Verdict of Twelve

Rosalie van Beer disliked her 11-year-old nephew, Philip, who was in her charge, and went out of her way to torment him. But did she kill him? That’s for the jury to decide in this mystery, first published in 1940, by Postgate (1896–1971), a welcome entry in the British Library Crime Classics series. This extended portrait of an English murder trial peers into the psyches of the jurors—including an unsuspected murderer and a religious fanatic—from their swearing in, to the presenting of evidence, the eventual verdict, and an unexpected revelation in the last pages. The reader follows the events leading up to Philip’s death by poisoning, along with the people involved, such as the bumbling doctor, the nosy tutor, and the uncurious housekeeper. The prosecution and defense present their cases, and the jury retires to consider aspects of the evidence that would startle the court. The characters are well drawn, at times frighteningly so, and the ending is perversely satisfying. (Oct.)