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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know which one is poisoned!
Ingenious on many levels, this novel pokes fun at the public delight in murder cases through the fictitious Crime Circle, a group of amateur crime solvers who meet to try and resolve a real-life murder. Each is given a chance to voice their theory, and each amateur sleuth's complacent hypothesis is deconstructed.
Realising perhaps that the most satisfying part of a murder mystery is the grand reveal at the end, The Poisoned Chocolates Case is almost entirely composed of grand reveals, each given a distinct flavour depending on the character voicing the denunciation. There are multiple references to real-life murder cases so that the book becomes practically educational.
More than a chocolate box, this novel is a puzzle box, and most satisfying it is too!
Ingenious on many levels, this novel pokes fun at the public delight in murder cases through the fictitious Crime Circle, a group of amateur crime solvers who meet to try and resolve a real-life murder. Each is given a chance to voice their theory, and each amateur sleuth's complacent hypothesis is deconstructed.
Realising perhaps that the most satisfying part of a murder mystery is the grand reveal at the end, The Poisoned Chocolates Case is almost entirely composed of grand reveals, each given a distinct flavour depending on the character voicing the denunciation. There are multiple references to real-life murder cases so that the book becomes practically educational.
More than a chocolate box, this novel is a puzzle box, and most satisfying it is too!
A short story’s worth of content dragged out into one of the most wordy, long-winded, dull mysteries I’ve ever come across.
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Golden Age mystery
A perfect murder.
An unsolved case.
Six amateur detectives.
Six different ways.
Six different explanations.
Six different solutions.
Which one will be able to solve the case?
A perfect murder.
An unsolved case.
Six amateur detectives.
Six different ways.
Six different explanations.
Six different solutions.
Which one will be able to solve the case?
A most enjoyable crime novel first published in 1929. The true interest of the story lies in the fact that it points up the problems with much Golden Age crime literature, which are puzzles more than anything else, with the ingenious solutions often not standing up to close examination.
The crime at the centre of the mystery is the poisoning of a young wife via the medium of a box of chocolates which appears to have been intended for somone else entirely. The police are apparently baffled, as per normal, and a Crime Club consisting of six people who have an interest in true crime deciding they can solve the problem. The members consist of Roger Sheringham (Berkeleys usual detective) a less serious Wimsey-type who is Chairman of the group, a male barrister, a female playwright, a female writer of 'serious' novels', a male detective story writer and a nervous little chap who seems to be a hanger on of sorts (but who does appear in other Berkeley novels). Each in turn produces a solution, based on their own outlook and experiences of life, and each in turn completely convinces the others that they are correct only to be shot down in turn by the next, equally convincing, answer. I have to say the one slight drawback I found in this book is.
The original novel is expanded here by two extra chapters. The first, written by author Christianna Brand in 1979, is very short and (IMO) simply extends the issue I have with the ending as per the spoiler. The final chapter was written by Martin Edwards, the editor of many of the British Library titles, especially for this volume. I would say it offers a more usual and, probably, a more likely solution to the puzzle.
I enjoyed this immensely and would recommend it with no reservations
The crime at the centre of the mystery is the poisoning of a young wife via the medium of a box of chocolates which appears to have been intended for somone else entirely. The police are apparently baffled, as per normal, and a Crime Club consisting of six people who have an interest in true crime deciding they can solve the problem. The members consist of Roger Sheringham (Berkeleys usual detective) a less serious Wimsey-type who is Chairman of the group, a male barrister, a female playwright, a female writer of 'serious' novels', a male detective story writer and a nervous little chap who seems to be a hanger on of sorts (but who does appear in other Berkeley novels). Each in turn produces a solution, based on their own outlook and experiences of life, and each in turn completely convinces the others that they are correct only to be shot down in turn by the next, equally convincing, answer. I have to say the one slight drawback I found in this book is
Spoiler
there is no definitive solution - the reader is left thinking that the final solution must be the correct one but that has been true of all the solutions. Basically, the story just ends with no answerThe original novel is expanded here by two extra chapters. The first, written by author Christianna Brand in 1979, is very short and (IMO) simply extends the issue I have with the ending as per the spoiler. The final chapter was written by Martin Edwards, the editor of many of the British Library titles, especially for this volume. I would say it offers a more usual and, probably, a more likely solution to the puzzle.
