Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers

Crimson roses, a severe judge, and a silent prisoner give Strong Poison its opening charge, as Harriet Vane stands trial for murdering Philip Boyes with arsenic. Dorothy L. Sayers turns the courtroom into a duel between legal proof and public prejudice, forcing the jury to separate Harriet's "moral lapse" from the question of guilt. Boyes, an intellectual writer with radical ideas, and Harriet, an independent novelist, are shown in a volatile relationship that ended after a fierce quarrel and his belated proposal of marriage. As the summing-up unfolds, the evidence tightens around a trail of poison purchases, false names, and carefully timed meetings that seem to track Boyes's illnesses. A letter full of ambiguity, Harriet's cool reply, and the reconstruction of Boyes's final day build a grim puzzle of coffee, dinner, and sudden collapse. Testimony from taxi-driver, housekeeper, and doctor deepens the forensic mystery, while Lord Peter Wimsey begins probing the dead man's finances, family expectations, and possible motives beyond murder. Beneath the trial lies a tangled inheritance feud linking respectable families, old resentment, and a ruthless actress whose bitter legacy still shapes the case. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.