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Roger Sheringham Cases #2
The Wychford Poisoning Case
2nd Roger Sheringham novel.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1926
21 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Berkeley
120 books164 followersAnthony Berkeley Cox was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley Cox, and A. Monmouth Platts. One of the founders of The Detection Club
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 22, 2021
I found this a fairly entertaining read, but would have to say it isn't one of Anthony Berkeley's best, with some odd and off-putting elements. I wouldn't start with this one if you haven't read anything by him before - his most famous book, The Poisoned Chocolates Case, is much better.
Starting with the book's good points, it was fun to meet up with series detective Roger Sheringham again. This is the second book in the series, first published in 1926. It follows on from The Layton Court Mystery and features a couple of the same characters, in addition to Roger.
I also enjoyed the baffling mystery plot, as Roger sets out to prove that a woman accused of murdering her husband (a typically unpopular Golden Age victim) could not have done it. I certainly didn't come anywhere near the clever correct solution.
However, there are some problems with the novel, and I can see why Berkeley didn't want it reprinted. One drawback is the sheer amount of irrelevant waffle that the detective indulges in - pages and pages of it. A lot of misogynist comments about how stupid women are thrown in amid the humorous ramblings. Admittedly, it seems as if Sheringham doesn't actually mean all of this, but it still doesn't make pleasant reading.
In a similar vein, there are also a couple of bizarre incidents where Sheringham and his sidekick Alec smack or "scrag" Alec's annoying cousin, Sheila, with a rolled-up newspaper - she appears to be perfectly happy about this horseplay!
Lastly, the blurb on the Harper Collins paperback I read misleadingly describes Sheringham as "the Golden Age's breeziest - and booziest - detective". I kept waiting for him to do some boozing, but, although he gets a suspect slightly drunk at one point, he remains sober himself throughout!
Starting with the book's good points, it was fun to meet up with series detective Roger Sheringham again. This is the second book in the series, first published in 1926. It follows on from The Layton Court Mystery and features a couple of the same characters, in addition to Roger.
I also enjoyed the baffling mystery plot, as Roger sets out to prove that a woman accused of murdering her husband (a typically unpopular Golden Age victim) could not have done it. I certainly didn't come anywhere near the clever correct solution.
However, there are some problems with the novel, and I can see why Berkeley didn't want it reprinted. One drawback is the sheer amount of irrelevant waffle that the detective indulges in - pages and pages of it. A lot of misogynist comments about how stupid women are thrown in amid the humorous ramblings. Admittedly, it seems as if Sheringham doesn't actually mean all of this, but it still doesn't make pleasant reading.
In a similar vein, there are also a couple of bizarre incidents where Sheringham and his sidekick Alec smack or "scrag" Alec's annoying cousin, Sheila, with a rolled-up newspaper - she appears to be perfectly happy about this horseplay!
Lastly, the blurb on the Harper Collins paperback I read misleadingly describes Sheringham as "the Golden Age's breeziest - and booziest - detective". I kept waiting for him to do some boozing, but, although he gets a suspect slightly drunk at one point, he remains sober himself throughout!
June 25, 2015
This is the second mystery featuring Roger Sheringham and was first published in 1926. It follows “The Layton Court Mystery” (1925) and is followed by, “Roger Sherringham and the Vane Mystery,” in 1927. However, while most of the books in the series have been re-released, and now most are on kindle, author Anthony Berkeley refused to allow this to be re-printed and it has now become difficult to track down. Indeed, while the first of Anthony Berkeley’s Sherringham novels was published anonymously, the author of this novel was given as, “by the author of the ‘Layton Court Mystery’” and Berkeley, who often used pen names, did not put his name as author until the third in the series.
At the start of this book, Roger Sherringham is staying with his friend Alec Grierson, who we met in, “The Layton Court Mystery,” and who is now married to Barbara Shannon. It is a year since events at Layton Court and Sherringham is interested in a case of murder which he has been reading about in the newspapers. A Mrs Bentley is accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic and is soon to stand trial for her life. Public opinion is against Mr Bentley’s French wife – known to be having a love affair, his family and friends became suspicious of her behaviour and turned against her after her husband’s death. However, Sherringham is convinced she is innocent and is determined to clear her name. With Grierson eager to help out again, plus the fact that Alec has family in the town of Wychford where the poisoning occurred, the two set out to investigate.
It has to be said that this is, at times, a rather silly storyline. Anthony Berkeley was determined that his amateur detective would not always be correct and sure of himself, as Sherlock Holmes, always seemed to be. Therefore, Sherringham jumps to conclusions, makes mistakes and often berates himself. Besides that, he has no basis for believing Mrs Bentley being innocent than the newspaper stories, supposedly read by all the other readers, who have failed to jump to the same conclusions. Alec Grierson is little more than a sounding board, as is young Sheila Purefoy; the daughter of Alec’s cousin, who they stay with while in Wychford. Although Berkeley’s character is not a misogynist, much of the language used here seems written to allow the author to rant about his own, particular issues, and much of them have to do with women. During one chapter, Sherringham claims that “nearly all women…. are idiots,” and continues that they are, “not over-burdened with brains.” Despite the fact that he later values women’s opinions and respects female characters within the novel, it may have been one of the reasons he later decided to keep this novel out of print.
There is also much horseplay between Alec and Sheila, which, to modern eyes, certainly seems a little inappropriate – it ranges from throwing things at each other to a great deal of spanking. These may have been the reasons why Berkeley decided to leave this mystery out of the series when new editions were printed, but I do have to wonder whether it was because Sherringham admits to Alec during the novel, that the reason he is not married is because the woman he is in love with is already married – a circumstance that Berkeley also shared. Regardless, this is certainly not a bad mystery. The setting of a small village, and good range of suspects,, are classic Golden Age, while the investigation is fun to follow. I am delighted that I managed to track down a copy of this book and found it a very enjoyable mystery.
Rated 3.5
At the start of this book, Roger Sherringham is staying with his friend Alec Grierson, who we met in, “The Layton Court Mystery,” and who is now married to Barbara Shannon. It is a year since events at Layton Court and Sherringham is interested in a case of murder which he has been reading about in the newspapers. A Mrs Bentley is accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic and is soon to stand trial for her life. Public opinion is against Mr Bentley’s French wife – known to be having a love affair, his family and friends became suspicious of her behaviour and turned against her after her husband’s death. However, Sherringham is convinced she is innocent and is determined to clear her name. With Grierson eager to help out again, plus the fact that Alec has family in the town of Wychford where the poisoning occurred, the two set out to investigate.
It has to be said that this is, at times, a rather silly storyline. Anthony Berkeley was determined that his amateur detective would not always be correct and sure of himself, as Sherlock Holmes, always seemed to be. Therefore, Sherringham jumps to conclusions, makes mistakes and often berates himself. Besides that, he has no basis for believing Mrs Bentley being innocent than the newspaper stories, supposedly read by all the other readers, who have failed to jump to the same conclusions. Alec Grierson is little more than a sounding board, as is young Sheila Purefoy; the daughter of Alec’s cousin, who they stay with while in Wychford. Although Berkeley’s character is not a misogynist, much of the language used here seems written to allow the author to rant about his own, particular issues, and much of them have to do with women. During one chapter, Sherringham claims that “nearly all women…. are idiots,” and continues that they are, “not over-burdened with brains.” Despite the fact that he later values women’s opinions and respects female characters within the novel, it may have been one of the reasons he later decided to keep this novel out of print.
There is also much horseplay between Alec and Sheila, which, to modern eyes, certainly seems a little inappropriate – it ranges from throwing things at each other to a great deal of spanking. These may have been the reasons why Berkeley decided to leave this mystery out of the series when new editions were printed, but I do have to wonder whether it was because Sherringham admits to Alec during the novel, that the reason he is not married is because the woman he is in love with is already married – a circumstance that Berkeley also shared. Regardless, this is certainly not a bad mystery. The setting of a small village, and good range of suspects,, are classic Golden Age, while the investigation is fun to follow. I am delighted that I managed to track down a copy of this book and found it a very enjoyable mystery.
Rated 3.5
August 23, 2017
Ah, another Sheringham novel..
This time Berkeley gave us his commentary on British law. He commented that the innocent until proven guilty-thing, doesn't exactly ring true as the words said. It was, actually, quite the contrary. Why not? When a case is in the public interest, public opinion seems to have decided that the accused party is indeed guilty. The until proven guilty-part makes people focused in trying to prove the guilt of the accused, opening a window for confirmation bias (which ironically has been affecting Roger Sheringham more often than he could remember).
As the title suggest, it was a case of poisoning. Mr. Bentley died apparently from arsenic poisoning. His wife immediately step in the spotlight as a suspect. All the evidence found points to her. Public seems to had made their decision whether Mrs. Bentley is innocent or not. But not Roger, he seeks to be on the defense side; trying to build a theory in favor of Mrs. Bentley. Of course, he does so with a little notion in mind: Mrs. Bentley could be guilty after all.
This is my fifth book by Berkeley, and boy, do I still amazed by his capability to throw false solutions right into my face. And the thing about his false solution is, it was beautifully fit to the facts, almost rings true as the actual explanation itself. I could never get tired of Berkeley.
P.S.
Reading the foreword of my edition, Berkeley seemed to have been embarrassed by a chapter in which a young girl was given a traditional punishment. And you know what? I cringed all the way that particular scene..
This time Berkeley gave us his commentary on British law. He commented that the innocent until proven guilty-thing, doesn't exactly ring true as the words said. It was, actually, quite the contrary. Why not? When a case is in the public interest, public opinion seems to have decided that the accused party is indeed guilty. The until proven guilty-part makes people focused in trying to prove the guilt of the accused, opening a window for confirmation bias (which ironically has been affecting Roger Sheringham more often than he could remember).
As the title suggest, it was a case of poisoning. Mr. Bentley died apparently from arsenic poisoning. His wife immediately step in the spotlight as a suspect. All the evidence found points to her. Public seems to had made their decision whether Mrs. Bentley is innocent or not. But not Roger, he seeks to be on the defense side; trying to build a theory in favor of Mrs. Bentley. Of course, he does so with a little notion in mind: Mrs. Bentley could be guilty after all.
This is my fifth book by Berkeley, and boy, do I still amazed by his capability to throw false solutions right into my face. And the thing about his false solution is, it was beautifully fit to the facts, almost rings true as the actual explanation itself. I could never get tired of Berkeley.
P.S.
Reading the foreword of my edition, Berkeley seemed to have been embarrassed by a chapter in which a young girl was given a traditional punishment. And you know what? I cringed all the way that particular scene..
September 24, 2021
DNF at ~60%. Not really my kind of thing, I picked this up with the hope of understanding a bit more 'The Golden Age of Detective Fiction', but in truth suspect it was not a great example of the genre - even more dull and difficult to feel interested in than the small number of other novels of this era (Christie and E.W. Hornung) I have read.
I think my main problem related to not liking the main character who I felt was arrogant and lacking in charm and understanding. The premise of 'I don't believe the accused is guilty so I will go on a jolly jape with my manfriend and solve the mystery' didn't appeal at all. It was uncomfortably patronising to all and sundry - women especially but also the young and working class. I also found all the spanking of a 19/20 year old girl by her older male cousin to be a bit strange.
All this obscured whatever merit the novel might have as an early example of forensic psychology in crime fiction.
I think my main problem related to not liking the main character who I felt was arrogant and lacking in charm and understanding. The premise of 'I don't believe the accused is guilty so I will go on a jolly jape with my manfriend and solve the mystery' didn't appeal at all. It was uncomfortably patronising to all and sundry - women especially but also the young and working class. I also found all the spanking of a 19/20 year old girl by her older male cousin to be a bit strange.
All this obscured whatever merit the novel might have as an early example of forensic psychology in crime fiction.
February 21, 2018
2.5 stars actually.
Although it was a "jolly ol' mystery" the scenes with the niece were quite irritating!
"Dash it all", she was an unnecessary prop that wasn't given any depth of character or modicum of intellect and frankly, both Roger and Alex were downright mean to her. The scene where he is spanking her and her dad just ignores it, feels terribly wrong even just to read through.
No explanation is given as to how things were found out in the end just a mere stating of facts.
Doesn't hold a candle to Dame Christie's works.
Although it was a "jolly ol' mystery" the scenes with the niece were quite irritating!
"Dash it all", she was an unnecessary prop that wasn't given any depth of character or modicum of intellect and frankly, both Roger and Alex were downright mean to her. The scene where he is spanking her and her dad just ignores it, feels terribly wrong even just to read through.
No explanation is given as to how things were found out in the end just a mere stating of facts.
Doesn't hold a candle to Dame Christie's works.
July 21, 2022
An interesting murder case. Unfortunately the characters in this book are not. The detective empties his mind of every opinion he has of women, which range all the way from condescending to derogatory. Hard to read. Also has an interest in describing fashion and decor which you might find interesting if you are a fan of the 1920s. It was hard to perservere with this one, but I did, because I had to know who did it! Quite a satisfying ending, and more so because the main players are not present.
October 13, 2025
Anthony Berkeley (aka Francis Iles) is one of my favorite few Golden Age mystery writers as he always tried to thwart readers' expectations by bringing something different and new to the mystery genre in each of his efforts. He focused on psychology more than most at the time and preferred the "puzzle of character" to the more traditional whodunnit. This was detective Roger Sheringham's second outing. Berkeley intentionally tried to make him as conceited, voluble, pigheaded, and unlikeable as possible, stating that Sheringham was "founded on an offensive person I once knew because ... I thought it would be amusing to have an offensive detective." Originally published anonymously, The Wychford Poisoning Case (1926) reimagined the real life Florence Maybrick case from 1889. While sufficiently interesting and entertaining it's not completely successful (inter alia, it has its unseemly moments) and can't be counted as one of his best works. I believe he kept it from being reprinted in his lifetime. [3½★]
November 21, 2025
When you read a lot of Golden Age mysteries, which I do, you have to expect certain views and prejudices which you wouldn't countenance in a modern book... BUT this was entirely on another level. The deeply unpleasant, patronising and often downright unhinged misogyny throughout made it a real slog.
And that's before we get to the fact that c.80% of this was just solipsistic monologuing from the main character (and not in a fun, Poirot-esque way, just in a boring please-stop-telling-me-how-stupid-and-in-need-of-male-discipline-women-are kind of way).
I'm glad I read it because of the role Berkeley played in the development of the murder mystery as a genre, and there was some interesting stylistic stuff from that point of view, but UGH never again.
And that's before we get to the fact that c.80% of this was just solipsistic monologuing from the main character (and not in a fun, Poirot-esque way, just in a boring please-stop-telling-me-how-stupid-and-in-need-of-male-discipline-women-are kind of way).
I'm glad I read it because of the role Berkeley played in the development of the murder mystery as a genre, and there was some interesting stylistic stuff from that point of view, but UGH never again.
May 22, 2017
Roger Sheringham, best-selling novelist, man-about-town and occasional amateur detective, decides that a young woman accused of poisoning her husband is innocent. Why he feels this way is not made clear- it appears to be a kind of contrarian thinking. As a matter of fact, Sheringham never meets the prisoner, never writes to her or consults her in any way. He conducts his investigation by getting himself and his best friend invited to stay with said best friend's relatives, who live in the town where the poisoning occurred. By insinuating himself with the family and friends of the murder victim, he figures out that more than one person would have had a motive to do away with the unpleasant Mr. Bentley : his two brothers, who stood to gain financially from his death, a discarded mistress, and of course the accused wife.
The book was unsatisfactory because the solution to the mystery pops up at the very end, as a result of Sheringham's visit to Paris, where the dead man and his wife used to live. None of this is shared with the reader until the very end, which I found unsatisfactory.
The book was unsatisfactory because the solution to the mystery pops up at the very end, as a result of Sheringham's visit to Paris, where the dead man and his wife used to live. None of this is shared with the reader until the very end, which I found unsatisfactory.
July 19, 2024
Funny and lighthearted this was a very entertaining story, Yes, it might be a little silly at times but I think that was the intention. I do believe that yes, it has aged poorly but it was written almost a century ago so let's cut it some slack :P
Even when this is a murder mystery the protagonist doesn't have either a personal or a professional involvement. He's a bystander who, given the fact that the press has declared Mrs Bently guilty of the crime, he takes this as an intellectual challenge and sets to prove her innocence :P
It's entertaining, witty and an easy reading, it worked fine for me.
Even when this is a murder mystery the protagonist doesn't have either a personal or a professional involvement. He's a bystander who, given the fact that the press has declared Mrs Bently guilty of the crime, he takes this as an intellectual challenge and sets to prove her innocence :P
It's entertaining, witty and an easy reading, it worked fine for me.
August 9, 2024
I liked this and found it witty and entertaining.
October 26, 2022
What a funny coincidence that the previous murder mystery I read was Agatha Christie's Mrs. McGinty's Dead where a James Bentley was arrested for murder. Poirot had to undertake the task of proving his innocence despite the evidence. In The Wychford Poisoning Case, a novelist and amateur sleuth took it upon himself to prove the innocence of a Mrs. Bentley just because. Similarly, she was already arrested for a murder in which there were damning evidence against her.
I may be biased - because I fell in love with Anthony Berkeley's style from his other work Trial and Error - but I simply adore his discussions about right and wrong, ethics and human psychology. I find his writing pretty witty and funny. And this particular book was nothing like other mysteries I have read. The amateur sleuth was prone to making mistakes, and ending was unexpected, but not in the way that you'd normally find deliciously satisfying.
That being said though, he did come pretty sexist in this book, which really took me by surprise. A 17-18 year old woman kept getting spanked (yes, that's right) for being cheeky. I suppose it was supposed to be funny, but such things just don't age well. And then there were Sheringham's sexist ideas that women were idiots and were made solely to give birth. But then the same character would then say something completely opposite of that. So it was hard to tell if the author was intentionally being sexist to make fun of people who were or his ideology was truly such. Either way, it was an excruciating part for me to read.
I'd recommend this book only to those who like the debate about human psychology and judicial system. If you're not into psychobabble, and/or if you're looking for a typical satisfying mystery, this book is not for you.
I may be biased - because I fell in love with Anthony Berkeley's style from his other work Trial and Error - but I simply adore his discussions about right and wrong, ethics and human psychology. I find his writing pretty witty and funny. And this particular book was nothing like other mysteries I have read. The amateur sleuth was prone to making mistakes, and ending was unexpected, but not in the way that you'd normally find deliciously satisfying.
That being said though, he did come pretty sexist in this book, which really took me by surprise. A 17-18 year old woman kept getting spanked (yes, that's right) for being cheeky. I suppose it was supposed to be funny, but such things just don't age well. And then there were Sheringham's sexist ideas that women were idiots and were made solely to give birth. But then the same character would then say something completely opposite of that. So it was hard to tell if the author was intentionally being sexist to make fun of people who were or his ideology was truly such. Either way, it was an excruciating part for me to read.
I'd recommend this book only to those who like the debate about human psychology and judicial system. If you're not into psychobabble, and/or if you're looking for a typical satisfying mystery, this book is not for you.
August 27, 2021
I'd had this one on my to read list for some time and finally got around to it. It's an enjoyable book with a detective who, unlike Holmes, is anything but perfect. Like Holmes, at times he doesn't appear to value women too much (at least not at the start) and there are a few other similarities. Sheringham jumps to conclusions, makes mistakes and often berates himself.
But overall Roger Sheringham is a worthy addition to the golden age and should not be ignored. The mystery itself is fun and something of a romp: not too serious but not too silly.
Although this isn't Berkeley's best, the writing is far better than some have suggested and is fairly typical of the times for this kind of mystery. If you want the writing of James Patterson, then read James Patterson.
I have to laugh at the "modern day" commentary about this book. I will never be one of those who have gone so overboard with emotionalism as to deem things like the spanking scene and flippant comments about women as "dangerous." People seem to be looking for things to be offended by.
If you are narrow-minded and cannot put things into perspective, then give this one a pass. However, if you care to read a golden age mystery of a slightly different kind, give it a shot with an open mind. This was written in 1929 - you cannot expect it to be in the manner of books written in 2021 - and you shouldn't.
But overall Roger Sheringham is a worthy addition to the golden age and should not be ignored. The mystery itself is fun and something of a romp: not too serious but not too silly.
Although this isn't Berkeley's best, the writing is far better than some have suggested and is fairly typical of the times for this kind of mystery. If you want the writing of James Patterson, then read James Patterson.
I have to laugh at the "modern day" commentary about this book. I will never be one of those who have gone so overboard with emotionalism as to deem things like the spanking scene and flippant comments about women as "dangerous." People seem to be looking for things to be offended by.
If you are narrow-minded and cannot put things into perspective, then give this one a pass. However, if you care to read a golden age mystery of a slightly different kind, give it a shot with an open mind. This was written in 1929 - you cannot expect it to be in the manner of books written in 2021 - and you shouldn't.
March 17, 2017
Mrs Bentley is on remand waiting to be tried for poisoning her husband John Bentley. Roger Sheringham, on no very definite evidence, believes her to be innocent even though he hasn't met any of the people involved in the case. He travels to Wychford with a friend who has a cousin living in the town to do some investigation himself in an attempt to clear Mrs Bentley's name.
It soon becomes clear that there are several people who just might have committed the crime and all of whom have motives for wanting Bentley dead. This is a well written and interesting crime story which will leave most readers guessing. I thought I'd worked out who did it but I was completely wrong. The solution is not at all what I expected.
This book is somewhat notorious for a couple of scenes in which a teenage girl is spanked by one of the characters. If it is taken in context it reads just like horseplay between two people who have known each other since childhood. The girl's parents clearly weren't bothered. It is all too easy to read a sexual motive into it with twenty first century eyes but it didn't read like that to me. It's good to see this book back in print.
It soon becomes clear that there are several people who just might have committed the crime and all of whom have motives for wanting Bentley dead. This is a well written and interesting crime story which will leave most readers guessing. I thought I'd worked out who did it but I was completely wrong. The solution is not at all what I expected.
This book is somewhat notorious for a couple of scenes in which a teenage girl is spanked by one of the characters. If it is taken in context it reads just like horseplay between two people who have known each other since childhood. The girl's parents clearly weren't bothered. It is all too easy to read a sexual motive into it with twenty first century eyes but it didn't read like that to me. It's good to see this book back in print.
February 22, 2019
There almost always is something comforting in reading a golden age detective. Not too serious, not too silly either. Cozy, entertaining and yes sometimes the blatant racism or antisemitism can dampen my enthusiasm. But this was ridiculous. Never read a novel more sexist than this one. The scenes concerning the niece made me cringe at first and eventually laugh with uneasiness. Won't continue this series.
June 18, 2021
This book sparked a lot of conflicted feelings. The first half of the book had some just horrible things said and done to women but with an undercurrent of a really engaging mystery. The second half mostly eliminates the questionable content while still keeping up the suspense and intrigue. If it was slightly less questionable this would have been 4-5 stars easily for me but I have to dock it for making me cringe so much.
August 5, 2022
The mystery was pretty poor but the sexist mansplaining about how women think and act by an all knowing wise male author (both in book and by the books real life author) was a 1000 times worse. Plus the playful sexual assault as extra side garnish really turned my stomach. Definitely one to avoid. Bleugh.
August 24, 2023
Some nice twists and I didn't expect the final one but... The misogyny! My word the behaviour towards and characterization of the female characters is atrocious.
November 22, 2025
I picked this book up mostly for the cover and it did deliver exactly what was promised. A 1920s mystery which follows Roger Sheringham as he strives to solve a mystery which no one else thinks is a mystery. A woman is accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic and it looks like there is no end to the evidence against her. Roger thinks there is too much evidence and too much arsenic and goes on a hunt to figure out whether his instincts are correct and someone else is framing Mrs. Bentley.
I did enjoy this mystery. The trio of Roger, Alec and Shelia was fun and they all got their own chances to gather information, even if the reveal at the end was down to Roger. I did find the speed in which they went from was a little much, but I did enjoy the reveal at the end.
