Episode 11: STRONG POISON, part 2

03/17/20 • 52 min

In this episode, Charis and Sharon talk about the real-life inspiration for Philip Boyes and what was happening in Sayers' life around the time she wrote STRONG POISON. We also see more of Marjorie Phelps, learn about Harriet's circle of friends, and reflect on Peter's gender performance and privilege in a world of double standards.

This is the second of our episodes on the first half of STRONG POISON. We talk about events up through chapter 11 and do not give away the whodunnit. Here's our previous episode with part one of our discussion.

*Audio note: There is a slight high-pitched buzz in the background of this episode on Charis' side of the audio that we could not quite edit out and do apologize for!

*Content note: We bring up the topic of narcissists and abusive relationships at two points in this episode. While we do not go into detail, if this is a topic you would rather not hear about, those discussions take place between minutes 23:40 and 25:04, and again between minutes 47:48 and 50:00.

For more shownotes and the episode transcript, please visit our website.

*Audio note: There is a slight high-pitched buzz in the background of this episode on Charis' side of the audio that we could not quite edit out and do apologize for!

For more shownotes and the episode transcript, please visit our website.

Previous Episode

Episode 10: STRONG POISON, part 1

In which Charis and Sharon finally (finally!) start discussing STRONG POISON, the fifth Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. We talk about the dramatic introduction of Harriet Vane, our love for the novel's first few chapters, and the theme of the detective's intuition. We also cover Parker's promotion, Sayers' desire to "Reichenbach" Peter, and the many callbacks this book has to previous mysteries in the series.

This will be the first of two episodes on the first half of STRONG POISON. We do not give away the whodunnit.

For episode shownotes and transcripts, please visit our website.

Next Episode

Episode 12: STRONG POISON, part 3

In this third of four episodes on STRONG POISON, we start discussing the second half of the book. We talk about the very uncomfortable Christmas Peter spends at Dukes Denver. We also consider detective fiction as "the purest literature we have" and how STRONG POISON marks a turn in Sayers' style. Sharon finally learns how to pronounce Norman Urquhart's name, the book catches us up on several characters' love lives, and we see how a Cattery operative works. Also: more plot!

For shownotes and episode transcripts, please visit our website.