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A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Nonfiction (2022)A Taste for Poison reveals how eleven notorious poisons affect the body--through the murders in which they were used.
As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring—and popular—weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. 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. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?
In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. 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.
Drawn 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. 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.
As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring—and popular—weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. 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. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?
In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. 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.
Drawn 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. 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.
260 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2022
About the author
Neil Bradbury
1 book130 followersNEIL BRADBURY, Ph.D. is Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, where he teaches and conducts research on genetic diseases. A full-time scientist and educator, Bradbury has won numerous awards for his unique approach to teaching physiology. He has presented his research around the world and authored more than 80 scientific articles and book chapters. He currently lives in Illinois with his wife and two border collies. A TASTE FOR POISON is his first book.
You can chat with me at
https://www.skolay.com/writers/neil-b...
You can chat with me at
https://www.skolay.com/writers/neil-b...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,239 reviews
November 15, 2022
Review "The 'Final Solution". Fill in the missing word: "During World War II, hydrogen cyanide was used to gas thousands of [*] in the death camps of Aushwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek as part of the so-called Final Solution." That was an excerpt of the book. Did you think the missing word was Jews? I did. It wasn't, it was prisoners. And what's all this "so-called Final Solution"? It does make you think, doesn't it? Writing of any book is as much about the author as the subject.
The subject of the book is all about eleven different poisons, their derivation, their effect, how they have been used and on whom. It is an interesting book and the blurb which actually reads like a review, so thoroughly does it describe the book, makes a further review seem redundant.
Goodreads rating scale says that 3 star is good, quite enjoyable. And that fits this book. But since the writing was really rather good, that would be closer to 3.5.
__________
The deadliest plants in the world bloom happily in the wild of my garden Where I live, one of the tallest and actually quite beautiful of the weeds is the castor oil plant. It's very tall with red spiky, fuzzy seed pods. The seeds are made into castor oil. Or ricin, the deadliest poison known to man. This is a pic of me with a young castor oil plant in the foreground, and no I am not stooping down.
We also have the stunningly pretty and related angels' trumpets which are 12-15" long white bells whose scent at night can be smelled a long way off. The second night they turn peachy pink. Also deadly. And a third, I think American's call it Jimson Weed, we call it Stinking Toe (that's what it smells like) is equally pretty, a ground level plant.
I had a friend, a guy kill himself with that. He was a local guy, a pharmacist, a professional, and said he knew the exact amount and preparation for hallucinations. So he did it quite often, lost his mind so his parents sent him to the US, to a mental institution to try and help him, but he was going in and out of a hallucinatory state for months. Eventually he went and laid down on a railway track. It was really, really sad.
Then there are the beautiful red and black jumbie beads, which children play with and people make necklaces of for the tourists.
All the above grow in my garden (bush, cloud forest, unmanageable secondary growth after the devastation of hurricane Irma that left maybe 1 tall tree in 200 standing. My 1 in 200 was the breadfruit tree, which is good because I like roast breadfruit**) The deadliest most poisonous tree in the Caribbean only grows on the shores and has mostly been cleared from the island. It is so deadly that sap dripping on you, or even rain going through the fruit and leaves can poison and kill you. that's the manchineel tree. It looks quite a lot like a crab apple tree with apples. Some sites sa y this tree is rare. It isn't.
So really, if I wanted to poison someone, I'm spoiled for choice. I've never heard of anyone using the plants though.
**Roast breadfruit is slang for pussy in the Caribbean. I had a friend who was a judge in St Lucia, her email was roastedbreadfruit@ We all used to laugh, but I guess lawyers from the UK and US had no idea.
.
The subject of the book is all about eleven different poisons, their derivation, their effect, how they have been used and on whom. It is an interesting book and the blurb which actually reads like a review, so thoroughly does it describe the book, makes a further review seem redundant.
Goodreads rating scale says that 3 star is good, quite enjoyable. And that fits this book. But since the writing was really rather good, that would be closer to 3.5.
__________
The deadliest plants in the world bloom happily in the wild of my garden Where I live, one of the tallest and actually quite beautiful of the weeds is the castor oil plant. It's very tall with red spiky, fuzzy seed pods. The seeds are made into castor oil. Or ricin, the deadliest poison known to man. This is a pic of me with a young castor oil plant in the foreground, and no I am not stooping down.
