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Available
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Publication
Bantam (1973), Mass Market Paperback
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: Meet the Matthews... before the next one dies It's no ordinary morning at the Poplars�??the master is found dead in his bed, and it seems his high blood pressure was not the cause. When an autopsy reveals a sinister poison in his body, it's up to the quietly resourceful Inspector Hannasyde to catch the murderer in time to spare the next victim. But every single member of the quarrelsome Matthews family has a motive and none, of course, has an alibi. "The ingredients are so well and carefully mixed, the writing is so bright, and the solution so unexpected that the book achieves success and remains one no reader can fail to enjoy."�??Manchester Guardian "A marvelous mélange of malice, murder, mystery, and mirth. Priceless!"�??Saturday Review… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
Georgette Heyer, queen of the historical romance, here uses her well-regarded talent for creating believable characters to present her readers with a cozy mystery that isn't so cozy. Behold, Here's Poison, published in 1936, is a murder mystery set in an English country manor—complete with a
When the master at the Poplars, Gregory Matthews, is found dead one morning in his bed, his family is divided; some are sure his death resulted from high blood pressure and indigestion, while others positively insist on a postmortem. Gregory Matthews was not a kind man, and when the postmortem reveals that he died by poison, almost every family member has a plausible motive for doing him in. It's up to Inspector Hannasyde to comb through Matthews' tangled affairs and try to catch the murderer... before someone else dies.
What a set of thoroughly unlikeable people Heyer creates! It was hard to build any kind of liking for the characters; they are all selfish in their own ways. Some express it in habitual insincerity (oh what a faithful likeness Heyer paints of someone I know with this trait!), while others are just plain malicious. Apparently the best trait possible among such a set of reprobates is to be interesting. Stella is all right and one begins, rather grudgingly, to wonder if even Randall has his good points, but I'd be hard pressed to point out anyone who could be called a hero or heroine. And maybe that's more realistic anyways, given human nature.
Overall, I enjoyed this mystery, though I couldn't be shut of the characters quickly enough. No one will ever be able to challenge Heyer in the execution of sharp and witty dialogue, but after the amusement fades there isn't much else to return to in this story. The characters are brilliantly drawn, but on the whole pretty odious. I don't think I'd like to know any of them in real life, and I find I've been spoiled by the type of mysteries in which you always have someone to root for, even if your enthusiasm is clouded by the uncertainty of whether or not your favorite will turn out to be the dastardly murderer. But at least you have a favorite in that type of mystery.
Like most of Heyer's readers, I prefer the historical novels, but I do plan to read the rest of her mysteries.
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passel of unpleasant relatives, talkative servants, suspicious policemen, and red herrings. When the master at the Poplars, Gregory Matthews, is found dead one morning in his bed, his family is divided; some are sure his death resulted from high blood pressure and indigestion, while others positively insist on a postmortem. Gregory Matthews was not a kind man, and when the postmortem reveals that he died by poison, almost every family member has a plausible motive for doing him in. It's up to Inspector Hannasyde to comb through Matthews' tangled affairs and try to catch the murderer... before someone else dies.
What a set of thoroughly unlikeable people Heyer creates! It was hard to build any kind of liking for the characters; they are all selfish in their own ways. Some express it in habitual insincerity (oh what a faithful likeness Heyer paints of someone I know with this trait!), while others are just plain malicious. Apparently the best trait possible among such a set of reprobates is to be interesting. Stella is all right and one begins, rather grudgingly, to wonder if even Randall has his good points, but I'd be hard pressed to point out anyone who could be called a hero or heroine. And maybe that's more realistic anyways, given human nature.
Overall, I enjoyed this mystery, though I couldn't be shut of the characters quickly enough. No one will ever be able to challenge Heyer in the execution of sharp and witty dialogue, but after the amusement fades there isn't much else to return to in this story. The characters are brilliantly drawn, but on the whole pretty odious. I don't think I'd like to know any of them in real life, and I find I've been spoiled by the type of mysteries in which you always have someone to root for, even if your enthusiasm is clouded by the uncertainty of whether or not your favorite will turn out to be the dastardly murderer. But at least you have a favorite in that type of mystery.
