Reviews

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson

sallyeh's review against another edition

3.0

Hmmm. I loved a lot about this book. It was a slow read because Robinson dictates everything his main character does down to the minutiae and includes a bunch of dialogue that neither serves the plot nor informs the character (a number of character including his new lover and her meddling friend could have been cut entirely.) However, the musical references, many of the supplementary characters, such as his brother and a couple of the old timers in the area, the descriptions of Yorkshire and the habits of its people, especially in contrast to the United States, were a joy. Wait, there was a mystery too? Yes, one that would have been more compelling had the character spent less time defending his desire to solve it, and one that didn't really take off until the 3rd section of the imbedded journal, but it was a decent why-done-it that would make a great historical novel should Robinson have opted to edit out the contemporary angle.

caitlinxmartin's review against another edition

I will never ever agree to review one of Mr. Robinson's books again. I can't manage to get through them and it's time to stop trying. It's just not fair to someone who might be a fan.

happy_hiker's review against another edition

4.0

This stand alone from Robinson was very compelling.

marystevens's review against another edition

This is not a DCI Banks. It's about a Hollywood film composer who returns to his native Yorkshire in his retirement after his wife dies. Determined to write some real music, a sonata, he gets side tracked by the story of murder committed fifty years ago in the house he just bought. I just didn't care about the characters or the plot.

craftsbetweennaps's review against another edition

3.0

Often times this story seemed repetetive and way too rich in details to which I had no reference point. The author would name songs/composers, stores, liquor brands, and other specifics which just seemed to create a drag in the storyline for me. There were alao many characters introduced that had no bearing on the story itself (like his daughter and her husband who popped by for Christmas). Other characters such as the housemaid were mentioned but never developed into a good part of the action. The story really never took off for me.

em_da5h's review against another edition

4.0

Really enjoyable read with a nice mix of mystery and history. I found the main character, Chris, really sympathetic, despite the fact that he's a British widower in his 60s. He struggles with the loss of his love, conflicting new love, finding ways to continue and be passionate about life, working through creative slumps -- age old problems that humans perpetually deal with. Chris is an ex-pat who finally returns home after 3 or 4 decades of writing scores for Hollywood movies. Robinson weaves this profession nicely with the plot and mentions many composers, musicians, and old movies that I want to go back and make a list of to find later.

I also enjoyed the development of Grace Fox's character through different "interviews," discoveries, and journal entries. Robinson did a good job of making the reader feel more and more sympathetic towards her.

I'm a mystery junkie, but I think the non-mystery fanatic could also really enjoy this novel.

literaryfeline's review against another edition

4.0

http://www.literaryfeline.com/2012/05/bookish-thoughts-before-poison-by-peter.html

alyssa_tauber's review against another edition

3.0

A fun mystery novel which focuses more on why the victim died than who did it. I would pick up another book by this author.

menfort's review against another edition

3.0

This was an uncorrected proof that I received, but by the time I got it, it had already been published. I started it, couldn't get into, then I picked it up again when I had nothing else to read. It was an interesting premiss but was pretty anti-climatic and I never could bring myself to like the main character.

botrap's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed the story telling but the the ending was a bit unsatisfying. A good British escape read in sunny Florida