We also have the stunningly pretty and related angels' trumpets which are 12-15" long white bells whose scent at night can be smelled a long way off. The second night they turn peachy pink. Also deadly. And a third, I think American's call it Jimson Weed, we call it Stinking Toe (that's what it smells like) is equally pretty, a ground level plant.
I had a friend, a guy kill himself with that. He was a local guy, a pharmacist, a professional, and said he knew the exact amount and preparation for hallucinations. So he did it quite often, lost his mind so his parents sent him to the US, to a mental institution to try and help him, but he was going in and out of a hallucinatory state for months. Eventually he went and laid down on a railway track. It was really, really sad.
Then there are the beautiful red and black jumbie beads, which children play with and people make necklaces of for the tourists.
All the above grow in my garden (bush, cloud forest, unmanageable secondary growth after the devastation of hurricane Irma that left maybe 1 tall tree in 200 standing. My 1 in 200 was the breadfruit tree, which is good because I like roast breadfruit**) The deadliest most poisonous tree in the Caribbean only grows on the shores and has mostly been cleared from the island. It is so deadly that sap dripping on you, or even rain going through the fruit and leaves can poison and kill you. that's the manchineel tree. It looks quite a lot like a crab apple tree with apples. Some sites sa y this tree is rare. It isn't.
So really, if I wanted to poison someone, I'm spoiled for choice. I've never heard of anyone using the plants though.
**Roast breadfruit is slang for pussy in the Caribbean. I had a friend who was a judge in St Lucia, her email was roastedbreadfruit@ We all used to laugh, but I guess lawyers from the UK and US had no idea.
.
April 21, 2022
Not my usual kind of book but it was fun!
February 2, 2022
A Taste for Poison is a nonfiction look at the stealthiest of stealthy killing techniques that will appeal if you are:
- A murderino*
- Walter White**
- Scientifically inclined***
- Bell Biv Devoe****
- Someone with a huge life insurance policy on a spouse*****
To my surprise, I have heard of many of the poisonings author Neil Bradbury covers, since several have occurred during my lifetime. While some sections felt like collegiate-level chemistry lessons, I never lost interest and learned a lot about ingestible killers.
* A murderino is a person with an obsessive interest in true crime, as coined by followers of the podcast “My Favorite Murder.” (MFM is my one and only podcast addiction, thus I am in fact a murderino.)
** Walter White is the main character from the exceptional TV series “Breaking Bad.” If you know, you know.
*** Scientifically inclined people do science. I am not and I do not.
**** Bel Biv Devoe, aka BBD, is an R&B group popular in the 90s whose hit “Poison” taught a generation of young men to never trust a big butt and a smile.
***** People with huge life insurance policies on their spouses who want to cash in early now have a how-to manual.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and the author for the review copy. The audiobook clocks in at 7 hours 15 minutes and is narrated by Derek Perkins.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
- A murderino*
- Walter White**
- Scientifically inclined***
- Bell Biv Devoe****
- Someone with a huge life insurance policy on a spouse*****
To my surprise, I have heard of many of the poisonings author Neil Bradbury covers, since several have occurred during my lifetime. While some sections felt like collegiate-level chemistry lessons, I never lost interest and learned a lot about ingestible killers.
* A murderino is a person with an obsessive interest in true crime, as coined by followers of the podcast “My Favorite Murder.” (MFM is my one and only podcast addiction, thus I am in fact a murderino.)
** Walter White is the main character from the exceptional TV series “Breaking Bad.” If you know, you know.
*** Scientifically inclined people do science. I am not and I do not.
**** Bel Biv Devoe, aka BBD, is an R&B group popular in the 90s whose hit “Poison” taught a generation of young men to never trust a big butt and a smile.
***** People with huge life insurance policies on their spouses who want to cash in early now have a how-to manual.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and the author for the review copy. The audiobook clocks in at 7 hours 15 minutes and is narrated by Derek Perkins.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
February 19, 2024
… a chemical is not intrinsically, good or bad, it’s just a chemical. What differs is the intent with which the chemical is used: either to preserve life – – or to take it.--------------------------------------
Within the annals of crime, murder holds a particularly heinous position. And among the means of killing, fewer methods generate such a peculiar morbid fascination as poison. Compared with hot blooded spur of the moment, murderers, the planned and cold calculations involved in murder by poison, perfectly fit the legal term malice aforethought. Poisoning requires planning and knowledge of the victim’s habits. It requires consideration of how the poison will be administered. Some poisons can kill within minutes; others can be given slowly, over time, gradually accumulating in the body, but still leading inexorably to the victim’s death.If you are a fan of True Crime, if you are a fan of TV procedurals, if you are a fan of murder mysteries, A Taste for Poison is a must read. You will be much better prepared to keep up with the medical examiners in all venues when you can recognize the victims’ symptoms, at least if the book or show gives you a chance to try figuring it out for yourself before the truth is revealed.