Like most of Heyer's readers, I prefer the historical novels, but I do plan to read the rest of her mysteries.
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LibraryThing member BookAngel_a
This murder mystery was so much fun! I happen to be partial to Heyer's mysteries, and this was the perfect comfort read for me.
The Matthews are a dysfunctional family with lots of eccentric characters. The family head is murdered and everyone's worst qualities are brought to light. Secrets are
Inspector Hannasyde is on the case, but he is not the focus of the plot. The scenes are all stolen by members of this crazy family. I loved the piously hypocritical widow, the cheapskate spinster, and the snakelike elder cousin. In typical Heyer fashion, the characters are memorable and amusing.
Recommended for those who love old fashioned murder mysteries with great characters.
The Matthews are a dysfunctional family with lots of eccentric characters. The family head is murdered and everyone's worst qualities are brought to light. Secrets are
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revealed. Attachments are formed and broken. Everything is chaotic, and no one knows who to trust. Inspector Hannasyde is on the case, but he is not the focus of the plot. The scenes are all stolen by members of this crazy family. I loved the piously hypocritical widow, the cheapskate spinster, and the snakelike elder cousin. In typical Heyer fashion, the characters are memorable and amusing.
Recommended for those who love old fashioned murder mysteries with great characters.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
The mystery is ingenious - and the actual villain came out of left field for me. However, the characters were a trifle flat. I don't know whether it was a remnant of memory of a previous read, or just because it was a Heyer - but when the sarcastic, nasty character showed up I pegged him
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immediately for the romantic lead - which made a lot of his dancing around rather silly. The rest seemed rather stereotypical, though they did stick to their characters - the fluffy-brained idiot kept to her lines throughout, in particular. I do like Randall (though he's occasionally too clever for his own good) and it was nice to see Giles again. Superintendent Hannasyde seemed to spend most of the book running to catch up. He did make a few discoveries that no one else did (chiefly through patient police procedure), but was beaten to the punch at the crucial times - playing Watson at best and Lestrade at worst. Not bad, not a favorite. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The Poplars is a country house on a heath somewhere outside London. Its inhabitants include the typical victim and suspects - an aging patriarch who controls the purse strings and thus is the only thing standing in the way of happiness for an assortment of tiresome relatives, including a spinster
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sister, a hypochondriac sister-in-law, and a niece and nephew with no useful skills. It's no surprise when the sudden death of the patriarch is found to be murder. The family occupies center stage in the novel, while the police inspectors are somewhat minor characters. I worked out the solution fairly easily, although the author supplied plenty of red herrings. She didn't quite play fair, though. Part of the method/motive was mentioned only in the final revelation. (Maybe the clue was so subtle that I missed it, but I did go back and check.) Although it's not the best of is genre, English country house mystery fans may find it a pleasant diversion for an idle evening. Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
I'm not a fan of Ms Heyer's regency romances, but I have enjoyed her mysteries. In this book, the tyrannical patriarch of a family is discovered dead in his bed. While his sister, sister-in-law, niece and nephew who live with him believe he must have died of a heart attack in his sleep and his
The heir is loathed by all in the family for being irreverent and rude. But is he all that he seems? The results of the postmortem indicate that death was the result of poison. But how was it administered and who could have done it. Our Inspector Hannasyde is baffled at the lack of clues. There is no shortage of suspects ... it seems everyone had a reason to want dear old Uncle dead. In building the case, Ms Heyer keeps us guessing right until the last couple of pages.
