse the solution to the crime. Instead they should realize that as forensic as they choose to make their mysteries, they are still writing a work of fiction, and s such they should acknowledge the needs of their readers in terms of plot, character, and emotional resolution. They should treat their craft with as much integrity as any "serious" novelists, and their failure to do this has resulted in the genre's relegation to the sphere of "light reading," where it has resided for the last century. Sometime I really want to shake Agatha Christie by the shoulders and tell her that it's not necessary for a good mystery to suspect absolutely everyone. It turns one into quite a cynic. In addition both Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle seem incapable of drawing well-rounded characters that have any sort of emotional depth and nuance, though, admittedly, that is not the reason for reading their books. Still, I never thought I could return to the genre with the pleasure I experienced in my youth.

Of course, I wouldn't be writing this review unless something had happened to make me alter my opinion. About a year and a half ago, my mother--that blessed font of wisdom and humor, not unlike the Dowager Duchess of Denver in many ways!--gave me Dorothy Sayers's Strong Poison to read. I had heard of Lord Peter before, of course, and had even been given a couple books to read in the past, but had never actually been in the humor to start a mystery novel. Only the incessant cross-references from one of my favorite books of all time--Connie Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog--and the strong recommendation from my mother finally enabled me to conquer my aversion and begin it.

One of the best literary choices I've ever made.

In Dorothy Sayers I discovered an author who is not afraid to touch on philosophic topics, quote great works of literature, and imbue her characters with lifelike joys and frailties all while in pursuit of a mystery--to say nothing of a strong dose of humorous dialog, courtesy of her delightful creation Lord Peter. If you're looking for a baffling case that will test your powers of observation and general mental acumen, turn back now. If, on the other hand, you are looking for an engaging, human story that happens also to involve a crime getting solved by a detective, look no further than the Lord Peter series.

Strong Poison marks about the halfway point in the Lord Peter series, a series in which, I may add, that he hero ages in real time and continuity between the novels is excellent. This, however, is a good point at which to start--if you don't feel like starting from the beginning with Whose Body?--because it is the point where Lord Peter's romance with Harriet Vane begins.

Lord Peter himself is a perfectly charming character: the younger son of the 15th Duke of Denver, rich, sophisticated, and far too smart for his own good. He incessantly quotes classic literature because it "covers an absence of original thought," sings snatches of folk songs, and affects a foppish, scatter-brained air in order to disarm people, but he can never conceal he really cares about the people in his life and the injustices he sees around him. At the same time, though, he has a lot of frailties such as vanity and a fear of making himself emotionally vulnerable. These all combine to make him an extremely lovable, human protagonist.

And as I've said many times before, Lord Peter is never more charming than when he is courting Harriet Vane.

Strong Poison is probably one of the best Lord Peter mysteries both in terms of plot and characters. The opening scene in the courtroom, with the hostile judge summing up the case against Harriet is really brilliant, and the novel only gets better from there. Harriet Vane, a mystery writer, is accused of murdering her former lover, and public opinion is strongly against her both because of the immoral lifestyle in which she had been living and because the contemporaries could not understand why a woman who had been coerced into living with a man would break of the relationship when the man offered her a legitimate marriage (Harriet explains that she felt "tricked" into her adultery, since her lover had said he was against marriage on principle and then after she had abandoned her moral scruples for his sake, informed her that it has simply been a test to prove her loyalty. "I didn't like marriage offered as a bad-conduct prize," Harriet says, quite understandably, in my opinion.) Lord Peter is in the audience, however, and is both firmly convinced of the defendant's innocence and completely besotted by her striking, frank manner.

The trial ends in a hung jury, giving Lord Peter exactly one month to find the real murderer before the case comes before the bench again. It's amusing to see the normally erudite nobleman become completely tongue-tied in the presence of the woman he has fallen for, and babble an ill-timed proposal to her, which she categorically refuses.

Since this review is turning into a novella already, I'll merely add that the secondary characters in this are wonderfully entertaining, including the return of Miss Climpson and a safe-picker-turned-born-again-pastor. The seance episode with Miss Climpson is rightly famous and also a nice jab at the gullible Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pet-obsession. This novel is truly deserving of the five stars I give it, and my words do not even begin to do it justice.
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Apr 22, 2013 Imsathya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first Sayers book and my reactions are inevitably mixed. I did not derive the pleasure of a good read at the end of this book. But at the same time, I was never bored and enjoyed the characters and the tongue-in-cheek humor through the book. So a three star is an appropriate rating for the book.

Having been reared on Agatha Christie for whodunits, Ms Sayers immediately comes across as a completely different kind of murder mystery writer. Christie's books mostly hinge on the final denou...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Jessie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who enjoy reading about pre-WWII Britain, classic mystery lovers

Shelves: fiction, own, mystery-british, mystery-1950-to-current, mystery-cozy, mystery-1900-to-1950

This is the first of the Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey novels and, in my opinion, when the charactor of Lord Peter really begins to develop beyond dilettante detective.

Modern readers might wonder at Lord Peter's obession with Harriet Vane, both as a woman and as a cause. Keep in mind not only the period setting of the novel, but of the era of the writer. The Wimsey novels are detective stories, but also social satire on the order of P.G. Wodehouse and reminiscent of Jane Austin, Jonathan Swift, and...more

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About Dorothy L. Sayers

Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a renowned British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist.

Dorothy L. Sayers is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between World War I and World War II that feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. However, Sayers herse...more

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Books by Dorothy L. Sayers

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #1)

Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #3)

Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #10)

Busman's Honeymoon (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #13)

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Trivia About Strong Poison

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Quotes from Strong Poison

“Nothing goes so well with a hot fire and buttered crumpets as a wet day without and a good dose of comfortable horrors within. The heavier the lashing of the rain and the ghastlier the details, the better the flavour seems to be.” — 51 people liked it

“Do you know how to pick a lock?"
"Not in the least, I'm afraid."
"I often wonder what we go to school for," said Wimsey.” — 32 people liked it

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Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #6)

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