Antidote to Venom by Freeman Wills Crofts

Antidote to Venom 
Freeman Wills Crofts
1938
4/5 stars

This "inverted" mystery begins by following George Surridge, director of the Birmington Zoo.  He is short on cash, due mostly to bad decisions on his part, and finds himself contemplating the unthinkable  as a means to alleviate his difficulties.  The reader waits for the inevitable to happen, as Surridge gets in deeper and deeper, with the suspense being where and how he would commit murder.

Once the deed is done, it comes to the notice of Scotland Yard detective, Inspector French, who notices a clue not picked up on by the Birmington police.  French proceeds to investigate, while Surridge becomes paranoid and panicky, wondering how soon it will be before his guilt is discovered.

This was a nicely plotted, intelligent, and well-written mystery.  The method of the crime was truly ingenious, if a bit implausible, and Crofts' development of Surridge's character quite good.  Crofts intended for this to be a moral tale of sorts, with a redemptive ending, but that part of the novel was somewhat awkward, as if Crofts were slightly embarrassed by what he was doing.  Otherwise, this is a fully entertaining story and I hope to read more by this Golden Age author.  

March 2019 Wrap-Up

Books Read:

The Prodigious Hickey by Owen Johnson  4/5 stars
This 1910 boys' school novel is pure fun.  It is made up of connected short stories of the adventures of the students of the Lawrenceville School, largely focusing on William "Hickey" Hicks and his exploits against the masters.  Johnson is an engaging writer, and the book, as a whole, is extremely entertaining.

Madam, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart  3/5 stars  (my review here)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling  4/5 stars
This is an I-don't-know-how-many-ith time reading of this enjoyable book for a buddy read with a stitching/reading group.  It's too well-known to need a review, but suffice it to say that the series is certainly worth reading.

Lilith by George MacDonald  5/5 stars  (my review here)

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett  5/5 stars
In this Discworld tribute to Shakespeare, the three Ramtops witches meddle in politics to put a rightful king on the Lancre throne.  This is an intelligent, often hilarious, and entirely entertaining book with an engaging plot and a wonderful unexpected twist.  Pratchett excels at making the ridiculous and incredible believable, and Wyrd Sisters is a perfect example of that talent. 

Audio Books Completed:

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle  4/5 stars (my review here)

The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle  3/5 stars
The heroes of the Lost World find themselves together at what seems to be the end of the world, as a belt of poison ether enters the atmosphere.  This is an uneven novella, with some parts exciting, and other parts rather dull.  It was a pleasure to revisit the familiar characters, however, and interesting to see how a post-apocalyptic world would appear to an Edwardian.

Gone West by Carola Dunn  3/5 stars
Daisy becomes involved in a murder case whilst she is staying with friends.  Her husband, Chief Inspector Fletcher of New Scotland Yard, is called in to investigate, and Daisy assists.  As with the rest of the series, Gone West is charming and light, with very little meat to the story, but still entertaining.

False Scent by Ngaio Marsh  4/5 stars
A famous actress dies from inhaling bug spray, and murder is suspected.  This, as with all of Marsh's mysteries, is intelligent, engrossing, and satisfying.  Marsh prepared the characters' background excellently, drawing the reader in quickly.  The plot was perhaps not fully believable, but certainly entertaining.  I can not recommend the Roderick Alleyn series enough.

The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland  4/5 stars
In this domestic thriller, Tessa finds an unknown child in her home; as a result, her life turns upside down and her sanity is challenged.  I've read other novels by Boland, and, as in those, she writes engagingly, with realistic characters.  It wasn't perhaps as thrilling as advertised, but this was still an solidly good read.

The Case of the Abominable Snowman by Nicholas Blake  3/5 stars
Nigel Strangeways becomes involved in solving a case of murder that was staged to look like suicide.  This is an intelligent and mostly believable mystery, but at the end, it relied too much on one coincidence, and that lessened the credibility of the whole experience.

The Fifth Business by Robertson Davies  3/5 stars  (my review here)

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn  4/5 stars  (my review here)

In the Woods by Tana French  5/5 stars  (my review here)