The Story
"The murder is by arsenic; and although the number of suspects is strictly limited the construction is so ingenious that to attain the correct solution of the problem requires all the reader's concentration; to skip is fatal." Times Literary Supplement, 1938
John Waterhouse has died of some gastric complication. Exhumed at his brother's request, it transpires that he has been killed by arsenical poisoning, though nobody in the sleepy village of Anneypenny seems to have had a reason to do him ill. Rumors abound of Nazi intrigue and military skullduggery, but whatever the motive, the truth remains; this was murder.
Originally serialized as a competition with a prize for the readers that could answer Berkeley's direct challenge of 'who was the poisoner?', Not to Be Taken remains one of the most fiendish exercises in subtle clue work and detection from the Golden Age of Crime.
Author: Anthony Berkeley
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 7.96h x 5.21w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781464253805
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2026
About the Author
Berkeley, Anthony: -
ANTHONY BERKELEY was a pen name of Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893-1971), one of the most important figures in the history of British crime fiction. Many of his novels feature the amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham. As well as being the author of many classic detective stories--including Malice Aforethought under his Frances Iles pseudonym--Berkeley was the founder of the prestigious Detection Club for the finest crime writers.
Description
"The murder is by arsenic; and although the number of suspects is strictly limited the construction is so ingenious that to attain the correct solution of the problem requires all the reader's concentration; to skip is fatal." Times Literary Supplement, 1938
John Waterhouse has died of some gastric complication. Exhumed at his brother's request, it transpires that he has been killed by arsenical poisoning, though nobody in the sleepy village of Anneypenny seems to have had a reason to do him ill. Rumors abound of Nazi intrigue and military skullduggery, but whatever the motive, the truth remains; this was murder.
Originally serialized as a competition with a prize for the readers that could answer Berkeley's direct challenge of 'who was the poisoner?', Not to Be Taken remains one of the most fiendish exercises in subtle clue work and detection from the Golden Age of Crime.
Author: Anthony Berkeley
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 7.96h x 5.21w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781464253805
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2026
About the Author
Berkeley, Anthony: -
ANTHONY BERKELEY was a pen name of Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893-1971), one of the most important figures in the history of British crime fiction. Many of his novels feature the amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham. As well as being the author of many classic detective stories--including Malice Aforethought under his Frances Iles pseudonym--Berkeley was the founder of the prestigious Detection Club for the finest crime writers.
