A DRAM OF POISON – Charlotte Armstrong (1956)
This is the first of Armstrong’s books and it won an Edgar
Award in 1957. It’s a quirky book in
some ways. In fact, it’s almost two
separate novellas. The opening chapter
introduces Kenneth Gibson, a mild-mannered bachelor of fifty-five and professor
of English at a small college in California.
We first meet Kenneth in the company of his neighbor Paul, a chemist
whose lab contains an array of deadly poisons.
Kenneth casually observes where Paul keeps the key to the poisons
cabinet. We can guess what’s going to
happen, can’t we?
The first half of the book is a superbly crafted novel of
suspense. At a colleague’s funeral Kenneth
meets the deceased's 32-year-old daughter Rosemary, a repressed survivor of her father’s
tyrannical domination. Kenneth is a good
man, and he determines that he will rescue Rosemary. He feels so strongly about his duty to do so
that he soon marries her. To their
mutual amazement, love grows.
Predictably disaster soon strikes in the form of a car accident and the
arrival of Kenneth’s competent sister, Ethel, who overwhelms both Kenneth
and Rosemary with her decisive character and implacable will. Relations among the three become poisonous,
and the atmosphere is tense.
In these circumstances, it’s no surprise when disaster
strikes again. I can’t reveal what
happens without diluting the pleasure of anyone who might read this book, but
let me just say that from this point forward the book is entirely
different. A half-dozen new characters
are introduced and the psychology of the subconscious is discussed in a witty
and learned fashion (primarily by a bus driver named Lee). The virtues of love, gratitude, and
friendship are dissected with introspection and insight. Where the first half of the book is
characterized by a gathering sense of doom, the second half is a race to redeem
lost souls. I’ve read reviews that
suggest this juxtaposition is jarring, but I found the two halves perfectly
compatible. In my opinion, it’s quite a
tour de force from Armstrong. She is
high on my list now.
Going to check it out from the library! -- you sold me!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her novels. I hope they don't disappoint!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book. Read it when I was a lad many years ago. Isn't this the one with the olive jar and its dangerous contents? Always thought it would make a great movie. If you're looking for the best of Armstrong I suggest any of my favorites: MISCHIEF (made into the Marilyn Monroe vehicle Don't Bother to Kncok), THE DREAM WALKER, THE UNSUSPECTED (also made into a movie), THE WITCH'S HOUSE and THE BALLOON MAN.
ReplyDeleteOne minor correction from your local Vintage Mystery Maven. This is not Armstrong's first book, it's her twelfth. Her first is called Lay On, Mac Duff!, a borderline HIBK mystery when she was writing routine detective novels with series detective MacDougal Duff. It was published in 1942 and Duff appeared in two other books before Armstrong abandoned the formula of detective novels in favor of crime novels that focussed on suspense and character rather than puzzling murders.
What a memory you have! Indeed it is the olive jar story. And corrections appreciated, John. I was looking at some biographical sources on Armstrong (you know, just in case YOU were wrong), but curse it, you're right. How could I doubt you? I shall not make the same mistake in the future. I appear to have unilaterally decided this was Armstrong's first book. That seems to happen with increasing frequency these days - I'm living in a parallel universe of my own creation. I'll check out the other recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThis book is on my docket for this year (not for the Vintage Challenge, oddly enough)--so I didn't read too closely. But glad you liked it. I highly recommend Lay On, Mac Duff! I read that one last year. I wasn't quite so enamored with The Chocolate Cobweb (the only other Armstrong I've read)--but your mileage may very.
ReplyDeleteGood recommendations from you and John, which means I'll be reading all the Armstrong I can find. I'll read the suggested titles first and post about them at a future date.
ReplyDelete'the first of Armstrong's books'
ReplyDeletewell, no, there is the book Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong published in 1951. Marilyn Monroe fans will certainly remember that Don't Bother to Knock is a 1952 American thriller film starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe, directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Daniel Taradash. It is based on the book.