![]() ![]() ![]() I think this book would be very useful for writers of historical murder mysteries! It’s limited to examples from the UK and the US and is more about the science of poisons than the law, but it’s a good resource anyway. I liked the discussions about the fine boundary between toxins and tonics, which had surprising revelations. It was depressing to discover how many deliberate poisoners were from the medical professions, using their knowledge of and access to substances and patients for evil deeds. Mostly the content is very interesting, although grim and not for the faint-hearted. For each one, the author examines the history of each substance, describes how killers used it (and how the crime was proved, or not), how the poisons work at a molecular level and the treatment for victims of the poison. The poisons included are: insulin, atropine, strychnine, aconite, ricin, digoxin, cyanide, potassium, polonium, arsenic and chlorine. This one is all about poisons and how they kill, using historical and contemporary murder cases as examples. Never before have I been so repelled and fascinated at once by a book. ![]()
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