Neil Bradbury grew up fascinated by murder mysteries and poisons. He is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and the University of Wales School of Medicine, with degrees in Biochemistry and Medical Biochemistry. Although he grew up in the UK, he now lives and works in Illinois, USA, where he’s a scientist, teacher and writer. He also gets to play with nasty chemicals every day (during scientific experiments of course). - from his site
Dr. Neil Bradbury - image from his site
He has carefully mixed his interests and profession to produce a fun, informative look at poisons through the ages. One might wonder if he wrote the book using a poison pen. I wouldn’t, but some might. He includes looks at the following: Aconite, Arsenic, Atropine, Chlorine, Cyanide, Digoxin, Insulin, Potassium, Polonium, Ricin, and Strychnine. None would qualify as pretty, although cyanide does gift its victims with a lovely ruddy complexion.
One of the primary themes of the book is that poisoning is the misapplication of healing pharma to dark purpose. Think water. Necessary for human survival, comes in many forms. These days it forms a base layer for a surface layer of every imaginable flavor, nifty literary tool too, right? But water-boarding, or tsunami? Not so much.
Bradbury goes through the medically helpful aspects of multiple poisons, then shows how they have been used to kill, who used them, on whom they were used, how the crimes were figured out and prosecuted, and what happened to the poisoners. In doing this he provides us with a history of when it became possible to diagnose (detect) each poison as a murder weapon, (of particular interest in historical mystery dramas) and details the biology of how each works its dark arts inside the human body.
Sadly, for those with a poison-based homicidal urge, the subjects of Bradbury’s reporting, for the most part, were tried and convicted. And today, in the absence of governments protecting state-sponsored poisoners, very few such crimes go unpunished.
You are unlikely to recognize the names here, at least the names of the killers, attempted killers, and victims, but as with many in the history of medicine, that is not unusual. Nevertheless, the details are here, as many crimes are examined.
Bradbury offers a fun collection of historical odds and ends, like how the telegraph, newly in service, foiled the escape of one poisoner. Or how one particular poison may have been at the root of vampire mythology, or how strychnine was used as a pick-me-up in the early 20th century, or the surprising cost of manufacturing polonium, and even a new take on some Van Goh masterpieces.
The only downside for me was that I tended to get a bit lost in the sections detailing the biological and chemical workings of these substances inside the body. I would not say they are extremely technical. I would say that I was always complete garbage at chemistry, and not a whole lot better at biology, so may have nurtured a disaffection that is unlikely to affect you the same way. There is some humor in the book, but not a whole lot.
Still, As a consumer of a considerable amount of crime-based entertainment, I was particularly drawn to this book. The how-dun-it often is as important as the who, and by detailing victim symptomology as well as poisoner and investigator methodologies, we can all get a greater appreciation for the challenges entailed. I may not have had the right chemical receptors for the scientific details, but there is plenty of intel in here that will enhance your engagement in crime shows, and teach you a bit about the history of these substances, many of which exist in common parlance. So, it may or may not be for you. I guess you will just have to pick your poison.
…in France in the late 1600s, the effectiveness of arsenic and disposing of wealthy relatives who had the temerity to remain alive, was so widespread that it gained the name Poudre de succession, or “inheritance powder.”
Review posted - 11/17/23
Publication dates
----------Hardcover - 2/1/22
----------Trade paperback – 8/15/23
I received a paperback of A Taste for Poison from Griffin in return for a fair review. I am happy to report that the tingling feeling in my hands, which began after I first began to read the book, soon abated. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.
This review is cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal and Goodreads author pages
Alas, as far as I was able to find, Bradbury’s on-line presence is slender, limited to his personal site and GR author page. Maybe laying low after having taken care of some personal rivals?
Interview
-----Murder & MayhemTalking Poisons with Dr. Neil Bradbury
Items of Interest
-----Listverse - Top 10 Remorseless Poisoners That History Almost Forgot by Radu Alexander
-----Philadelphia Inquirer -A Pennsylvania nurse is accused of killing 4 patients, injuring others with high doses of insulin by Bruce Shipkowski and Brooke Schultz, Associated Press
-----Wikipedia - List of Poisonings through history – from 399 BC to 2021 – a nifty list
July 12, 2024
3.5 stars
Historically, poison was a popular murder weapon because it was difficult (or impossible) to detect in the dead victim. Thus countless killers got away with murder. Now of course, modern technology can sniff out poison quite easily, and its use as a murder weapon has plummeted. Still, poisons are a fascinating subject.
