Poisoned at the Priory

In this entry in the Cold Case Jury series, Brown (Move to Murder) does a superb job of reexamining a classic unsolved Victorian England poisoning case by combining primary sources with even-handed analyses of the major theories advanced at the time and by later students of the case, including Agatha Christie. In December 1875, George Griffith, a coachman, was chatting in a London bar about his fears that his new employer, Charles Bravo, an attorney with political ambitions, wanted to fire him. He ended the conversation by predicting that Bravo “won’t live four month.” Griffith’s words proved accurate, as Bravo died just about four months later after ingesting antimony at his home in Balham. Did the prophecy indicate foreknowledge of foul play? That’s one of the theories Brown plumbs, along with the possibility that Bravo took his own life or accidentally drank something containing the toxin. Rather than push one theory or another, Brown leaves it to readers to come to their own verdicts. Fans of similarly themed books, such as John Dickson Carr’s The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey, will look forward to other series entries. True crime buffs eager to play armchair detective will be delighted. (Sept.)