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Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe #1
Postscript to Poison
Cornelia Lackland ruled her house with an iron fist and a firm grasp on the pocketbook. Her late husband—she was his second wife—had left her in charge of his two granddaughters and his self-made fortune. John Lackland has risen from nothing to something, only to see his own children rebel against him and make bad, impulsive marital choices He was determined that his granddaughters not follow in their footsteps. Cornelia, a former stage actress whose own past was a bit colorful, was more than up to the task. Jenny and Carol lived as virtual prisoners, albeit quite comfortably, in a large house filled with servants in the old cathedral town of Minsterbridge, located just thirty miles from London.
What’s more, the two cousins couldn’t even be sure if Mrs. Lackland’s death would set them free, since the provisions of their grandfather’s will were sealed. Things came to a head one hot summer in the late 1930s when the old lady took ill, hovered at the edge of death, and then miraculously recovered. But the night before she was to meet with her solicitor to make yet one more change in her will, she was found dead, the apparent victim of a poisoner. Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate an ever-growing list of suspects.
This classic 1938 Golden Age detective novel marked the debut of Dorothy Bowers, a very talented writer in the Sayers school who might well have joined the ranks of the masters of the genre had she not died from tuberculosis at the age of 46 after completing only five novels.
What’s more, the two cousins couldn’t even be sure if Mrs. Lackland’s death would set them free, since the provisions of their grandfather’s will were sealed. Things came to a head one hot summer in the late 1930s when the old lady took ill, hovered at the edge of death, and then miraculously recovered. But the night before she was to meet with her solicitor to make yet one more change in her will, she was found dead, the apparent victim of a poisoner. Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate an ever-growing list of suspects.
This classic 1938 Golden Age detective novel marked the debut of Dorothy Bowers, a very talented writer in the Sayers school who might well have joined the ranks of the masters of the genre had she not died from tuberculosis at the age of 46 after completing only five novels.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
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177 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Bowers
11 books7 followersDorothy Violet Bowers (1902-1948) was born in Leominster. Bowers graduated from the Society of Oxford Home-Students (now St Anne’s College) with a third-class honours degree in Modern History. Temporary jobs teaching history and English did not inspire her, and she turned to writing.
Between 1938 and 1941, Bowers published four Inspector Pardoe novels in rapid succession. The outbreak of war brought Bowers to London, where she worked in the European News Service of the BBC. Her final book, The Bells at Old Bailey, was published in 1947. Never of robust health, Bowers contracted tuberculosis during this period and eventually succumbed to the disease in August 1948. She died knowing that she had been inducted into the prestigious Detection Club, the only writer selected for membership in 1948.
Between 1938 and 1941, Bowers published four Inspector Pardoe novels in rapid succession. The outbreak of war brought Bowers to London, where she worked in the European News Service of the BBC. Her final book, The Bells at Old Bailey, was published in 1947. Never of robust health, Bowers contracted tuberculosis during this period and eventually succumbed to the disease in August 1948. She died knowing that she had been inducted into the prestigious Detection Club, the only writer selected for membership in 1948.
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June 25, 20153.7 (I hate star ratings, but I feel so obligated to give a number --aarrgh!)
Originally published in 1938, Postscript to Poison is the first of only five books by British author Dorothy Bowers, who died ten years later after a battle with tuberculosis. Bowers had wanted to "make creative literary work" her career, but found herself the owner of “a fairly regular spate of rejection slips from various editors” instead. She also read a great deal, and discovered an "intermittent" attraction to detective fiction, selecting "only ...the best." She eventually started writing mystery novels herself which ultimately led to her being inducted to the detection club in 1948, but her novels soon went out of print. Thanks to Rue Morgue Press, her works live on and are widely available. I've already ordered her second book in this series, Shadows Before, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading after having finished this one, so obviously it means that I enjoyed this book enough to merit another.
When the epigraph in the first chapter of a novel has to do with Lady Macbeth, it's definitely notice worthy. Good old Lady Macbeth -- that ambitious, ruthless and very powerful woman -- could almost be an alter ego to the matriarch in this family drama. I say almost -- unlike Lady Macbeth, Cornelia Lackland is an elderly widow and she dies by the end of chapter two. It's only after her death that the full scale of her tyranny is revealed, which brings to light just how much everyone at Lacklands hates her, and with what I'd say is good reason. She probably would have made a good murderer had she not been a victim.