I was warned in the introduction about a couple of strange scenes (such as the one with Alec and Shelia and smacking) so I was prepared for them. Didn't particularly like them but at least they didn't come out of the blue. And Roger went on for two pages about women before saying of course he didn't have those views, that would be stupid. I almost put the book down because he went on for so long about how women were stupid and incompetent at anything except birthing babies and then he just does a quick turnaround and says 'oh no people as a whole are stupid'. Needless to say, Roger did not endear me as a protagonist though I have read worse.
In the end I did enjoy this book, but I feel like I'm mostly keeping my copy because I love these old-fashioned covers.
I did enjoy this mystery. The trio of Roger, Alec and Shelia was fun and they all got their own chances to gather information, even if the reveal at the end was down to Roger. I did find the speed in which they went from was a little much, but I did enjoy the reveal at the end.
I was warned in the introduction about a couple of strange scenes (such as the one with Alec and Shelia and smacking) so I was prepared for them. Didn't particularly like them but at least they didn't come out of the blue. And Roger went on for two pages about women before saying of course he didn't have those views, that would be stupid. I almost put the book down because he went on for so long about how women were stupid and incompetent at anything except birthing babies and then he just does a quick turnaround and says 'oh no people as a whole are stupid'. Needless to say, Roger did not endear me as a protagonist though I have read worse.
In the end I did enjoy this book, but I feel like I'm mostly keeping my copy because I love these old-fashioned covers.
July 14, 2022
The 'The Wychford Poisoning Case' is based on the 'Aigburth poisoning case' of 1889. In the real case Florence Maybrick is found guilty of murdering her husband. In fiction Anthony Berkley's Roger Sheringham - an outspoken young novelist and amateur sleuth - sets out to find the guilty party and prove the innocence of the accused wife.
I was disappointed that at no point in the novel do we meet Mrs Bentley - D.L Sayers does a far better job of reimagining the Maybrick murder in her Strong Poison (1930).
This was Berkeley's second detective story after 'The Layton Court Mystery', prior to that he'd been a writer of comic stories for weekly magazines. Sheringham is assisted in his investigations by his friend Alec and Alec's cousin Shelia. The witty banter between the three, and Sheringham's observations on the 'modern woman'- (T.W.P.C was published in 1926) have not aged well. One wonders weather it was ever funny at the time.
The humour falling flat rather spoils the book, as Berkeley devotes a lot of time to these comic scenes and not enough to the mystery. Neither is it strong as a psychological study or as as a window into 1920s society. It is a light comic mystery, and should preferably be read in one sitting by a man in the 1920s who enjoys the comic stories of 'Punch and 'The Humourist'.
The Poisoned Chocolates Case is far better ; I would recommend that one instead.
I was disappointed that at no point in the novel do we meet Mrs Bentley - D.L Sayers does a far better job of reimagining the Maybrick murder in her Strong Poison (1930).
This was Berkeley's second detective story after 'The Layton Court Mystery', prior to that he'd been a writer of comic stories for weekly magazines. Sheringham is assisted in his investigations by his friend Alec and Alec's cousin Shelia. The witty banter between the three, and Sheringham's observations on the 'modern woman'- (T.W.P.C was published in 1926) have not aged well. One wonders weather it was ever funny at the time.
The humour falling flat rather spoils the book, as Berkeley devotes a lot of time to these comic scenes and not enough to the mystery. Neither is it strong as a psychological study or as as a window into 1920s society. It is a light comic mystery, and should preferably be read in one sitting by a man in the 1920s who enjoys the comic stories of 'Punch and 'The Humourist'.
The Poisoned Chocolates Case is far better ; I would recommend that one instead.
November 28, 2018
Our intrepid novelist and private investigator Roger Sheringham is intrigued by the case of Mrs Bentley, a woman accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic. There appears to be overwhelming circumstantial evidence against Mrs Bentley but Sheringham feels this to be rather too much, and suspects that Mrs Bentley might actually be innocent.
Without any delay, Sheringham and his Scots sidekick Alec, set off for Wychford to unravel the mystery and find the real killer.
It's a bit of an odd, although enthralling read. The characters are inevitably from a certain level of society, although servants and shopworkers appear now and again to add a bit of colour and a dollop of plot.
Modern readers (and possibly forward thinking people of the time) will perhaps be a bit bemused by Sheringham's - and presumably by extension the author's - view of women, something he expounds upon in a slightly Bertie Woosterish way on several occasions. It is perhaps well meant but is at the very least a little patronising. One does understand that this was the cultural norm of the day but Berkeley does extemporise somewhat on the issue. This on its own would be no doubt not worth a mention were it not for the relationship between Alec, a married man, and his seventeen year old female cousin. Let's just say there is occasional horseplay with enforced spanking and, on at least one occasion, ripped clothing, all fully endorsed by her smiling parents. It all must have seemed very innocent and jolly to the majority of Sheringham fans at the time, although I daresay a good few of the male readers might have got a little hot under the collar.
