Poison in Jest

{{infobox book |

| name = Poison In Jest

| title_orig =

| translator =

| image = Image:PoisonInJest.jpg

| caption = First US edition

| author = John Dickson Carr

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| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| series =

| genre = Mystery, Detective novel

| publisher = Hamish Hamilton (UK) & Harper (USA)

| release_date = 1932

| media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)

| pages = 192 pp (1st UK)

| isbn =

| preceded_by =

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Poison In Jest, first published in 1932, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives.{{Cite book |last=Joshi |first=S. T. |author-link=S. T. Joshi |url=https://archive.org/details/johndicksoncarrc0000josh/page/59/mode/2up |title=John Dickson Carr: A Critical Study |publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press |year=1990 |isbn=0-87972-477-3 |pages=59}} This novel is a mystery of the type known as a whodunnit. One of the characters is Jeff Marle, who had previously served as the sidekick in Carr's Henri Bencolin novels.{{Cn|date=May 2025}}

Plot summary

Jeff Marle, is visiting a friend at the Quayle mansion in western Pennsylvania. Although various members of the Quayle household hate each other, all are united in hatred of the paterfamilias, Judge Quayle. A few moments after being introduced to Marle, Judge Quayle collapses after having been poisoned. More than one poison is used in murder attempts in the household; strange shadowy figures are seen prowling the halls at night, and there is a creepy story about a marble hand that was broken from a statue of Caligula which apparently creeps around the house on its own. After the first two deaths, a young friend of the family, Rossiter, takes a hand in detecting, with the aid of Jeff Marle; Rossiter identifies the murderer.

References

Category:1932 American novels

Category:Novels by John Dickson Carr

Category:Novels set in Pennsylvania

Category:Hamish Hamilton books

Category:Harper & Brothers books