Tincture of Death

Sergeant Bragg & Constable Morton #8

by Ray Harrison

Sergeant Bragg and Constable Morton travel to the Orient to investigate the mysterious death of the biggest opium dealer in the East, and in the process, stumble upon another murder that is unquestionably linked to the first

Genres: Mystery, Victorian

198 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1989

About the author

Raymond Vincent Harrison was born in the United Kingdom in 1928.

At one time he spent seven years working for the Inland Revenue Department of the British Government.

He began his Sergeant Bragg and Constable Morton series with 'French Ordinary Murder' (aka 'Why Kill Arthur Potter?) in 1983 and up to 1998 he had written 16 in the series.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief, engaging Bragg and Morton story set in London in 1895 and involving the suspicious deaths of some connected to a Royal Commission on Opium. The extraneous details of various aspects of late-Victorian England provide interesting asides to a case where the culprit, as often with this author, comes from left-field and the resolution is too rushed.
Characters are well-differentiated although one sub-plot, of an opium-addicted artist seems unnecessary. These are non-anachronistic, straightforward police procedurals, worth reading for the historical setting.

[Cindie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was strange. It shows how different the English system is. Two people can be arrested for the same crime and can be held in jail until the police have enough evidence. And then the last chapter changes everything. And Morton makes a proposal to Ms. Marsden. It is not a romance novel although at times this is confusing.

[Sheila Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It was a most murderous brew..."

This Victorian mystery exposes the opium trade. It was a good read and interesting too.