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doctor declares he died of natural causes, his other sister who comes over, takes one look at him and demands a postmortem, much to the alarm and horror of the rest of the family. The heir is loathed by all in the family for being irreverent and rude. But is he all that he seems? The results of the postmortem indicate that death was the result of poison. But how was it administered and who could have done it. Our Inspector Hannasyde is baffled at the lack of clues. There is no shortage of suspects ... it seems everyone had a reason to want dear old Uncle dead. In building the case, Ms Heyer keeps us guessing right until the last couple of pages.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
When the master of the Poplars is found dead, most of the family and even the doctor believe it to be natural causes, but Aunt Gertrude insists upon an autopsy where poison is discovered. Of course, the evidence had been cleared away by the time it became a police case, so Supt. Hannasyde and
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Inspector Hemingway have little evidence on which to build their case. The question the family and the doctor and while there are plenty of motives, there is nothing which puts the suspicion on any one member above another. Will they be able to solve a seemingly unsolvable murder? Plenty of motives; plenty of red herrings. Most mystery buffs will be able to spot the truth before it is revealed, but it's still an enjoyable read. There is a reference to a previous book, Death in the Stocks, so those who have not read that earlier book should probably begin with it to see why this case reminds Inspector Hemingway of that one. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjvors
"Behold, Here's Poison" is the first mystery of Georgette Heyer I have read. Written in 1936, it is set in England in 1936. Part of the charm of the book is the accurate feeling of the period. It begins quickly, with a novel introduction of the main characters by the maid. Then the murder occurs,
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and then the Inspector Hannasyde shows up. Each character has suspicion cast upon him or her in turn and is seemingly cleared. The pieces do not come together until the end, when the true murderer is revealed. The other charming quality of the book is the use of humor. Oh, and there is a surprising romance that develops between two of the main characters. That is the one similarity with her Regency novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
At the heart of this novel is a wonderously dysfunctional family. There's a spinster aunt, who initially blames Gregory Matthew's death on the roast duck he had for dinner, but Gregory was murdered. The household also includes a widowed valetudinarian sister-in-law and her two children. Another,
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overbearing, sister lives close by with her hen-pecked husband and then there's nephew, and heir, Randall, whose sharp wit and humour are superb. They all had a motive to murder Gregory and its up to Superintended Hannasyde to discover the truth, which of course he does. Wonderful. Show Less
LibraryThing member rretzler
I am not going to summarize this book as you can read it's summary elsewhere. I will say that I found it to be a delightful read, if you are a fan of the classic English mystery novel. I found this book to be particularly enjoying because the protagonist is not your typical "hero", even though he
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does solve the mystery and get the girl in the end! Show Less
LibraryThing member mmyoung
Not exactly a _pleasant_ Heyer. Few, if any, of the main characters have redeeming qualities although few have the type of character flaws that make one banish people from one's circle. They are all, to some degree or another, narcissists. None of them have grand visions and none care for much
The murder itself is both distinctly clever and yet carried off in a way that a careful reader should be able to get a hint of the correct solution.
As a murder mystery it is low key and almost action free. As a puzzle it is fair. As a portrait of a class that will be almost wiped out by the Second World War an interesting case study,
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other than their own personal comfort.The murder itself is both distinctly clever and yet carried off in a way that a careful reader should be able to get a hint of the correct solution.
As a murder mystery it is low key and almost action free. As a puzzle it is fair. As a portrait of a class that will be almost wiped out by the Second World War an interesting case study,
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LibraryThing member KimMR
I liked the earlier Heyer mysteries I've read much more than this one. My lack of enthusiasm is in some part due to the writing but also due to the very poor audio book version I listened to. The reader made unlikeable characters even more so. Indeed, his rendition of Randall made him so very
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unlikeable that the already thin romantic sub-plot was made totally unbelievable. I found it fairly easy to work out the identity of the murderer, but not the details of why the murder was committed, so I had a reason to listen through to the end!! I haven't read all of Heyer's mysteries, but of those I have read I think that this is the weakest so far. Show Less
LibraryThing member abruno
Most of you are aware of my love for Georgette Heyer, so it's probably no surprise that I couldn't resist trying out one of her mystery novels. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed! I do believe that this woman could make a grocery list read witty!