I enjoyed this immensely and would recommend it with no reservations
Content warning: murder, suicide
I wish there were more audio versions of Berkeley's writing, as I've really enjoyed what I've read so far. This was available at my library as a double header with a full cast and sound effects. I usually don't like graphic audio formats, except for when they're done by BBC Radio. If you can find it at your library, I highlight recommend this BBC Radio production called Amateur Detective Roger Sheringham which included The Poisoned Chocolates Case and Jumping Jenny.
PS I found the audiobook versions of the two stories on audible and the BBC performance is definitely an abridged version of the book, but still a great piece of entertainment.
I wish there were more audio versions of Berkeley's writing, as I've really enjoyed what I've read so far. This was available at my library as a double header with a full cast and sound effects. I usually don't like graphic audio formats, except for when they're done by BBC Radio. If you can find it at your library, I highlight recommend this BBC Radio production called Amateur Detective Roger Sheringham which included The Poisoned Chocolates Case and Jumping Jenny.
PS I found the audiobook versions of the two stories on audible and the BBC performance is definitely an abridged version of the book, but still a great piece of entertainment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
This is the second book I've read by Anthony Berkeley, and again I couldn't guess who did it, right down to the last page! This book is very much an armchair mystery, it being entirely told by various characters in the form of monologues/various theories. Not boring at all however!
An interesting and well-written experimental sort of detective novel.
Roger Sheringham has established a small club for people interested in criminology. His latest idea is for them all to investigate a recent unsolved crime ("The Poisoned Chocolates Case") during the course of one week. On successive evenings, each member will then take the floor to share his or her conclusions in hopes that somewhere along the line they will solve it and hand it back over to the police.
What follows is a fairly amusing indictment of traditional detective stories. In many such books, the reader is primed to accept that the detective's deduction on any given fact is the only possible conclusion. But in this book there are as many deductions as there are people, and all of them plausible in their own way.
The only flaw in this structure is that when you finally reach the "real" solution, you are still left with a nagging feeling that it's only one of many possibilities...
Which maybe was the point.
And indeed a couple of other authors wrote additional solutions in later years, which are evidently part of the newest edition of the book. It might be worth tracking down just to check out those other solutions.
A few excerpts to show off the occasional flashes of humor:
Roger sped to the rescue. The combatants reminded him of a bull and a gadfly, and that is a contest which it is often good fun to watch. But the Crimes Circle had been founded to investigate the crimes of others, not to provide opportunities for new ones.
The motion was carried unanimously. Mrs. Fielder-Flemming would have liked to vote against it, but she had never yet belonged to any committee where all motions were not carried unanimously and habit was too strong for her.
"A friend of Mrs. Bendix's then. At least," amended Mrs. Fielder-Flemming in some confusion, remembering that real friends seldom murder each other, "she thought of him as a friend. Dear me, this is getting very interesting, Alicia."
Roger Sheringham has established a small club for people interested in criminology. His latest idea is for them all to investigate a recent unsolved crime ("The Poisoned Chocolates Case") during the course of one week. On successive evenings, each member will then take the floor to share his or her conclusions in hopes that somewhere along the line they will solve it and hand it back over to the police.
What follows is a fairly amusing indictment of traditional detective stories. In many such books, the reader is primed to accept that the detective's deduction on any given fact is the only possible conclusion. But in this book there are as many deductions as there are people, and all of them plausible in their own way.
The only flaw in this structure is that when you finally reach the "real" solution, you are still left with a nagging feeling that it's only one of many possibilities...
Which maybe was the point.
And indeed a couple of other authors wrote additional solutions in later years, which are evidently part of the newest edition of the book. It might be worth tracking down just to check out those other solutions.
A few excerpts to show off the occasional flashes of humor:
Roger sped to the rescue. The combatants reminded him of a bull and a gadfly, and that is a contest which it is often good fun to watch. But the Crimes Circle had been founded to investigate the crimes of others, not to provide opportunities for new ones.
The motion was carried unanimously. Mrs. Fielder-Flemming would have liked to vote against it, but she had never yet belonged to any committee where all motions were not carried unanimously and habit was too strong for her.
"A friend of Mrs. Bendix's then. At least," amended Mrs. Fielder-Flemming in some confusion, remembering that real friends seldom murder each other, "she thought of him as a friend. Dear me, this is getting very interesting, Alicia."
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes