Unjust Desserts is a cautionary culinary tale. Violet Sidney (Barbara Lott) is a descendant of a former Mayor of London and French aristocracy.
It starts off with a Christmas dinner with all her family, her sons and daughters and their spouses. Some like Edmond Duff, the husband of daughter Grace is treated like an outsider. Not good enough or wealthy enough for Violet.
By next Christmas three of the family members including Edmond and Violet are dead.
All of them suffered from food poisoning. When their bodies were later exhumed, it was arsenic poisoning.
Something was maybe inserted in the soup, a few complained about the taste. The soup powder was kept in a locked cabinet by Violet.
Despite all her heirs and graces, the family ate week old chicken or veal that had been made several days earlier. Food hygiene seemed secondary.
No one was arrested although her members of the family were regarded as suspects.
There is a lot of conjecture from Edward Woodward. Maybe Violet killed two of them and then committed suicide. It could been Tom Sidney, the son who was an entertainer with an American wife. He moved to USA and never returned. The truth would never be known.
The second tale is called An Uncommon Murder. In the east end of London. Some communist anarchists get into a fracas with the police that lead to some deaths.
Leon Beron was a well to do Russian Jew who arrived to England from Paris many years earlier. He was a slum landlord. Despite living in London for some years he did not know English. People knew he had money, he was also involved in fencing stolen goods.
There were also rumours that Leon Beron was a police informant. Despite his various activities, which includes taking a cut off prostitutes earnings, dealing in stolen goods, he had a clean police record.
When Beron is found dead, with marks of 'S' cut to his face. He was also robbed.
Steinie Morrison was another flamboyant emigre. A Russian Jew who told tall tales. That is why he was known as the Australian. He was quickly arrested and imprisoned.
Edward Woodward regards the evidence as circumstantial despite Steinie recently coming into some cash. The marks on Beron indicated a ritual killing, that of a police informant. Beron might had informed on the anarchists.
A lot of conjecture but it was always likely that Steinie Morrison was the correct culprit.