Mystery and Crime Bowen, Marjorie: The Poisoners. v1. 07 Feb 2023

[GrannyGrump]

Bowen’s writings present recurring themes of darkness, the supernatural, and the gothic in combination with the historical.

The Poisoners, written under the pseudonym of George Preedy, is a mystery/thriller which should appeal to readers of vintage crime as well as to fans of historical fiction.

Bowen’s Foreword gives an overview of the real events that were the basis for the novel.

Note that Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie (1625 – 1709) was the Parisian Lieutenant General of Police from 1667 to 1697, and is considered to be the founder of the first modern police force.

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“The events in this novel are set shortly after the Marquise de Brinvilliers’s execution for poisoning numerous people. The Marquise’s death was, so the police thought, an end to such horror, yet it was just a vicious prelude to something much worse.”

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“…an atmospheric and suspenseful crime novel featuring fortune tellers and spies, counterfeiters and apothecaries, an empty house which hides sinister secrets, mysterious letters marked with the sign of a pink carnation, and a society thought to be involved in black magic.”
(—Goodreads summaries)

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Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long (née Campbell; 1 November 1885 – 23 December 1952) was a British author who wrote historical romances, supernatural horror stories, popular history and biography. Her total output numbers over 150 volumes, with the bulk of her work under the pseudonym “Marjorie Bowen”, the name she is mostly known by. She also wrote under the names Joseph Shearing, George R. Preedy, John Winch, Robert Paye and Margaret Campbell.

Bowen’s books are much sought after by aficionados of gothic horror, and received praise from many critics. Several of her novels were adapted for film.

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The Poisoners was first published in the UK in 1936.
This book is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+70” or less.
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