In her book, Valentine talks about the forensics behind just some of Agatha Christie’s wonderful mysteries, and how her knowledge of poisons especially, thanks to her experience as a pharmacist in both World Wars, helped fuel her reputation as the queen of crime. I came across this book after reading another poison related book, Murder Isn’t Easy by Carla Valentine.

From the deadly origins of the gin & tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom, A Taste for Poison leads readers on a riveting tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive-or don’t. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes-some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved-are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.ĭrawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins to show how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict? It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe.

A bit of a mouthful – pun intended – so we’ll shorten it to A Taste For Poison!Īs any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring-and popular-weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. Today I’m sharing another non-fiction review of A Taste For Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them. Hello hello and welcome or welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet.

A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury