Original mysteryNo. 681 hr 31 minHercule Poirot
Marchford: a respected country solicitor stands in the dock accused of slow poisoning his wife and his senior partner with arsenic, and the town has already written its verdict in whispers; when an elderly physician, troubled by the first “influenza” death he certified, sends a private letter for help, the Belgian Detective and his loyal companion arrive to find tainted bottles, damning laboratory tests, and far too many everyday sources of arsenic—weedkiller, rat paste, chemists’ preparations—moving quietly through respectable hands; as Hereford Assizes approach, the case turns on a chemist’s ledger, a carefully timed dose, and the difference between what can be proven and what is merely believed, until a final reconstruction forces the court to see the murderer hiding behind manners, reputation, and the comforting logic of a perfect suspect; inspired by historical crime methods of its era while remaining entirely fictional, The Arsenic Brief is a Golden Age–style mystery of pride, gossip, and forensic misdirection where the truth must be reached before the wrong man hangs. FOR LISTENERS This is an original Golden Age–style mystery presented as a respectful homage to classic detective fiction. All characters and events in this story are fictional. No affiliation, endorsement, or official connection is implied. QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS When a town has already decided a man is guilty, what matters more: the evidence on paper—or the quiet detail everyone “forgets” to mention? SUPPORT & LISTENING OPTIONS Patreon (ad-free episodes, early access, bonus content – tiers from $2.99/month) Buy Me a Coffee (one-time support) PayPal (one-time tip) Spotify (follow the show) CHILDREN’S BOOK (Amazon) Sherlock Paws and the Diamond of the Nile CREDITS Written by Nocturnal Tales. Narrated by Nocturnal Tales. TAGS / KEYWORDS golden age mystery audiobook, marchford poison trial, arsenic poisoning whodunit, countryside solicitor accused, hereford assizes courtroom drama, village gossip mystery, tainted medicine bottle evidence, chemist ledger clue, weedkiller arsenic source, forensic misdirection case, wrongful conviction suspense, small town secret motive, classic detective fiction audio, legal mystery investigation, slow poisoning timeline, final courtroom reveal
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Lady Molly of Scotland Yard
The newspaper-reading public called it the Somersetshire Outrage, and to this day, as far as the public is concerned, it was never properly explained at all. A young shop assistant named Jane Turner is found in her lodgings at Weston, tied to a chair with a rope, a shawl over her head, half-slipping to the floor.
by Baroness Orczy
46 minNo. 249
Hercule Poirot
New Orleans, the spring of nineteen thirty-three. There are certain cities which, even before one has committed a crime in them, seem already to know the secret. Arthur and the Belgian Detective have come for a rest.
1 hr 14 minNo. 248
Max Carrados
It begins with Max Carrados greeting his friend Carlyle at the door and remarking that he has a mystery about him somewhere. He can hear it in the man's step. The mystery is a railway disaster.
by Ernest Bramah
1 hr 7 minNo. 247
A. J. Raffles
Two cases tonight from the gentleman thief who has drawn more requests than anybody else in the Archive. WILFUL MURDER is the darkest thing in the whole collection. Bunny warns us at the outset that most of their robberies will not bear telling at length.
by E. W. Hornung
1 hr 13 minNo. 246