The Wychford Poisoning Case: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel (The Detective Club) cover art

The Wychford Poisoning Case: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel (The Detective Club)

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The Wychford Poisoning Case: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel (The Detective Club)

By: Anthony Berkeley, Tony Medawar - introduction
Narrated by: Mike Grady
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About this listen

One of the earliest psychological crime novels.

Mrs Bentley has been arrested for murder. The evidence is overwhelming: arsenic she extracted from fly papers was in her husband’s medicine, his food and his lemonade, and her crimes are being plastered across the newspapers. Even her lawyers believe she is guilty. But Roger Sheringham, the brilliant but outspoken young novelist, is convinced that there is ‘too much evidence’ against Mrs Bentley and sets out to prove her innocence.

Credited as the book that first introduced psychology to the detective novel, The Wychford Poisoning Case was based on a notorious real-life murder inquiry. Written by Anthony Berkeley, a founder of the celebrated Detection Club who also found fame under the pen-name ‘Francis Iles’, the story saw the return of Roger Sheringham, the Golden Age’s breeziest – and booziest – detective.

©1926 Anthony Berkeley (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Psychological Thriller Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Law

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Critic reviews

‘Anthony Berkeley is the supreme master not of the “twist” but of the “double-twist”.’ Milward Kennedy in the Sunday Times

‘Detection and crime at its wittiest – all Berkeley’s stories are amusing, intriguing and he is a master of the final twist.’
Agatha Christie
All stars
Most relevant  
If you are looking for cosy crime this is for you . Entertaining, funny and a mystery right to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Excellent

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The preface does address some of the rather strange, in this day, activity going on.
Despite being warned I still found it a little bizarre.
Unusual book for sure

Very complicated

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I’ve read quite lot of this early detective fiction so its awfulness really can’t be excused on those grounds. Admittedly the social mores expressed were of their time and, though abhorrent to my modern thinking, they shouldn’t be held up for criticism but the writing was clunky and wooden and the ‘humour’ pretty puerile. Further a more detestable central character than the smug, self-satisfied Roger would be hard to conceive. Good for going to sleep to.

Pretty awful

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Very good voice characterisations and an enjoyable story. Old fashioned views so not one for the Snowflake Generation.

Twists and Turns Aplenty

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I can't finish this. The misogyny is relentless and horrifying . I won't be trying any of his other titles.

the misogyny

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What would have made The Wychford Poisoning Case: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel (The Detective Club) better?

If it had been a different book!

Would you ever listen to anything by Anthony Berkeley and Tony Medawar - introduction again?

Never.

Would you be willing to try another one of Mike Grady’s performances?

Yes

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Wychford Poisoning Case: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel (The Detective Club)?

Both of the main male characters and the fact that the plot is not only pointless but immensely dull.

Any additional comments?

Aside from the fact the plot has no meaning, the author - and by default his male characters - make James Bond look like a feminist icon. I've never listened to an audible book before that both bored and offended me. The only good thing about this book was that it lulled me to sleep on a long flight.

Appalling. Dreadful plot & unlikeable characters.

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This is a revolting book. The leading male characters repeatedly assault or ‘chastise’ a young woman to make her agreeable. Her parents endorse her being ‘spanked’ by an older cousin and a stranger. She strongly protests but is overpowered. There’s a strong hint of sado-masochism and titillation. The description ought to have made this clear.

Glorifies assault

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If I say that s story is sexist, it is an understatement. Very insulting to women plus what. Big headed male chauvinist is the hero roger. But it cleverly written I cannot deny.

Wow

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Demonstrates beautifully why the big names from the Golden Age - Christie, Marsh, Sayers? etc. have survived and the others currently being so assiduously mined for audio books, didn’t. The performance was excellent but surely even in Edwardian times the condescension, sexism, feeble witticisms, the lecturing on ‘womankind’ and ‘racial types’ must have nauseated 50% of his readers?

Awful- not just the sexism the story, the ‘hero’ the dialogue all of it

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Dated. Boring plot. Runs on forever with irrelevant nonsense. Waste of money Loved the narrator.

Dire

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