Review: Antidote to Venom, by Freeman Wills Crofts

Title: Antidote to Venom

Authors: Freeman Wills Crofts

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Date of Publication: July 7, 2015 (first pub. 1938)

Number of Pages: 278

*I've received an ARC of the book via Netgalley. Thank you to the publisher.

Summary

George Surridge, director of the Birmington Zoo, is a man with many worries: his marriage is collapsing; his finances are insecure; and an outbreak of disease threatens the animals in his care.

As Surridge’s debts mount and the pressure on him increases, he begins to dream of miracle solutions. But is he cunning enough to turn his dreams into reality – and could he commit the most devious murder in pursuit of his goals?

This ingenious crime novel, with its unusual ‘inverted’ structure and sympathetic portrait of a man on the edge, is one of the greatest works by this highly respected author. The elaborate means of murder devised by Crofts’s characters is perhaps unsurpassed in English crime fiction for its ostentatious intricacy.

This new edition is the first in several decades and includes an introduction by the award-winning novelist and crime fiction expert Martin Edwards.

Review

Having grown up with Agatha Christie's novels, I was curious to read other British crime classics. So, when I received a copy of Antidote to Venom, I was more than excited. Not only it is the 17th adventure of Inspector French, but (according to the book's insightful introduction) upon release it was even more popular than Hercule Poirot's stories.

One of the most interesting things about Antidote to Venom was the book's structure. Unlike the typical whodunnit novel, it begins from the perspective of the culprits (or at least one of the culprits). This way, you get to explore all of their motives for wanting to commit the crime. However, there is still some mystery left to explore, as we don't get an explanation of how the crime was actually committed until later in the book.

This unique structure though, was also my main complaint with the book. By giving us away who had committed the crime, it took away the satisfaction I get from trying to find the guilty one in crime novels. It didn't help that I couldn't find George compelling, and I wasn't particularly interested in following his character.

The book definitely picks up after Inspector French enters the stage. But this only happens around 64% of the book. Is it enough to keep reading until that point? 

All in all, Antidote to Venom did something different. Even though it wasn't my favourite crime novel, it was easy-to-read and it was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end. I would definitely read more of Inspector French's adventures.