Laurels are Poison
Laurels are Poison is a 1942 mystery detective novel by the British writer Gladys Mitchell.[1][2] It is the fourteenth in her long-running series featuring the psychoanalyst and amateur detective Mrs Bradley.[3] It was Mitchell's own favourite among her novels[4] and has been considered her best by other critics.[5] It introduced the character of Laura Menzies who became recurring assistant of Mrs Bradley in subsequent novels.
 First edition | |
| Author | Gladys Mitchell |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Mrs Bradley |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph |
Publication date | 1942 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | When Last I Died |
| Followed by | The Worsted Viper |
In 2000 it was adapted for an episode of the television series The Mrs Bradley Mysteries starring Diana Rigg.
Synopsis
Mrs Bradley arrives at a women's teacher training college to take up a post vacated when the previous occupant disappears at the end of term dance. But soon a series of often violent practical jokes lead to suspicions that there is a fugitive lurking somewhere in the grounds of the college. Then the body of the cook is found in a local river.
References
- Klein p.231
- Walton p.126
- Reilly p.1089
- Miskimmin p.155
- Hanson p.176
Bibliography
- Hanson, Gillian Mary. City and Shore: The Function of Setting in the British Mystery. McFarland, 2015.
- Klein, Kathleen Gregory. Great Women Mystery Writers: Classic to Contemporary. Greenwood Press, 1994.
- Miskimmin, Esme. 100 British Crime Writers. Springer Nature, 2020.
- Reilly, John M. Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers. Springer, 2015.
- Walton, Samantha. Guilty But Insane: Mind and Law in Golden Age Detective Fiction. Oxford University Press, 2015.