'A Taste For Poison' is a compendium of eleven well-known poisons, familiar to fans of mystery fiction as well as true crime aficionados. For each substance, Bradbury describes its provenance, how it works, and its use by a killer. The poisons are aconite, arsenic, atropine, chlorine, cyanide, digoxin, insulin, polonium, potassium, ricin and strychnine.
Many poisons, such as aconite, atropine, cyanide, digoxin, ricin, and strychnine come from plants; insulin is a hormone made in animals; and other poisons are found in soil, rocks, and other naturally occurring substances.
Aconite comes from the monkshood plant
Ricin comes from castor beans
Arsenic is found in minerals
Bradbury explains, 'Whatever the poison may be, there are three distinct stages that occur before death: delivery, actions, and effects." Poisons can be delivered via four paths, ingestion (eaten or drunk), respiration (inhaled), absorption (taken in through the skin), or injection (shot into muscle or blood vessel). Once inside the body a poison might attack the nervous system; interfere with vital organs; affect cell chemistry; paralyze muscles; break down cells; and more. Taken far enough, any of these actions could result in death.
In some ways, the sections on how poisons kill is reminiscent of my college physiology class, but Bradbury's narrative is much more entertaining. I was also struck by the killers Bradbury uses as examples, some of whom crafted murder schemes worthy of the great Agatha Christie herself. Of course most of the murderers exemplified in this book were caught.....and I shudder to think of the many more that walked free.
Many people have heard of poisons like arsenic, cyanide and strychnine, and most of the other featured toxins probably 'ring a bell' as well. So, to provide a feel for the book, I'll briefly outline Bradbury's chapter on a rare and unusual killer - polonium.
Polonium, discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1903, is a lethal radioactive metal. Sadly, one of the first victims of polonium may have been the Curies' daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, who died of leukemia at the age of 58 - possibly from accidental exposure to the radioactive substance.
Marie and Pierre Curie
Irène Joliot-Curie
Polonium-210 is the ideal poison. It's lethal in small amounts, doesn't generate the hard gamma radiation that's easily detected by monitors at airports and shipping ports, and causes death relatively quickly. Of course polonium is very expensive and hard to get, but - in one case (at least) - it was used as an assassination tool.
The story: In 2006 a London man named Edwin Carter suddenly fell ill. He exhibited stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and labored breathing. At the hospital, Carter was diagnosed with gastroenteritis with dehydration, but Edwin's low white cell count argued against it. Nevertheless, Carter was treated with the antibiotics normally used to combat gastroenteritis.
When his health continued to decline, Carter announced that he was an ex-KBG agent named Alexander Litvinenko, and that he'd been poisoned. Hospital staff thought Edwin was delusional until his hair started falling out and his blood platelet count plummeted, which doesn't happen with gastroenteritis.
Alexander Litvinenko in the hospital
An MI-6 handler finally confirmed that Litvinenko had been a KGB agent who had publicly accused KGB officials of being in league with Russian organized crime. Litvinenko was fired in 1999, and defected to Britain, where he became an informant for MI-6.
Litvinenko was poisoned during a meeting with Russian 'businessmen' who would (supposedly) help British firms do business in Russia. Litvinenko unknowingly drank some polonium-laced tea during the conference, and fell ill while the 'businessmen' hustled back to Russia.
It turns out the polonium came from a nuclear facility in Russia, and the 'businessmen' were Russian agents called Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun - ostensibly sent by either Vladimir Putin or the Russian secret service. In any case, no one was ever extradited or arrested.
Andrei Lugovoi
Dmitry Kovtun
Bradbury explains what polonium does in detail, but in a nutshell: Polonium enters the body via the small intestine and breaks down the gut wall. This causes bacterial infections, which make the victim ill. Meanwhile, polonium enters the bloodstream, travels around the body, and destroys the liver, heart, hair follicles, immune system, bone marrow, and so on. Litvinenko's body was "literally shredded apart."
How polonium damages the body
This is more dramatic than most of Bradbury's examples, which usually involve things like spouses killing their partners; nurses or doctors murdering patients; relatives killing for an inheritance; the Borgias poisoning their way to wealth and power; poison gas used for mass murder; and so on. In any case, the book will make you wary of what you eat, drink, touch, or breathe in.
