''Not to Be Taken'' is a 1938

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

by the British writer

Anthony Berkeley Anthony Berkeley Cox (5 July 1893 – 9 March 1971) was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley and A. Monmouth Platts. Early life and education Anthony Berkeley Cox was born 5 July ...

. It was one of several stand-alone novels he wrote alongside his series featuring the

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

Roger Sheringham. It was written when the

Golden Age of Detective Fiction The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels of similar patterns and styles, predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s. The Golden Age proper is, in practice, usually taken to refer to a type of fiction which was pre ...

was at its height. It was published in the United States with the alternative title '' A Puzzle in Poison''.Reilly p.116

Synopsis

In the small English village of Anneypenney, the death of the

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a " ...

John Waterhouse is at first taken to be natural. However, his brother suspects murder and demands the body is exhumed and it is revealed he died from

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...

poisoning. The problem is, nobody seems to have a motive for having killed the victim.

References

Bibliography

* Herbert, Rosemary. ''Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime & Mystery Writing''. Oxford University Press, 2003. * Miskimmin, Esme. ''100 British Crime Writers''. Springer Nature, 2020. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015. * Turnbull, Malcolm J. ''Elusion Aforethought: The Life and Writing of Anthony Berkeley Cox''. Popular Press, 1996. * Turnbull, Malcolm J. ''Victims Or Villains: Jewish Images in Classic English Detective Fiction''. Popular Press, 1998. 1938 British novels Novels by Anthony Berkeley British crime novels British mystery novels British detective novels Hodder & Stoughton books Novels set in England {{1930s-crime-novel-stub