It may be our modern public familiarity with various forms of sexual abuse which makes these passages slightly uncomfortable to read.
The plot is a little linear but is nevertheless filled with some interesting dialogue, the fascinating characters of Wychford, and the peeling of secrets from the main suspects.
The denouement, despite Sheringham's last minute arrival in a flight through a storm to bring the evidence which saves Mrs Bentley from the noose, is a bit of anticlimax and disappointingly dull. It's reminiscent of Lord Peter Wimsey's eleventh hour flight to save his brother from the noose in 'Clouds of Witness', although there we had at least a satisfactory conclusion.
Without any delay, Sheringham and his Scots sidekick Alec, set off for Wychford to unravel the mystery and find the real killer.
It's a bit of an odd, although enthralling read. The characters are inevitably from a certain level of society, although servants and shopworkers appear now and again to add a bit of colour and a dollop of plot.
Modern readers (and possibly forward thinking people of the time) will perhaps be a bit bemused by Sheringham's - and presumably by extension the author's - view of women, something he expounds upon in a slightly Bertie Woosterish way on several occasions. It is perhaps well meant but is at the very least a little patronising. One does understand that this was the cultural norm of the day but Berkeley does extemporise somewhat on the issue. This on its own would be no doubt not worth a mention were it not for the relationship between Alec, a married man, and his seventeen year old female cousin. Let's just say there is occasional horseplay with enforced spanking and, on at least one occasion, ripped clothing, all fully endorsed by her smiling parents. It all must have seemed very innocent and jolly to the majority of Sheringham fans at the time, although I daresay a good few of the male readers might have got a little hot under the collar.
It may be our modern public familiarity with various forms of sexual abuse which makes these passages slightly uncomfortable to read.
The plot is a little linear but is nevertheless filled with some interesting dialogue, the fascinating characters of Wychford, and the peeling of secrets from the main suspects.
The denouement, despite Sheringham's last minute arrival in a flight through a storm to bring the evidence which saves Mrs Bentley from the noose, is a bit of anticlimax and disappointingly dull. It's reminiscent of Lord Peter Wimsey's eleventh hour flight to save his brother from the noose in 'Clouds of Witness', although there we had at least a satisfactory conclusion.
April 8, 2025
I only completed this book because a) I had read another book by the same author and enjoyed it and b) because I wanted to know 'whodunit'.
None of the characters are particularly likeable. The 'ragging' that goes on (for example) at a dinner table between Alec and his cousin's daughter, Sheila, which ends in plates broken and drinks poured over heads is purple rubbish. The scene with Alec bending Sheila over the back of a sofa to spank her, and then asking Rodger to join in while her parents looked on benignly was cringeworthy. I skipped through the tedious Paragraphs about how empty headed women are.
Was there anything I liked about this novel? It had an interesting premise with questions about capital punishment in cases relying on purely circumstantial evidence, and also cited other real life cases as reference which I found interesting. If this had been my first Anthony Berkley novel I would probably never had read another, but as it is, I do know that he can do better. I just don't think that saying that it 'was of its time' quite covers the cringe.
None of the characters are particularly likeable. The 'ragging' that goes on (for example) at a dinner table between Alec and his cousin's daughter, Sheila, which ends in plates broken and drinks poured over heads is purple rubbish. The scene with Alec bending Sheila over the back of a sofa to spank her, and then asking Rodger to join in while her parents looked on benignly was cringeworthy. I skipped through the tedious Paragraphs about how empty headed women are.
Was there anything I liked about this novel? It had an interesting premise with questions about capital punishment in cases relying on purely circumstantial evidence, and also cited other real life cases as reference which I found interesting. If this had been my first Anthony Berkley novel I would probably never had read another, but as it is, I do know that he can do better. I just don't think that saying that it 'was of its time' quite covers the cringe.
April 14, 2025
I read two Berkeley novels in the same day this one and "The Wintringham Mystery." My Impressions couldn't have been more different. While I very much enjoyed Wintringham I felt that this one kind of fell flat. The mystery itself is arguably better in Wychford but I didn't enjoy the characters as much and some of the scenes were almost painful to read. Since I read a lot of older crime classics I am used to encountering different ideals that represent the times they were written, but some of the scenes in this book push past what was common in the times. For example I find it hard to believe that even at the time this story was written it was common place for grown men to forcibly restrain and enact nonconsensual corporal punishment on their adult women cousins in front of other people. I figured out the mystery pretty early, but likely wouldn't have if I didn't have some previous knowledge of practices that at the time were likely not very well known. Overall I would recommend giving it a miss.
