My Review (5 stars out of 5)
Robin Odell has produced a fascinating and very readable book that lifts the lid on a case which resulted in the first solicitor in England to be hanged for murder.
Hay on Wye solicitor Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong became known as the Hay Poisoner following an investigation into the death of his wife and the attempted murder of a fellow solicitor. Using quantities of arsenic supposedly intended to kill the weeds on his lawn, Armstrong poisoned his wife and tried to poison Oswald Martin, a rival solicitor.
I first became interested in this case following the televising of the drama Dandelion Dead (starring Michael Kitchen) which gave a rather one-sided view of the murder. Subtitled The Life & Trial of Major Armstrong, this is the third book I’ve read about it, and it is by far the most interesting. Previously, like other readers, I’d wondered if Armstrong might only be guilty of being a bit stupid and that his wife could’ve poisoned herself (she was known for taking an array of medications – some of which contained arsenic), but this book reveals facts that suggest otherwise. An admission by one of the major’s maids, for instance, (Inez, known also as Mary) points the finger very firmly at her employer’s guilt.
An absorbing account that will please lovers of true crime.
