Charlotte Armstrong
A Dram of Poison (1956)
Author: Charlotte Armstrong
Genre: Mystery
Plot Summary:
Mr. Gibson, a professor of poetry and aging bachelor, meets the meets a young, broken woman at her father's funeral. Her name is Rosemary and Mr. Gibson is struck with the desire to help save her. After the two have spent a considerable amount of time together, Mr. Gibson proposes that they be married. The marriage is not intended to be one of two people who are passionately in love, but one of convienance and comfort. Eventually, Mr. Gibson believes that he has fallen in love with his wife, but on the way home they are involved in a terrible car accident. Rosemary is not hurt, but Mr. Gibson is badly injured and will walk with a limp for the rest of his life. To help the couple out, Mr. Gibson's sister Ethel moves in with the couple. She spreads doubt about Rosemary in mr. Gibson's mind. He starts to believe that Rosemary is in love with the neighbor and he decides to drink poison to free her from the marriage vows. He changes his mind, but he can not find the bottle of poison. When he realizes that he left it on the city bus, he alerts the police to the situation. Mr. Gibson, along with his wife and others, begin a race to track down the other bus riders to determine the whereabouts of the poison and prevent a death. SPOILER: The poison was found on the bus by the maid and brought to Mr. Gibson's home. When his sister returned from work, she unknowingly added it to the family's dinner. Just as they are about to begin eating, the pieces of the mystery are put together and the crisis is averted.
Geographical Setting:California
Time Period: 1955
Appeal Characteristics:
This novel travels like a train leaving the station. It begins with a leisurely pace, but then it picks up alot of speed while rounding curves. By the conclusion, the story is moving fast enough to derail. Mr. Gibson's dilemma is presented from a third person point of view, that makes the reader feel compassion and dread for the situation that he's facing. The novel also includes a bit of romantic suspence. Other appeal characteristics include the topic of poison and books by female authors.
Read-alikes: Readers who have enjoyed this author's style may want to read Ms. Armstrong's book The Better to Eat You (1982). This book also deals with a professor who marries a younger woman. If a cozy mystery by a female writer is what you're after, try Catherine Aird's book Last Respects (1982). It's a story surrounding a body found in a lake. As a reader, you might enjoy the suspense built by an author. Ursula Curtiss's The Poisoned Orchard (1980). For the reader who was intrigued by the use of poison, William L. DeAndrea's novel Fatal Elixir (1997) is about trying to track down the criminal who poisoned some oil before he strikes again. Another book about poison is Nancy Pickard and Virginia Rich's The Secret Ingredient Murders (2002). This story involves a woman who must act as a detective to find out who poisoned the food at her party.
Red Flags: none
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