What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
Slowly the Poison
SOLVED: Adult Fiction
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SOLVED. late 70's/early 80's murder mystery set in South Africa and England in the years just before World War I [s]
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Angharad, do you know if it was part of a series?The Kramer and Zondi Mystery series is set in Africa.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/6385...
And, while the description doesn't quite fit, the title caught my eye
The Blood of an Englishman: A Kramer and Zondi Investigation
Do you remember who was doing the investigating? Relative, detective, friend, etc?
Anything about the cover?
Tab, thank you for your comments. Kramer and Zondi do not sound familiar, and I'm positive that the mystery was a stand alone story, without a featured detective or investigator. I believe it was a family member or a friend who was doing the investigating. I think the police (generally speaking) were involved, but since the victim died after a night drinking in a pub and was found outside, in the snow, presumably having been thrown from his horse, I believe the police involvement was small, chalking it up to bad weather, being drunk, and stupidity (for being drunk and out during a storm).
Ah, the cover art...I remember that the book was a paperback (so it is possible that it was published earlier, given the turn around time back then to go from hardcover to pb), and that the sketch was the partial view of a man's body in a snowbank.
I'm still thinking about it, and hopefully more will come to mind. I'll check out the links you provided too, and maybe something there will trigger more memories. Thanks for your help.
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Lobstergirl, I am still looking for this. Thanks for following up. Do you have any new ideas?
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Did you read the book when it was first published in the 70s/80s? Or, did you read it in the 1990s, 2000s, 5 years ago, etc?
Tab, I read it in the early 1980's. I don't know/remember when it was published; it was a paperback, so it is possible that the copyright date could be the late 1970's.
Slowly the Poison by June Drummond ?From South Africa to England the housekeeper kept the secret. Set in the gracious era just before the Great War, Hugh Frobisher, the hard drinking, sports loving, worthless son of a wealthy South African family is given an allowance to live in England on the condition that he never return. While in England, Hugh marries, despite his family's objections. Things seem to be going well, until Hugh is killed in a fall from a horse, apparently a drunken accident, but an autopsy reveals he was poisoned. Hugh's young widow Alice is suspected of the crime, but the testimony of the housekeeper clears her. At the invitation of Hugh's family, Alice goes to South Africa. There she becomes involved in another murder, again by poison. Is she guilty or is the housekeeper protecting her or blackmailing her?
Kym, that's it! You found it!!!!! Thank you!!! I searched for it on Amazon, and the cover picture is what I remember. Now I'm going to search for it at my local library and ILL....someone must have it somewhere.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Slowly the Poison (other topics)The Blood of an Englishman (other topics)
You were such a great help with my previous two inquiries that I thought I would try again.
I read a mystery published in the late 1970's/early 1980's that was set in South Africa and England in the years just before World War I. Unfortunately, I remember neither the author nor title. I don't remember any of the main or minor characters' names, but I do remember that the plot was a murder mystery, that the character who was killed (a male) had been banished or sent to England because of either his behavior and/or his ethics (he did something that caused his family to send him to England, and he died after a fall from a horse during a winter snow storm). The story picked up in South Africa after the family learns of the death of this son. I think he had married, but there was some problem--she wasn't approved of by the family, or he had broken a previous engagement which caused hurt and hard feelings. I do remember that a woman was the murderer, and I THINK she was still in South Africa (I think she sent him poison), or paid someone in England to carry out her plan. I also think there were affairs, secrets, etc., so there was a lot going on behind the scenes and under the covers that was not apparent when the mystery opened. Of course, then the war broke out and changed everything, and I can't remember how it ended.
I want to say the family and characters were either aristocracy or gentry, or at least wealthy enough to make money, property, etc. a motive too.
If there are any mystery fans here who remember this book, please share--I'd love to find it and read it again. Thank you for your help!