42 Skelton's Guide to Domestic Poisons, David Stafford. This is both a good and odd book. Set in 1929 in the lead up to the so called "Flapper election". It starts with Arthur Skelton being lauded after getting his client found not guilty. This raises his reputation and his visibility in the public eye. He is offered a case defending Mary Dutton, who is accused of poisoning her husband Ted. He came home from WW1 a changed man and was abusive to Mary. #books@bookstodon tbc
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There's a lot of publicity about the case and political pressure. No one wants the judicial killing of a woman in an election when the female vote is being courted.
Against this, Arthur and his clerk, Edgar, try to find the best line of defence. The police aren't interested, they think they've got the guilty party, but there is quite a bit of history and rumours of a corrupt police force that used to be in thrall to Ted's father, Sid, and remains under Ted's mother's thumb.
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And here comes the odd element. Arthur is not necessarily interested in finding the truth, his aim is to defend his client against the charge. So the question of who did murder Ted is never fully resolved. The police corruption and embezzlement is never got to the bottom of. There are any number of loose threads left dangling because they are not useful to Arthur in the defence of his client.
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So while it is categorised as a mystery, it is a mystery without resolution. You are left with speculation about the murderer and their motives.
There are plenty of interesting characters in here. Arthur is an outsider, being from a working class background. As is his clerk. And his wife is unusual, being a school teacher with socialist leanings.
It's an enjoyable read but not one if you like your mysteries all neatly solved and tidied up at the end.
I'll read book 2 soon.