Behold, Here's Poison is an entertaining
Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read such a great book! I truly enjoyed it and I think you will too!
Behold, Here's Poison is an entertaining
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little murder mystery with a "Clue" sort of vibe to it. The characters are a little wacky, but in a delightful and amusing way. There's the outrageously thrifty Miss Matthews, moocher extraordinaire Mrs. Matthews and her spawn...and then there's Mr. Randall Matthews, newly made head of the family. I fell in love with his quick tongue and smart remarks...made me laugh out loud a few times, drawing odd looks from my husband!Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read such a great book! I truly enjoyed it and I think you will too!
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LibraryThing member veracite
So far I've determined that Miss Heyer has a type and he's generally very well dressed.
I read this years and years ago but didn't recollect it until the method of murder was revealed.
I expect if you like Wimsey, you'll like this. I'm a little bit over slightly wet young women, though.
I read this years and years ago but didn't recollect it until the method of murder was revealed.
I expect if you like Wimsey, you'll like this. I'm a little bit over slightly wet young women, though.
LibraryThing member SueinCyprus
Did grumpy old Uncle Gregory die from a stroke, brought on by high blood pressure and over-rich food, or was he poisoned? If the latter, who did the unpleasant deed?
This novel is set in 1930s upper-class England, contemporary fiction of the time. Georgette Heyer's detective stories don't have such
Just when it seems that the crime may never be solved, another one is committed, which confuses everyone still more and causes the domestic staff to give notice. I was pleased that I managed to figure out what had happened to cause the second crime before any of the characters did, but had not guessed the identity of the perpetrator. The ending, when it came, was rather sudden and abrupt, and while it made sense, it didn't give the satisfaction that the final resolution of a Christie book usually does.
Still, as a piece of social history and some nice characterisation, I thought it a good book.
This novel is set in 1930s upper-class England, contemporary fiction of the time. Georgette Heyer's detective stories don't have such
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clever plotting as Agatha Christie's, but their characterisation is always very well done. This book brings in the intelligent Superintendent Hannasyde who has featured in various other of Heyer's crime novels, and his sidekick, Inspector Hemmingway. The pair are frequently foiled in their investigations, not just by the lack of clues but by the prevarication of Uncle Gregory's family. Most of them had plenty of motivation to bump him off, but insufficient expertise or, indeed, opportunity. Just when it seems that the crime may never be solved, another one is committed, which confuses everyone still more and causes the domestic staff to give notice. I was pleased that I managed to figure out what had happened to cause the second crime before any of the characters did, but had not guessed the identity of the perpetrator. The ending, when it came, was rather sudden and abrupt, and while it made sense, it didn't give the satisfaction that the final resolution of a Christie book usually does.
Still, as a piece of social history and some nice characterisation, I thought it a good book.
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LibraryThing member annmariegamble
People who you could can believe might've murdered a guy are not nice people, and it took me a while to get into this book. What kept me reading were the multiple agendas (how were all those going to play out?), the lack of physical evidence (how was the crime going to be solved?), and the point of
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view (third-person omniscient handled well: as yet another character revealed what they were hiding from the police or who they were lying to, the suspense increased). Show Less
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Nothing can be said about the plot without giving away the solution, but the airy persiflage is outstanding, and the role of Regency Cad is well-played by one of the men.
LibraryThing member fuzzi
I decided to read this, as I have loved other books by this author.
The characters were uninteresting, despicable, and I gave up after trying several time to finish it. Sorry, life is too short and there are too many books waiting to be read to waste time on something I don't like.
The characters were uninteresting, despicable, and I gave up after trying several time to finish it. Sorry, life is too short and there are too many books waiting to be read to waste time on something I don't like.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Can we say "obstruction of justice", thought you could. Today this would have got dealt with in a different way (I'd kinda like Randall to meet Peter Grant for a few rounds of debate). Still this is from a different time and a different way of policing.