Before Mrs. Lackland dies, however, there is some monkey business at work in the town of Minsterbridge. Her physician, Dr. Faithful, has received a couple of nasty poison pen letters accusing him of poisoning his patient, and decides to turn them over to the police. While Mrs. Lackland had been ill, she'd recently been making a very good recovery, and was healthy enough to have been excited about the coming visit with her solicitor Mr. Rennie. But even though the good doctor has given her a good prognosis, he is called out to Lacklands one night only to find her dead. He refuses to give a certificate of death, and calls for the coroner, ultimately leading to the involvement of Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe of Scotland Yard, who quickly discovers how very much the old lady was hated by just about everyone in the household and that she had a rather shady past. He has to sort through not only this mess, but also has to find whoever may be responsible when a second death occurs.
Even though it's the 1930s, some Victorian attitudes still prevail in this novel, for example, with the use of the term "hysteria." Our intrepid detective from New Scotland Yard has a "natural man's horror of hysteria," and is surprised when Mrs. Lackland's companion, Emily Bullen, doesn't live up to his expectations. The same character is also described by the inspector as "a crafty, hysterical, harmful, but ultimately stupid type." There are more uses of this word scattered through the book, but you get the idea.
At the same time, I can't help but wonder how much of herself the author may have put into Bullen's description when she says that Bullen
"has all the traits of the disappointed spinster that has to face a future of starved affections and economic insecurity."
According to Bowers' short bio at Rue Morgue Press, Bowers,
"Like her sister and many of her Oxford friends, ... never married. If there was ever a man in her life it was an aspect of her existence that she chose not to share with her friends. "
Furthermore, in a article in the Independent about forgotten authors, Christopher Fowler notes that
"Bowers struggled for years to find a job as history tutor, supplementing her meagre income by compiling crossword puzzles."
Then again, I could be totally wrong here, but these are a definitely a couple of interesting and possibly noteworthy parallels!
Postscript to Poison is definitely a yes for anyone interested in golden-age mysteries, in 1930s British crime/mystery fiction, and for anyone like myself who is or who has become interested in rather obscure women writers of past decades. It does have that sort of language that is pretty typical of golden-age mystery stories which may seem sort of weighty (and which causes some readers to unfairly judge this sort of book) to readers who haven't delved into the crime-fiction/mystery past, but the story does flow pretty well and the characters are all very well established. It's also a fun whodunit loaded with of clues that will satisfy any armchair detective for a few hours.
Originally published in 1938, Postscript to Poison is the first of only five books by British author Dorothy Bowers, who died ten years later after a battle with tuberculosis. Bowers had wanted to "make creative literary work" her career, but found herself the owner of “a fairly regular spate of rejection slips from various editors” instead. She also read a great deal, and discovered an "intermittent" attraction to detective fiction, selecting "only ...the best." She eventually started writing mystery novels herself which ultimately led to her being inducted to the detection club in 1948, but her novels soon went out of print. Thanks to Rue Morgue Press, her works live on and are widely available. I've already ordered her second book in this series, Shadows Before, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading after having finished this one, so obviously it means that I enjoyed this book enough to merit another.
When the epigraph in the first chapter of a novel has to do with Lady Macbeth, it's definitely notice worthy. Good old Lady Macbeth -- that ambitious, ruthless and very powerful woman -- could almost be an alter ego to the matriarch in this family drama. I say almost -- unlike Lady Macbeth, Cornelia Lackland is an elderly widow and she dies by the end of chapter two. It's only after her death that the full scale of her tyranny is revealed, which brings to light just how much everyone at Lacklands hates her, and with what I'd say is good reason. She probably would have made a good murderer had she not been a victim.
