A review by sallyeh
Before the Poison by Peter Robinson

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.