No-one really misses Dear Old Uncle Gregory
Then another member dies...
It's an interesting read, a classic period detective story with some horrible people and a hero who could be truly horrible, along with a romance that seemed to come out of no-where. Still the family was well drawn and I found them believable.
The narration wasn't very standout but I didn't find that it got in the way of the story.
No-one really misses Dear Old Uncle Gregory
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when he dies and when it's discovered that it was murder a fractured family find more cracks. The over-confident of his own smarts Randall rubs everyone up the wrong way in order to sit back and watch sparks fly while Inspector Hannasyde tries to discover the truth. The obvious culprit is someone in the family, but who, and why, everyone has a reason but also an alibi.Then another member dies...
It's an interesting read, a classic period detective story with some horrible people and a hero who could be truly horrible, along with a romance that seemed to come out of no-where. Still the family was well drawn and I found them believable.
The narration wasn't very standout but I didn't find that it got in the way of the story.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
Can't say I was overfond of this one: the characters were all pretty awful, even if the resolution of the mystery was quite good.
LibraryThing member jillmwo
Cousin Randall is a snake, but he's the only one with sense in the family when Uncle Gregory is found to have been poisoned. The rest of the relatives panic, running in all directions and implicating one another with alarming ease and rapidity. Heyer's mystery is a classic British murder infused
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with a delightful wit; modern readers may however feel the basic plot is hackneyed, not realizing that Heyer was among the first to execute it so successfully. Show Less
LibraryThing member aluvalibri
A delightful mystery in the classic style of the great writers of the genre.
I recomend it to all fans of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers, and Michael Innes, to name but a few.
Without disclosing the plot (it would not be fair, would it?), I will just say that the story gets more
Go ahead! Read it, and enjoy yourself.
I recomend it to all fans of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers, and Michael Innes, to name but a few.
Without disclosing the plot (it would not be fair, would it?), I will just say that the story gets more
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and more interesting as the narration proceeds, until it culminates in the final revelation. The characters are well drawn, some likeable, others not.Go ahead! Read it, and enjoy yourself.
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LibraryThing member murderbydeath
This is a book I should have enjoyed more than I did. The dialog between characters is scathing, often hilarious in a ‘I can’t believe he/she said that out loud’ kind of way, and the murder was clever and the karma both just and tragic. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, so much as I think
Heyer’s strong point in writing wasn’t her detectives; Hannasyde is flat and Hemingway needs to switch to decaf, but the rest of the cast of characters are all vividly written, and as I said, the dialog scorching. Mrs. Lupton came on the scene with a speech that had me laughing and wanting to stand and applaud and the rest of the case all have a shot at each other at least once or twice.
The romance, arguably Heyer’s raison d’être, just … failed. To put those two together with so little development or subtlety makes me wonder if Heyer hated these characters and wanted them so suffer. I mean, there’s playful verbal sparring, and there’s what these two were doing. Me? I don’t find anything romantic about being called a little idiot.
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I might have been better off choosing something else at that moment, with the result that I was impatient with the reading of it. It’s a weird place to be when you’re reading thinking this is good and are we done yet? at the same time.Heyer’s strong point in writing wasn’t her detectives; Hannasyde is flat and Hemingway needs to switch to decaf, but the rest of the cast of characters are all vividly written, and as I said, the dialog scorching. Mrs. Lupton came on the scene with a speech that had me laughing and wanting to stand and applaud and the rest of the case all have a shot at each other at least once or twice.
The romance, arguably Heyer’s raison d’être, just … failed. To put those two together with so little development or subtlety makes me wonder if Heyer hated these characters and wanted them so suffer. I mean, there’s playful verbal sparring, and there’s what these two were doing. Me? I don’t find anything romantic about being called a little idiot.
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Language
Original publication date
1936
Local notes
Hannasyde & Hemingway, 2
DDC/MDS
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