Strong Poison · Character

Miss Climpson

A sharp-eyed spinster with a gift for reading mantelpiece photographs and nursing-home gossip, she serves as Lord Peter's most unlikely and effective field agent.

supporting

Also known as Miss Katharine Climpson, a Miss Climpson, Miss Kitty Climpson, Climpson, Kate

First appearance: ii

As a supporting figure in Strong Poison, Miss Climpson is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The elderly spinster juror who held out against conviction, causing the deadlock.

In the storyThe Hung JuryOpen this moment free

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Miss Climpson runs a typing bureau that is not quite a typing bureau, placing intelligent women in positions where their observations prove invaluable. Her ability to deduce a stranger's entire history from a silver frame and a bunch of narcissus makes her indispensable to Wimsey's methods. Beneath her gossipy manner lies a disciplined investigator who can sit through a séance and note every detail worth noting.

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See Miss Climpson in ii

Character Web

7 connections

A slice of how Miss Climpson sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Family and Secret Investigators
Protagonist
Core Investigation Team

+2 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the party’s re…

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In the story

Miss Climpson appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Hung Jury
The elderly spinster juror who held out against conviction, causing the deadlock.
IV
Juror who held out for acquittal, described as a tough, elderly woman with a militant High Church conscience.
V
Hosts Wimsey in her private office; discusses motives for murder and the nature of her establishment.
VII
Contacted by Wimsey to arrange placement of a female clerk in Urquhart's office for intelligence gathering.
Chapter XV
Is tasked by Wimsey to travel to Windle and investigate Mrs. Wrayburn's will and household.
Chapter XVI
Arrives in Windle and begins investigating Mrs. Wrayburn; writes a detailed letter to Wimsey about her progress.
XVII
Conducts an undercover investigation, posing as a spiritualist to gather information from Miss Booth.
XVIII
Returns late from a séance, defends her involvement with spiritualism, and later discovers the will with Miss Booth.
XIX
Steams open the will envelope, reads its contents, and reseals it; writes a detailed letter to Lord Peter about her discovery.

Chapter companion notes

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See Miss Climpson in ii

See Miss Climpson in The Hung Jury