May 11, 2021
The Wychford Poisoning Case is based on the murder of James Maybrick, a Liverpool businessman and possible Jack the Ripper suspect. Jacqueline Bentley is charged with the murder of her husband by poisoning with arsenic, amateur criminologist and psychological detective Roger Sheringham takes it upon himself to solve the crime a prove Mrs Bentley innocent. He put together a team of helps in Alec Grierson and Sheila Purefoy to do the leg work. The solving of the crime and conclusion make this a well worked novel but it difficult to shake off the memory of Grierson putting the 20-year-old Sheila over his knee and giving her a beating called scragging in the book. This is held over her whenever she appears not to know her place and even for 1926 seems uncomfortable. I would have given this four stars for ingenuity but I changed my mind after reading my review again.
May 17, 2025
The author is a well-known author of Golden Age mysteries, and I ordered a set of his novels after enjoying one (The Poisoned Chocolates), which I found to be very intelligent and filled with clever twists.
This novel is the second one featuring Roger Sheringham, the amateur detective / mystery writer. I liked him better in this one than the first (The Layton Court Mystery).
This and other Berkeley mysteries are satisfying in that the author lays out all the clues needed by the reader to solve it (yet still allowing for surprises). While parts of the solution to this novel were somewhat obvious, making me impatient for the sleuth to get on with it, it still managed to surprise me, making it a pleasant read.
Points off for demeaning attitudes toward (and some treatment of) women. These were probably meant to be humorous, but they didn’t age well and offend modern sensibilities.
This novel is the second one featuring Roger Sheringham, the amateur detective / mystery writer. I liked him better in this one than the first (The Layton Court Mystery).
This and other Berkeley mysteries are satisfying in that the author lays out all the clues needed by the reader to solve it (yet still allowing for surprises). While parts of the solution to this novel were somewhat obvious, making me impatient for the sleuth to get on with it, it still managed to surprise me, making it a pleasant read.
Points off for demeaning attitudes toward (and some treatment of) women. These were probably meant to be humorous, but they didn’t age well and offend modern sensibilities.
August 29, 2019
Mrs Bentley poisoned her husband, everyone knows that. It's obvious. Except to Roger Sheringham, who maintains she could be innocent. He sets out to secretly investigate, assisted (in a loose sense) by Alec and Sheila. With a mixture of psychological deduction and traditional sleuthing, he eventually arrives at the truth. And, because it's Anthony Berkeley, you get a few plausible but wrong solutions thrown at you too.
I can see why AB wasn't keen on this being republished. It's far from being his best writing. Plus, there's some strong misogyny at points, and embarrassing spanking scenes. And the ending was a bit of a letdown. But AB at his far-from-best is still worthy of 3 stars, so if you're a fan, you should still add this to your list.
I can see why AB wasn't keen on this being republished. It's far from being his best writing. Plus, there's some strong misogyny at points, and embarrassing spanking scenes. And the ending was a bit of a letdown. But AB at his far-from-best is still worthy of 3 stars, so if you're a fan, you should still add this to your list.
May 25, 2025
#2 in the author Roger Sheringham cases mystery series.
Mrs Bentley has been arrested for murder. The evidence is overwhelming: arsenic she extracted from fly papers was in her husband’s medicine, his food and his lemonade, and her crimes are being plastered across the newspapers. Even her lawyers believe she is guilty. But Roger Sheringham, the brilliant but outspoken young novelist, is convinced that there is ‘too much evidence’ against Mrs Bentley and sets out to prove her innocence. He travels to Wychford with his cousin, Alec Grierson, living in the town to do some investigation himself in an attempt to clear Mrs Bentley's name.
Mrs Bentley has been arrested for murder. The evidence is overwhelming: arsenic she extracted from fly papers was in her husband’s medicine, his food and his lemonade, and her crimes are being plastered across the newspapers. Even her lawyers believe she is guilty. But Roger Sheringham, the brilliant but outspoken young novelist, is convinced that there is ‘too much evidence’ against Mrs Bentley and sets out to prove her innocence. He travels to Wychford with his cousin, Alec Grierson, living in the town to do some investigation himself in an attempt to clear Mrs Bentley's name.
June 23, 2023
Natural causes!! I was so confused I wrote suicide!! Superintendent Sheringham and his assistants Alex and Sheila crack the case. In the lord Peter Wimsey version of this type of story Lord Peter gets in to see the accused lady. Roger never mentions it here. Roger never sees her. We the audience only see her through newspapers and recollections.
Is the ending satisfactory? Do we prefer the Wimsey type ending? The audience don’t see the ending coming because our gallant amateurs have never mentioned it!!
Is the ending satisfactory? Do we prefer the Wimsey type ending? The audience don’t see the ending coming because our gallant amateurs have never mentioned it!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2022
A tad dull. The humour fell flat and I feel was given more time than the crime plotline itself. I was left dissatisfied in more ways than one, especially in the concluding plot twist... 7 people all with good motive to kill and yet the dead man died of natural causes. One could view it as a dramatic twist, or just a long walk through possibilities when none of them were the reality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2020
The Wychford Poisoning Case has a certain charm as a period piece, but the ending is unsatisfying -- after 217 pages of detecting with his friends, Roger Sheringham goes off to Paris and gathers the information needed to solve the case "off camera". Lame.
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