David Roberts (2) (1944–2025)
Author of Sweet Poison
For other authors named David Roberts, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
David Roberts was born on May 8, 1970. He is a British children's illustrator. He has worked with such well-known authors as Philip Ardagh on the Eddie Dickens and Unlikely Exploits series, G.P. Taylor on the Mariah Mundi series, Chris Priestley on the Tales of Terror series, Mick Jackson on Ten show more Sorry Tales and The Bears of England, and Susan Price on the Olly Spellmaker series. Mouse Noses on Toast by Daren King won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize (ages 6 -8 years) in 2006, after which King and Roberts collaborated on other titles including Peter the Penguin Pioneer, Sensible Hare and the Case of Carrots and The Frightfully Friendly Ghosties series. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by David Roberts
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Roberts, David Christopher
- Birthdate
- 1944
- Date of death
- 2025-12-18
- Gender
- male
- Agent
- Andrew Lownie Literary Agency
- Short biography
- David Roberts was an editor at Chatto and Windus, editorial director at Weidenfeld & Nicolson and a partner of Michael O'Mara Books, before becoming a full-time writer in 2000.
His series of crime novels set during the 1930s featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne and optioned by Columbia Pictures include Sweet Poison, Bones of the Buried, Hollow Crown, Dangerous Sea,The More Deceived, A Grave Man, The Quality of Mercy and Something Wicked.
He is married and divides his time between London and Wiltshire.
Members
Reviews
The clock is ticking, counting down the days and hours to the end of peace in the hot summer of 1939. Lord Edward Corinth and his new wife, Verity Browne, have taken a house in the country, near to some old friends and to Leonard and Virginia Woolf. But even as Europe prepares for a war that will see killing on a mass level, a small-scale killing of a philanderer -- beheaded on the village green -- commands the newlywed couple's attention.
This is one of the better books in this very good show more series. Over the course of nearly a dozen books, Roberts has managed not only to develop his characters but to instill a gradually-increasing sense of tension as war looms closer and closer. In this latest addition, the village murder -- followed by one in London -- feel rather claustrophobic. Suitably so: there is the classic limited list of suspects, and it is almost with relief that Edward and Verity pursue a mystery that they can try to resolve as a distraction from the looming global conflict that is outside their power to prevent.
It will be interesting to see where Roberts takes the series once he reaches the point at which war has broken out... I'll continue to follow the series. show less
This is one of the better books in this very good show more series. Over the course of nearly a dozen books, Roberts has managed not only to develop his characters but to instill a gradually-increasing sense of tension as war looms closer and closer. In this latest addition, the village murder -- followed by one in London -- feel rather claustrophobic. Suitably so: there is the classic limited list of suspects, and it is almost with relief that Edward and Verity pursue a mystery that they can try to resolve as a distraction from the looming global conflict that is outside their power to prevent.
It will be interesting to see where Roberts takes the series once he reaches the point at which war has broken out... I'll continue to follow the series. show less
Do not read this. I stuck with it because the author's plan was interesting. The hero is a Whimsey-like youngest brother of a Duke, an old Etonian, rich, handsome and good. But the rest of the book is a sweaty sex and communism tale of Madrid and London in the months before the Spanish Civil War. It would have been a fun take on the cosy 'golden-age' aristocratic detective but for one thing: every one of the three murderers turned out to be homosexual or a heartless and inhumane idealogue. show more The homophobia was there from the start but I had thought, after a passage about two thirds in, that the author was going to keep one homosexual character admirable as a foil for the bad guys, but no. He turned out to be responsible for one of the murders AND a matricide as well.
Good grief. Other criticisms are that although the novel is structured with lots of characters confronting the privilege of the protagonist, there is nothing in his character or life that reflects the criticism, nor in that of his excellent brother, sister-in-law or nephew. When he wrested control of the plane from the poisoned pilot and landed safely in Madrid, I laughed out loud.
It's possible that one of the other books in this series, one without homosexual villains, would be a fun read. If you're intrigued by the set up, try one of them. show less
Good grief. Other criticisms are that although the novel is structured with lots of characters confronting the privilege of the protagonist, there is nothing in his character or life that reflects the criticism, nor in that of his excellent brother, sister-in-law or nephew. When he wrested control of the plane from the poisoned pilot and landed safely in Madrid, I laughed out loud.
It's possible that one of the other books in this series, one without homosexual villains, would be a fun read. If you're intrigued by the set up, try one of them. show less
At just past the halfway mark in this book a main character discovers a dead body in a house in 1937 London. He goes to a neighbor and asks for a telephone, they don't have one, he's directed to another neighbor who does have a phone. He dials 999 and requests police assistance.
I threw down the book and howled about anachronism and "how young is this author, anyway?!" Then my husband looked up the fact that London has the oldest emergency phone system in the world, it was instituted in show more 1937. My howls are dimmed but not extinguished. The average joe would have no knowledge of this brand new system that had just been created. And I have never come across the 999 thing in any 30s or 40s novel I can remember reading.
Later in the book a main character is speaking to Duke SoandSo and says something like, "You don't mind if we go out to the garden, Duke?" She's supposed to be a well educated young gentlewoman who has been slumming with the communists. But no matter what her political sympathies I trust she would know to refer to her host as Your Grace rather than Duke, like some sort of American gangster.
I finished the book to see who dunnit and which way the protags were going to jump. I won't be pursuing this series. show less
I threw down the book and howled about anachronism and "how young is this author, anyway?!" Then my husband looked up the fact that London has the oldest emergency phone system in the world, it was instituted in show more 1937. My howls are dimmed but not extinguished. The average joe would have no knowledge of this brand new system that had just been created. And I have never come across the 999 thing in any 30s or 40s novel I can remember reading.
Later in the book a main character is speaking to Duke SoandSo and says something like, "You don't mind if we go out to the garden, Duke?" She's supposed to be a well educated young gentlewoman who has been slumming with the communists. But no matter what her political sympathies I trust she would know to refer to her host as Your Grace rather than Duke, like some sort of American gangster.
I finished the book to see who dunnit and which way the protags were going to jump. I won't be pursuing this series. show less
This didn't quite work as well for me as the first book in the series. Verity continues to preach communism to Edward while being a bit of a snob and relying on him and his connections to help her when she gets in a fix.
She finds herself dealing with her ex being accused of murder and all the evidence pointing at him while she's involved in the Spanish Civil War. The death of a contemporary in England has unusual links to Verity's murder and suddenly things become a lot more complicated.
It's show more interesting but it just didn't have the same enjoyment for me that the first did. show less
She finds herself dealing with her ex being accused of murder and all the evidence pointing at him while she's involved in the Spanish Civil War. The death of a contemporary in England has unusual links to Verity's murder and suddenly things become a lot more complicated.
It's show more interesting but it just didn't have the same enjoyment for me that the first did. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 11
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 706
- Popularity
- #35,870
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
- 875
- Languages
- 18