Before Mrs. Lackland dies, however, there is some monkey business at work in the town of Minsterbridge. Her physician, Dr. Faithful, has received a couple of nasty poison pen letters accusing him of poisoning his patient, and decides to turn them over to the police. While Mrs. Lackland had been ill, she'd recently been making a very good recovery, and was healthy enough to have been excited about the coming visit with her solicitor Mr. Rennie. But even though the good doctor has given her a good prognosis, he is called out to Lacklands one night only to find her dead. He refuses to give a certificate of death, and calls for the coroner, ultimately leading to the involvement of Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe of Scotland Yard, who quickly discovers how very much the old lady was hated by just about everyone in the household and that she had a rather shady past. He has to sort through not only this mess, but also has to find whoever may be responsible when a second death occurs.
Even though it's the 1930s, some Victorian attitudes still prevail in this novel, for example, with the use of the term "hysteria." Our intrepid detective from New Scotland Yard has a "natural man's horror of hysteria," and is surprised when Mrs. Lackland's companion, Emily Bullen, doesn't live up to his expectations. The same character is also described by the inspector as "a crafty, hysterical, harmful, but ultimately stupid type." There are more uses of this word scattered through the book, but you get the idea.
At the same time, I can't help but wonder how much of herself the author may have put into Bullen's description when she says that Bullen
"has all the traits of the disappointed spinster that has to face a future of starved affections and economic insecurity."
According to Bowers' short bio at Rue Morgue Press, Bowers,
"Like her sister and many of her Oxford friends, ... never married. If there was ever a man in her life it was an aspect of her existence that she chose not to share with her friends. "
Furthermore, in a article in the Independent about forgotten authors, Christopher Fowler notes that
"Bowers struggled for years to find a job as history tutor, supplementing her meagre income by compiling crossword puzzles."
Then again, I could be totally wrong here, but these are a definitely a couple of interesting and possibly noteworthy parallels!
Postscript to Poison is definitely a yes for anyone interested in golden-age mysteries, in 1930s British crime/mystery fiction, and for anyone like myself who is or who has become interested in rather obscure women writers of past decades. It does have that sort of language that is pretty typical of golden-age mystery stories which may seem sort of weighty (and which causes some readers to unfairly judge this sort of book) to readers who haven't delved into the crime-fiction/mystery past, but the story does flow pretty well and the characters are all very well established. It's also a fun whodunit loaded with of clues that will satisfy any armchair detective for a few hours.
January 7, 2019
Dorothy Bowers is a new author to me, and, on the strength of reading this, I regret that her life was ended by tuberculosis after she wrote only five novels, now republished by Black Heath.
The set-up seemed "Golden-Age-conventional", with an unpleasant step-grandmother, a huge fortune tied up in a restrictive will, two potential heiresses, a strange companion, a handsome doctor, a glamorous film actor, and murder in a country town. However, the writing is excellent and the characterisation vivid, although some of the descriptive passages verge on the pretentious and sometimes slow down the plot.
I enjoyed this mystery tremendously, despite spotting the perpetrator(s) early on. Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe is interesting, and very good at his job. It is here, in the proper use of professional policemen and in the superiority of her prose, that Bowers outdoes some of the more widely-known Queens of Crime.
Highly recommended.
4.5 stars.
The set-up seemed "Golden-Age-conventional", with an unpleasant step-grandmother, a huge fortune tied up in a restrictive will, two potential heiresses, a strange companion, a handsome doctor, a glamorous film actor, and murder in a country town. However, the writing is excellent and the characterisation vivid, although some of the descriptive passages verge on the pretentious and sometimes slow down the plot.
I enjoyed this mystery tremendously, despite spotting the perpetrator(s) early on. Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe is interesting, and very good at his job. It is here, in the proper use of professional policemen and in the superiority of her prose, that Bowers outdoes some of the more widely-known Queens of Crime.
Highly recommended.
4.5 stars.
February 28, 2018
This is a must read classic Golde Age novel. Introducing Inspector Pardoe as a clever detective, the author lead us trough a web of lies and murders until the final comes to an end. The murderer is quite easy to guess despite the clues are not easy to find.
It is a fair plot and by thinking and reading carefully you can discover who has poisoned the old lady.
Very good mystery story.
It is a fair plot and by thinking and reading carefully you can discover who has poisoned the old lady.
Very good mystery story.
March 16, 2012
Another gem by Dorthy Bowers for fans of golden age mysteries. Chief inspector Pardoe sorts his way through suspects and clues and his trap for the killer may be the death of him.
