Behold, Here's Poison

I love to read British mysteries and try to always reserve time to read during breakfast and about an hour or two after. Then I have other things I must get done. 'Behold Here's Poison' Just would not let me get other things done! I'd put it down and soon find it calling to me, causing me to drop whatever work I was doing to discover the next delicious clue, the next character reveal, the next fun bit of dialogue and so on. I admit it, I do enjoy a bit of romance with my mystery and this had just enough--but that hero! Or was he the villain? I loved the dry wit of him, but the arrogance, the snootiness...or was it simply his way of seeing through so much family pretentiousness? Oh, well, the characters were all of such disorder and varying degrees of crazy-yet-sane, that following them around made for a fun read, and also made the progression of the clues all the more interesting. And what unusual poison. And the heroine was likable and strong and, given the time period (1930s), feminine and apt to turn around for help. I like that she didn't do stupidly dangerous things. And I liked the determined policeman, too. This was a most enjoyable read, amusing, baffling and hard to put down. And the route of getting to the solution was the best part, so this is a mystery I will relish reading again one day.

Georgette Heyer was a wonderful author. Her characters live, her conversations scintillate, and her plots are tantalizing.

"Behold, Here's Poison" by Georgette Heyer is a story that lingers in the mind. I read this book many years ago, but had the wrong author in mind when searching for it to reread. It was a delight to rediscover this clever story with a murder weapon I've never seen used in another story. Her characters dance from the opening page as real people we'd never meet except between the covers of a book. This is the second appearance of Supertindent Hannasyde as he struggles to deal with vivid "dingbats" and less than helpful relatives who will do their dam-est to protect the family name and foul his investigation. Randall Matthews is so finely drawn he is best described by his beloved as a "amiable viper." A comic read, which will find a place on your shelf of "keepers," if for no other reason than to study the exquisite art of the English verbal insult. Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

Although she cannot be called a great mystery plotter (the murderer is highly unlikely and there is a dire lack of clues), her characters make up for any defects. The lovely dispicable Randall, is hilarious one of my favorite Heyer unheroes. I prefer her Regencies but the mysteries are highly palatable as well.