Another Man's Poison

A Classic Murder Mystery Novel from the Author of the Bestselling Vera, Shetland and Venn Series

By: Ann Cleeves

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again

Another Man’s Poison is the fifth mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series.

Molly Palmer-Jones arrives at her aunt Ursula’s house one morning, only to find her body slumped lifeless on the sofa . . .

Ursula Ottway’s beautiful cottage is wanted by her landlord, politician Marcus Grenville, so he can convert it into a holiday residence. So when Ursula discovers that the illegal use of poisoned bait on Grenville’s land has killed not only a rare bird of prey but her two beloved cats, she storms to his house and threatens revenge.

Shocked and saddened to find Ursula’s body the morning after this conflict, Molly and her husband George decide to piece together a picture of Ursula’s last days. And it soon becomes clear that, for many people on the estate, hers was a very convenient death.

The Palmer-Joneses embark on a murder investigation but even their professional expertise doesn’t prepare them for what is to follow. A lifetime’s worth of secrets must surface before a killer can finally be brought to justice . . .

Critic reviews

A fine writer

Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime

Ann Cleeves is a skilful technician, keeping our interest alive and building slowly up to the denouement. Her easy use of language and clever story construction make her one of the best natural writers of detective fiction

Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves (Val McDermid)

Ann Cleeves has an enviable talent . . . I love these books

engrossing towards the end though drags on a bit d

the narrator kept me listening because story was slow but picked up pace towards the end

Good read

The story is solid. It does drag a bit in the middle but overall good.

Is it the Story? Or the Narrator?

I want to like this series more, but the way the detective protagonists are portrayed leaves me uninterested in them and their inner workings.
As an author, Cleeves later developed better more compelling characters in Vera and Shetland.
This my third George and Molly Palmer book by Cleeves and while the stories are pretty well constructed, George and Molly are thinly written and come across as dull and conflicted about themselves and each other — which might make a better book in a different series.