December 30, 2019
A well crafted mystery with a plot which was entirely plausible without being obvious.
The victim was an odious old termagant who ruled her family and servants through spiteful bullying. She “neither gave nor expected loving kindness” from her grandchildren-by-marriage, and her cruelty towards them in threatening to disinherit them, curtailing their freedom to marry or have friends, and generally making their lives a misery in the odious atmosphere of their home made them obvious suspects of her very convenient murder.
The other servants in the house, including a companion with hopes of a bequest after 12 years of being “a source of malicious amusement” for her arrogant employer, a butler punished with dismissal for attempting to be kind to the grandchildren and the maids who were terrified of the old lady all had their part to play in establishing a foetid atmosphere of loathing around the murder victim. Their statements helped the police determine the movements of the suspects at the time of death. It was only when two of them began to realise the significance of what they had seen – more quickly than the detective did! – that they began to fear for their own lives.
The doctor was the first to suspect foul play and alerted the police to the suspicious details of the death. He had also received three anonymous letters accusing him of poisoning his patient before her death, though he had been treating her for months and her health had improved under his care. She had been so pleased with his treatment that she had let it be known that she was leaving her fortune to him (another means by which to torture her granddaughters) though in fact her personal fortune was all she had to bequeath as she had only a life interest in her husband’s fortune. The vast bulk of her wealth was not hers to dispose of and would be inherited by the granddaughters as of right, a detail which she deliberately withheld from them to exact their obedience to her.
It’s impossible to describe the action any further without risking spoilers, and it is clear that there are plenty of suspects with motive and opportunity. Bowers openly and honestly shows the reader all the relevant details – there is no detective scuttling into corners looking for unexplained evidence or asking obscure questions based on knowledge unavailable to the reader. There is no final scene where new information is brought forward. Yet the mechanics of the carefully planned murder are there to see, and the solution gradually emerges as the cover up necessitates another murder.
My first guess failed to spot the murderer, and my second only got the solution half right. This is a thoughtful and well written mystery and a treat for any fans of Golden Age detective fiction.
Thanks for Moonstone Press for reprinting this (to me) unknown author and sending me a review copy.
The victim was an odious old termagant who ruled her family and servants through spiteful bullying. She “neither gave nor expected loving kindness” from her grandchildren-by-marriage, and her cruelty towards them in threatening to disinherit them, curtailing their freedom to marry or have friends, and generally making their lives a misery in the odious atmosphere of their home made them obvious suspects of her very convenient murder.
The other servants in the house, including a companion with hopes of a bequest after 12 years of being “a source of malicious amusement” for her arrogant employer, a butler punished with dismissal for attempting to be kind to the grandchildren and the maids who were terrified of the old lady all had their part to play in establishing a foetid atmosphere of loathing around the murder victim. Their statements helped the police determine the movements of the suspects at the time of death. It was only when two of them began to realise the significance of what they had seen – more quickly than the detective did! – that they began to fear for their own lives.
The doctor was the first to suspect foul play and alerted the police to the suspicious details of the death. He had also received three anonymous letters accusing him of poisoning his patient before her death, though he had been treating her for months and her health had improved under his care. She had been so pleased with his treatment that she had let it be known that she was leaving her fortune to him (another means by which to torture her granddaughters) though in fact her personal fortune was all she had to bequeath as she had only a life interest in her husband’s fortune. The vast bulk of her wealth was not hers to dispose of and would be inherited by the granddaughters as of right, a detail which she deliberately withheld from them to exact their obedience to her.
It’s impossible to describe the action any further without risking spoilers, and it is clear that there are plenty of suspects with motive and opportunity. Bowers openly and honestly shows the reader all the relevant details – there is no detective scuttling into corners looking for unexplained evidence or asking obscure questions based on knowledge unavailable to the reader. There is no final scene where new information is brought forward. Yet the mechanics of the carefully planned murder are there to see, and the solution gradually emerges as the cover up necessitates another murder.
My first guess failed to spot the murderer, and my second only got the solution half right. This is a thoughtful and well written mystery and a treat for any fans of Golden Age detective fiction.
Thanks for Moonstone Press for reprinting this (to me) unknown author and sending me a review copy.
