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Peter Robinson

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BEFORE POISON Paperback – December 13, 2012

by Peter Robinson (Author)

4.2 3,869 ratings

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

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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

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From the Publisher


	Standing in the Shadows	Not Dark Yet	Many Rivers to Cross	Careless Love

Customer Reviews	9,094	9,504	9,382	9,466
Price	$14.79	$12.10	$14.99	$16.14


	Sleeping in the Ground	Watching the Dark	Before the Poison	Not Safe After Dark

Customer Reviews	10,914	6,686	3,869	600
Price	$14.49	$13.87	$9.00	$13.91

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Brilliant.” — Globe and Mail on Before the Poison

From the Back Cover

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, multilayered thriller, Before the Poison is one of Peter Robinson’s most brilliant novels—and one readers won’t soon forget.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ MorrowPb; Reprint edition (December 13, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062204688
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062204684
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16,502 in Murder Thrillers
- #51,068 in Suspense Thrillers
- #55,314 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 3,869 ratings

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Peter Robinson

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Peter Robinson's DCI Banks became a major ITV1 drama starring Stephen Tompkinson as Inspector Banks and Andrea Lowe as DI Annie Cabbot.

Peter's standalone novel BEFORE THE POISON won the IMBA's 2013 Dilys Award as well as the 2012 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel by the Crime Writers of Canada. This was Peter's sixth Arthur Ellis award. His critically acclaimed DCI Banks novels have won numerous awards in Britain, the United States, Canada and Europe, and are published in translation all over the world. In 2020 Peter was made a Grand Master by the Crime Writers of Canada. Peter grew up in Yorkshire, and divided his time between Richmond, UK, and Canada until his death in 2022.

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4.2 out of 5

3,869 global ratings

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Barbara

Great physical descriptions

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024

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Loved the Dales and his descriptions of almost everything, the rooms, the clothes, the geography, put me right there.. enjoyed this book more than I thought I would!! Was surprised that he is author of Inspector Banks, of which I have read all.. so very different but satisfying novel!!! Makes me want to read his other novels..

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Harley

Take this as a standalone

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2012

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This is not like Robinson's normal works. It is so different I had to double check I had not opened the wrong book. I thought I was reading a Robert Goddard. I can understand how a writer wirh a long series might get bored and want to try something different. The problem is that if you are a regular reader of his works you may be biased against this departure and feel cheated. So I warn you - this is different. Inspector Banks does not appear . It is not a police procedural.

However I did enjoy this. It is set in the dales and there is a lot of music in it. That much is familiar. The narrator is a film music composer who buys a remote house in yorkshire after his wife dies. He is returning to his roots after a life spent in the US. The story swings between the present and the past as he becomes obsessed with finding the truth about a previous occupant who was hanged shortly after WW2 for murdering her husband. I enjoyed this but it is a solid story not great. Hence the 4 stars. Certainly worth a read but not as your first Robinson novel unless you are also a Goddard fan. In that case you will enjoy it anyway. Just do not expect his other novels to be like this.

13 people found this helpful

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Cozyreaders

British Cold Case

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2012

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I, personally, had never read any of Peter Robinson's books prior this novel. 'Before the Poison' is written as a stand alone and that was right. The book is a complete and satisfying experience all in one story.

It opens with a Hollywood composer returning home to England after many fulfilling years in California. The Character, Chris Lowndes is sixty and a new widower. The draw to continue his life in England in the Yorkshire dales is a mystery to his mother and brother, but, you quickly realize that Chris needs to find an 'ending' to his marriage/death and his childhood memories. Then, Chris will be freed to live his future.

Chris buys via internet, a property. The house exceeds his needs but he quickly feels at home. There is an atmosphere which feeds his composer heart but also tells him, through shadows, voices, and even a vision in a mirror, that perhaps the house is not completely at 'rest.' Why?

The 'why' is revealed slowly to Chris but not to us, the readers. The Author cleverly leads us directly into the mystery of the house and not gently. Rather through a shocking view of a prison hanging.

This novel is not a cozy murder but more an investigative look at a cold case. Did Grace kill her husband or not? Was it justified or not? These are just a few questions that arise. I think you will enjoy the journey to the answers, and let's not forget Chris' mysteries as well.

A good British murder mystery set from the 1950's to 2010's.

19 people found this helpful

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hahcutt

Long Trip to Nowhere Special

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2016

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I have a lot of Peter Robinson - all of the DCI Banks series, so the Yorkshire setting of most of this novel is familiar. Chris Lowndes moves to Yorkshire from Los Angeles and discovers that a previous owner of his new large house was hanged for murdering her doctor husband. He comes to believe that she was innocent and sets out to prove it. In the end he can not prove that she is innocent but he still believes it so the whole point of the novel is lost on me. A large part of the novel is devoted to discovering and developing the character of Grace Fox, and maybe THIS is the whole point. Chris is able to leave some new information with the granddaughter of Grace Fox but it is she who supplied him with the most critical information in the first place. The whole structure of this novel is muddy. I always feel that anything worth reading is worth reading twice. I won't read this novel again.

18 people found this helpful

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Alison S. Coad

Terrific

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2016

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In 1953, a woman is convicted of murdering her much older husband in order to be with her lover; as was done in England at that time, she is subsequently hanged for her offense. In 2010, her house in Yorkshire is bought by a composer of music for films, as he mourns the recent death of his wife. While he works on a new composition, he finds himself more and more fascinated by the long-ago murder, and as he starts digging into the past, he begins to wonder if there had been a massive miscarriage of justice all those years ago…."Before the Poison" is a stand-alone novel from Peter Robinson, best known for his Inspector Banks series, and it’s quite an amazing book, ranging as it does from topics as diverse as snow storms to medical experimentation to war crimes; absolutely riveting and highly recommended!

22 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Different

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021

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This was a different book for Robinson, it reminded me very much of an old movie from the 1950's. Some parts I enjoyed and we're very interesting especially the historical background, but I found I didn't really like the main character and had a hard time developing any empathy for him. I found him and his circumstance not quite believable, that is why the 4 star rating.

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E. Loveland

Loved the book - felt like I was on the same little adventure!

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2014

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I had this book as an "assignment" for a book club I belong to. That is the reason I read it. I just loved it! The characters were all likeable and interesting, and I felt like I was on the search with him for the truth. Loved all the imagery about the British countryside, and about France. And another thing I really liked was the way the World War II events were spoken from her view, the war nurse, rather than a soldier. Whole different take on the history.

By the way, that book club meeting had about 16 or 17 people show up, and it was pretty unanimous from everyone that we liked it. And this book club is made up of a very diverse group as far as our reading preferences. It is rare that everyone likes one of our books at the same time.

I will be checking out his Banks series as well as this is the first book I have read by him.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer

Just reading it now - terrific read.

Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

Love Peter Robinson novels. Will be sorely missed. RIP.

Graham Turner

Good reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

A very enjoyable book,I found it held my attention all the way through, a very intriguing story well written loved it.

begonals

Before the poison

Reviewed in Spain on August 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

Me esperaba otra novela con el inspector Alan Banks y mi sorpresa fue una intriga fantásticamente hilada, no spoilers, destacando la crueldad del ser humano durante las guerras y la fuerza de tantos sanitarios durante ellas.
Fantástica

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