Cousin Randall is a snake, but he's the only one with sense in the family when Uncle Gregory is found to have been poisoned. The rest of the relatives panic, running in all directions and implicating one another with alarming ease and rapidity. Heyer's mystery is a classic British murder infused with a delightful wit; modern readers may however feel the basic plot is hackneyed, not realizing that Heyer was among the first to execute it so successfully. ( )

The final Georgette Heyer mystery that I read was Behold, Here's Poison. This one was really less a mystery than a family dynamics story. The cantankerous patriarch of a family is murdered with an obscure poison and it brings out the worst in everyone involved -- his sister, his sister-in-law and her two children and his nephew. They all had something to gain from his death and yet his death seems to make them all more miserable and it brings out the worst in them.

There is a surprise romance in the story that is somewhat unexplainable and strange. The mystery is also solved in a slap-dash manner with no real clues presented through the story. However, despite these shortcomings, this is still a good read as just a general fiction story.

http://webereading.com/2009/05/new-re... ( )

Most of you are aware of my love for Georgette Heyer, so it's probably no surprise that I couldn't resist trying out one of her mystery novels. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed! I do believe that this woman could make a grocery list read witty!

Behold, Here's Poison is an entertaining little murder mystery with a "Clue" sort of vibe to it. The characters are a little wacky, but in a delightful and amusing way. There's the outrageously thrifty Miss Matthews, moocher extraordinaire Mrs. Matthews and her spawn...and then there's Mr. Randall Matthews, newly made head of the family. I fell in love with his quick tongue and smart remarks...made me laugh out loud a few times, drawing odd looks from my husband!

Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read such a great book! I truly enjoyed it and I think you will too! ( )

A delightful mystery in the classic style of the great writers of the genre.
I recomend it to all fans of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers, and Michael Innes, to name but a few.
Without disclosing the plot (it would not be fair, would it?), I will just say that the story gets more and more interesting as the narration proceeds, until it culminates in the final revelation. The characters are well drawn, some likeable, others not.
Go ahead! Read it, and enjoy yourself. ( )

Synopsis
When Gregory Matthews, patriarch of the Poplars is found dead one morning, imperious Aunt Harriet blames it on the roast duck he ate for supper, after all, she had warned him about his blood pressure. But a post-mortem determines that the cause of death is much more sinister. Murder by poison. Suspicion falls immediately amongst his bitter, quarrelsome family. Each has a motive; each, opportunity. It falls to Superintendent Hannasyde to sift through all the secrets and lies and discover just who killed Gregory Matthews, before the killer strikes again...