March 22, 2024
I enjoyed reading this book, though I had no problem putting it down for days at a time, and I thought a lot of the prose was well written, but I didn’t care for any of the characters and I found the solution to the mystery both predictable and unsatisfying.
January 15, 2023
Minsterbridge. Just as she was recovering from a long illness 78 year old Mrs Cornelia Lackland is dead, her tyranny over her step-grandchildren and staff is over. Was it a coincidence that she was about to change her will. The local police call in Chief detective Inspector Dan Pardoe and D.S. Salt of New Scotland Yard.
An entertaining mystery
An entertaining mystery
April 18, 2020
Excellent
Another excellent book from an author sadly no longer with us. I’d never heard of Dorothy Bowers prior to reading this book but I will certainly be looking for her in the very near future. Unfortunately I believe she only wrote a handful of novels due to the onset of war then dying prematurely. The novel starts with the death of Mrs Lackland who is under the care of her Doctor and doing rather well and is allowed up the day after his visit, however that night somebody gave her an overdose of morphine. The doctor is called at 2am but he cannot save her, he also will not give a death certificate. The local police start an investigation but very quickly bring in Scotland Yard to hopefully solve the crime.
Another excellent book from an author sadly no longer with us. I’d never heard of Dorothy Bowers prior to reading this book but I will certainly be looking for her in the very near future. Unfortunately I believe she only wrote a handful of novels due to the onset of war then dying prematurely. The novel starts with the death of Mrs Lackland who is under the care of her Doctor and doing rather well and is allowed up the day after his visit, however that night somebody gave her an overdose of morphine. The doctor is called at 2am but he cannot save her, he also will not give a death certificate. The local police start an investigation but very quickly bring in Scotland Yard to hopefully solve the crime.
February 23, 2023
This was the first of Dorothy Bowers' mysteries, and while it's very well written, the clues were a little too transparent for my liking, so I got the sense of the whodunnit early on and was impatient with the detectives. The pacing was also a little sloggy in the middle. As with my experience with Dorothy Bowers' last novel, the characterization and the writing style are her strengths and this reads like a much more sophisticated novel than the average whodunnit story.
I'm going to work through her other novels but to my irritation, the paper copies of her books are formatted in a way that makes reading difficult with tiny fonts, so I'm having to resort to Kindle copies which are only available on Amazon UK.
I'm going to work through her other novels but to my irritation, the paper copies of her books are formatted in a way that makes reading difficult with tiny fonts, so I'm having to resort to Kindle copies which are only available on Amazon UK.
February 29, 2024
Interesting crossword puzzle-style murder mystery written in 1938. Set in a bucolic English town (Minsterbridge), the deserving victim is a tyrannical rich old lady who makes everyone's lives a misery. Relatives, family friends and servants are all in the frame. The murderer is quite obvious from reasonably early on but there are still a few surprises along the way in this rather gentle mystery.
Plotting aside, there is some lovely description here of a sleepy town in the hottest week of summer and I found the part where the police are in the wood particularly atmospheric.
Plotting aside, there is some lovely description here of a sleepy town in the hottest week of summer and I found the part where the police are in the wood particularly atmospheric.
October 1, 2025
Disappointing after the post-war The Bells at Old Bailey. This earlier book starts with a similar premise to that of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in which an old lady controls the purse strings of her step family. Reasonable in 1918 but not 1938 when girls could do university degrees, instead of hanging about like a pair of lazy kippers.
Also too much analysis about bottles and bandages.
Also too much analysis about bottles and bandages.
March 12, 2022
Mi è piaciuto e devo dire che lo preferisco a “Un cappio per Archibald Mitford”: sarà che gli omicidi maturati in famiglia hanno sempre il loro fascino….
December 31, 2023
2.5 stars
May 22, 2024
A classic, Golden Age, play fair mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.
September 1, 2023
Less character driven than I like. Much more of a police procedural but I will give the author another chance. I already have two or three others. The writing is good. Hoping for more development in this series as it continues. I usually always enjoy a classic from the Rue Morgue Vintage Press.
February 7, 2018
I couldn’t accept the characterization of the murderer, whom Bowers presented at first in one light and then did a complete 180 by the end of the book. No, the story didn’t ring true. I am looking forward to seeing how the next book compares.
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