Title: Behold, Here’s Poison
Author: Georgette Heyer
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publication Date: 1936
Purchase Price: $14.00 (paperback)
When Gregory Matthews, Master of the Poplars, is found dead in his bed, it sends the Matthews family into a tizzy. And when the cause of death is determined to be foul play, it’s up to the unflappable Inspector Hannasyde to uncover a murderer. Was it Randall Matthews, who stands to inherit the Poplars? Or could it be Stella Matthews, who is engaged to a man her uncle despised?
Chapter by chapter the suspect list grows — for although each character has a motive, none of them has an alibi.
Some quick thoughts
My first taste of Georgette Heyer came in the form of The Masqueraders. Heyer was a very prolific writer, so I had lots of options when it came to choosing another book.
I love a good mystery, but I just couldn’t enjoy it as much as I want to.
The main issue, I think, was that all the characters blended together. Most of them have the same last name, and they all have similarly high-strung and over-reactive personalities. There’s also no real physical descriptions of anyone, so everyone other than three or four of the characters becomes a blur. This makes it hard to follow conversations, and so I couldn’t get into the story.
Still worth reading
Despite the character confusion, I did enjoy Behold, Here’s Poison. The plot twists were surprising and intriguing, and the “who dunnit” was unexpected.
If you’re looking for a good mystery to read on a long plane ride, consider checking out Behold, Here’s Poison.
Kick-ass Quotes:
” ‘Well, no one need think that I am in any way surprised, for I am not. Gregory never showed the faintest consideration for anyone during his lifetime, and it would be idle to suppose that he would change in death.’ ” (p. 55)
What’s a book that you thought would be good, but ended up being kind of blah?
While I love Heyer’s historical fiction, I’ve found the few murder mysteries of hers that I’ve read to be rather bland.
I love that featured cover, ‘though. So saucy!
I’m glad I’m not the only one. 🙂 I kept trying to justify my feelings of bleh by saying, “Well, I don’t really like mysteries or murder mysteries,” but that’s just not true. I love a good mystery! I mentioned a couple things in the review that I think contributed to my not enjoying the story as much as I wanted, but I still can’t really put my finger on the exact reason.
It is a fabulous cover, isn’t it? Whoever picked it, picked a good one. I just wish that the story inside had been as awesome.
Her mysteries are really not all that good; they were just “bread on the table” books, quickly produced to bring in money. Her considerable talent went into her Regency novels.
I didn’t know that about Heyer, although I’m not really surprised: there’s a big history of that sort of thing.
Her talent is indeed considerable, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of her Regency novels. Any particular recommendations for me?
The Corinthian has always been one of my favorites, but it’s been years since I’ve read it, so I can’t remember why. Wit, I’m sure. Lady of Quality is another one I really enjoyed, above the rest. A Civil Contract is probably my absolute favorite, but it is more serious than her others, and has a different tone, not as light hearted.
Thanks for the recommendations, Gypsi. Heyer’s got a lot of books, and it’s nice to know someone who can give me a good starting place.
I’m probably going to go to the bookstore this weekend, so I’ll see if any of those is available. I also got The Grand Sophy as a Christmas gift, but I think it’s another mystery, so it’s not really high on my list of priorities. Have a great weekend!