Before the Poison

A Novel

De: Peter Robinson

Narrado por: Susan Lyons, Toby Lennet Moore

From New York Times bestselling author Peter Robinson comes this mesmerizing story-within-a-story about a man pulled into a murder from the past—and his quest to uncover the truth.

Quietly reeling from the death of his beloved wife, Chris Lowndes decides to return to the Yorkshire Dales after twenty-five successful years spent in Hollywood composing film scores. He purchases Kilnsgate House, a charming old mansion deep in the country, but something about the place disturbs him. His unease intensifies when he learns Kilnsgate was once the scene of a sensational murder. More than fifty years earlier, prominent doctor Ernest Arthur Fox was poisoned there, allegedly by his beautiful and much younger wife, Grace, who was subsequently tried, condemned, and hanged for the crime.

His curiosity piqued, Chris decides to investigate, and the more he discovers, the more convinced he becomes of Grace's innocence. Despite warnings to leave it be, his quest for the truth is soon leading him through dark shadows of the past . . . and into a strange web of secrets that lie perilously close to the present.

A complex, multi-layered thriller, Before the Poison is one of Peter Robinson’s most brilliant novels—and one readers won’t soon forget.

“A gripping tale that brings to mind not only old-time Hollywood but also British ‘golden age’ storytelling in the Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier tradition.”—Wall Street Journal

GREAT READ

So different from the Alan Banks series but very interesting and beautifully written. Throughly enjoy anything by Peter Robinson

Well read book and a great ending!

It was a very well written book if a little long however it handled the early 50’s perfectly!

Try it, you'll like it

If the mystery had been, read this book, guess who wrote it, I would have said Kate Morton. If you like her, you will enjoy this book. It's that kind of story. The characters are likeable, you care about what happens, and even though it is almost fourteen hours, I felt like it ended too soon.

Before the Poision

I really enjoyed this book. It encompassed so many aspects of human life, and man's ability to adapt to all situations.
Both the readers did a wonderful job of narration. I hope to hear their voices on many more recordings.
I would say to anyone who is a Peter Robinson fan, this is one of his best.

Wow, what book did the other folks listen to?

I'm astonished at the negative reviews that have been published for this book! My experience has been totally different. This is not an Inspector Banks series book and shouldn't be approached as one. Peter Robinson offers a great story with wonderful twists and turns, great characters--and why would you object to hearing what people order in a restaurant? I liked learning about new British beers to try. The performance is good--the voices are pleasant, although Toby Lennet Moore pronounces a few things rather oddly, but that's a personal issue for me and probably wouldn't be noticed by other listeners. Moore does have a fair gift for accents and gives life to characters in that fashion. I also enjoyed the voice of Grace in her diary entries and felt that this convention added depth to the characters and the story.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Robinson is an intelligent author with a good ear for dialogue and the ability to create interesting characters. He's not always worried bout making his characters perfectly likeable but actually mixes personality aspects in each one that make them richer and more real than a less talented author would be able to achieve.

Don't skip this book because of the negative reviews, please. Make up your own mind!

Relaxing mystery?

Isolated house. Old murder site. Ghosts, nightmares and scary sounds in the night. Started strong. But all works out nicely without tension or danger. A bit too relaxing although I liked the narration

WOW! Miss Alan Banks, but this was great!

Would you consider the audio edition of Before the Poison to be better than the print version?

As I love the "Kings" English as it was meant to be spoken, loved every word.

What did you like best about this story?

Really enjoyed the entire book. I have always enjoyed Mr Robinson's character developement. Discriptions of the country side, the house, weather,and insite into a nurse's experiance in WW ll while based in Indonesia was fascinating

What does Susan Lyons and Toby Lennet Moore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Once again the the beauty of the language, the way it should be spoken.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A wonderful story of love, loss, and interesting people.

Any additional comments?

Just relax and enjoy everything from Yorkshire to Capetown.

returning this book

It was recommended at the end of either an Ian Rutledge mystery, or James Herriot: "If you enjoyed this book....." so I gaveit a try. I did not like the graphic execution at the start of the book, nor values of rich and famous protagonist, and I did not like the pace of the reader, and the story was not of interest to me.

Not my vibe

This story did sound interesting initially but it could not keep me attention. I'm sure it captivates many of the readers. however it's not my bag.

Highly unsatisfactory plot and denouement

Gagged on some of the trite, touristy phrases. I guess the author thought he was being cute ... he just came over as shallow and banal. Another ‘ugly American’ strikes again.