Oh how I enjoyed this book!

Light hearted, decent people
Beautifully and wittily written

Great

He was called "The Latter-Day Galahad". The Dryden case, the scandal of 1929, was deemed a "masterpiece of forensic eloquence". Hannah Dryden sued her husband for defamation of character after he authored "Mistress of Mayfair", a so-called "true to life account of Hannah's supposed debaucheries". Barrister for the prosecution, Arthur Skelton, wore thick glasses and had a pronounced limp. "...instead of attacking the defence case he praised it...he congratulated Maurice Dryden on his literary invention and his cast of witnesses, on their ability to tell spellbinding stories...as he exposed the implausibility of these stories". Shelton was now recognized everywhere!

Stop the funeral! Mary Dutton's husband cannot be buried! An autopsy was ordered. Pathological findings indicated "substantial amounts of arsenic administered in small doses over a period of time". Mary Dutton is called "The Collingford Poisoner", her picture splashed on the front cover of the Herald. "And now, at last, the British had an arsenic killer all of their own. And she looked like Lillian Gish". Mary didn't have a chance. Rat poison was found in her pantry...but...Ted Dutton was a cruel wife beater. He beat his wife with fists, sticks, kitchen utensils and regularly beat his children. Mary had the means-motive-opportunity to bring about Ted's demise. Did she do it?

A general election was coming. Why not hire the "Latter-Day Galahad" for this potential landmark case. A "Mary Dutton Defence Fund" was established by one of the political candidates running for office. If Skelton wins, his fame will skyrocket, if he loses, his star will crash and burn. Many women, wearing homemade sashes and displaying banners, "Mary Dutton Defence League" quietly gathered while newspapers claimed "the flappers were taking to the streets...the threat of civil unrests, especially where women were involved". "It is clear that the Mary Dutton case is regarded as something of a cause celebre".

Edgar Hobbes, Skelton's assistant helped him to theorize, to determine if someone other than Mary could have poisoned Ted. Ted ran a small holding...mostly sheep. Is it possible that he did not take proper precautions when dipping each sheep separately to remove ticks? Could the sheep dip have contained arsenic? In Edgar's words, "So...the prosecution would keep repeating cruelty, rat poison. Cause, Effect. And we'd be bleating on about sheep dip. She'll hang...".

"Skelton's Guide to Domestic Poisons" by David Stafford is a mystery "of old" with flourishes of modern times. Political agendas due to an election, women's rights and corruption at the highest level come to light. Author Stafford uses a broad brush to characterize Shelton and Edgar. As they travel in a chauffeur driven Daimler, rented by the day, Edgar rides with his head out the window so as not to barf from motion sickness in the interior of the elegant vehicle. The Dutton case was one of many cases this duo had pending on the court docket. A reader looking for a fast-paced courtroom thriller will find the action to be slow moving. This tome is character driven with many doses of humor and stops for a cuppa. Epistolary touches add to the investigative fun. This is a lovely, Golden Age type, historical mystery debut I thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you Allison & Busby and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good story, the plot was fun and it was clearly well researched. As a historic novel it nailed everything from the snacks to the slang of the era which I thought was delightful. It also had a lovely feminist element to it which I appreciated. I loved the main character's wife and the way she viewed the world. However I will admit that the book was slow going and a bit plodding. It felt a bit cerebral for a murder mystery.

Very slow. Stopped at 26%. I skipped a whole chapter because it was babbling on about the life of Skelton's relative. Is there really time for that, dear author, when proper investigations have yet to start? Psh. The next chapter, chapter eight, was pretty good. But then chapter nine came on, and it was about that relative again. Couldn't hold my attention at all, so there we go. If it has any connection to the case at hand, perhaps my mind could be convinced to continue. However, it was a complete waste of time.

This is a tremendously fun read. The humour is black and the plot is a murder that might have never been discovered.
Skelton's cousins make excellent detectives with their travelling ministry and ear for details.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and really hope there will be more to come as I'm out of Christie and this harks back to the Golden Age of detective novels while also being refreshingly modern.

What a delight this book was.
With an opening scene that made you sit up and pay attention.
The main thing that drew me in was the humour... I probably smiled/laughed at this one more times than many comedy books.
The main characters of Skelton,Edgar and Mila were all perfect and interacted with each other beautifully.
Then thrown in there ,we have a possible murderers and women getting the vote and rioting on the streets..
Hugely enjoyable.... I hope