Before the Poison

I enjoyed Before the Poison by Peter Robinson which starts with a confronting scene of the execution of a woman convicted of the murder of her husband in the early 1950s.  Then we move to the "present" when Chris Lowndes buys a mansion in the English countryside to escape from his work as a movie theme musician and the recent death of his wife.  He learns that the house he's bought was once the home of Dr Fox and his wife Grace, who was executed in the 1950s.  Chris becomes intrigued about the history of the house and its previous owners.  He begins to believe in Grace's innocence and sets out to prove it, meeting people who knew her.  At the start of each chapter there is part of the account of Grace's trial and later excerpts from her World War II journal.  There is also a romantic element in the story as Chris becomes involved with the real estate agent, Heather, who sold him the house.  The story is interesting, but perhaps a bit too long as Chris finally decides on whether or not Grace was guilty. 31/2/5