Though most information in the book is available on the internet, the narrative pulls the information together in one place, and the audiobook is excellent for dipping into during free moments.
Thanks to Netgalley, Neil Bradbury, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
Want to read
January 8, 2022I should make a "Books That Will Land Me on an FBI Watchlist" shelf
September 8, 2023
Poison is one of the least popular murder weapons, yet according to A Taste for Poison, it can be highly effective. Before sophisticated criminal forensics, poisoning was also often a foolproof way to get away with murder. Obviously, though, one has to understand the poison well in a few different respects, and the kind of poison matters. Scientist and educator Neil Bradbury focuses on eleven of the most potent: aconite, arsenic, atropine, chlorine, cyanide, digoxin, insulin, polonium-210, potassium, ricin, and strychnine. As poisons, they cause many of the same horrible symptoms, with notable exceptions, such as strychnine, which stands out for being particularly torturous.
The overarching theme in A Taste for Poison is that dosage matters--what is a toxin in one amount can be a tonic in another. The castor plant provides both the remedy castor oil and the poison ricin. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant, absolutely essential in medical settings, but you don’t want it injected into your IV line. Insulin has improved the quality of life for countless diabetics, but too much kills. More interesting, in an odd twist, one poison dosed correctly can be the antidote for another. And for some, administration matters: A poison that’s deadly if injected can be harmless if ingested.
The word “molecules” in the subtitle is meaningful. The featured substances aren’t poisons inherently. Bradbury says more than once that poisons are chemicals--since life is composed of chemicals--but that “chemical” doesn’t automatically equal “dangerous.” Chemicals are molecular configurations. It’s how they’re manipulated and applied that matters:
A Taste for Poison is a perfectly balanced hybrid of true-crime and science. Each poison gets a dedicated chapter in which Bradbury concisely covers a few aspects, keeping these roughly the same length: the origin of the poison; the history of its use as a tonic (or practical tool), if relevant; some chilling true-crime accounts involving that poison; and a biological explanation--as reader friendly as possible--for how the poison works in the body. The true-crime stories are strong examples in their category thanks to a winning combination of high shock factor and built-in intrigue, and they span time from the Victorian era to now. In the interest of brevity, Bradbury hits only the main, most relevant points of these accounts, enough to bring the people and events to some life. Perpetrators came from various backgrounds, but it’s especially alarming (despite making sense, given the need for scientific understanding) how many worked in the medical field, mainly as nurses. As the poisons are concerned, he doesn’t linger on the gruesome details; however, these are poisons--softening description here has its limits.
An interest in poisons isn’t a prerequisite for reading this book; Bradbury takes care of that from the first page. By weaving stories of real-life horror into science lessons about poisons, he’s crafted a captivating read, the kind that educates sneakily. I knew very little about poisons before beginning this book and have come away from it well informed. Obviously, it most suits readers who like both true-crime and science--but there’s something here for all kinds of readers, and the book’s tight organization is conducive to skipping to parts of specific interest.
NOTE: I received this as a complimentary finished copy from Goodreads in August 2023.
The overarching theme in A Taste for Poison is that dosage matters--what is a toxin in one amount can be a tonic in another. The castor plant provides both the remedy castor oil and the poison ricin. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant, absolutely essential in medical settings, but you don’t want it injected into your IV line. Insulin has improved the quality of life for countless diabetics, but too much kills. More interesting, in an odd twist, one poison dosed correctly can be the antidote for another. And for some, administration matters: A poison that’s deadly if injected can be harmless if ingested.
The word “molecules” in the subtitle is meaningful. The featured substances aren’t poisons inherently. Bradbury says more than once that poisons are chemicals--since life is composed of chemicals--but that “chemical” doesn’t automatically equal “dangerous.” Chemicals are molecular configurations. It’s how they’re manipulated and applied that matters:
While most people would consider poisons to be lethal drugs, scientists have used the exact same chemicals to tease apart the inner molecular and cellular mechanisms of cells and organs, using this information to develop new drugs that treat and cure a wide range of diseases. For example, studying how the poisons in the foxglove plant affect the body has led to the development of drugs to treat congestive heart failure. Similarly, understanding how belladonna affects the body has helped create drugs now routinely used in surgery to prevent postoperative complications, and even to treat soldiers exposed to chemical warfare. From this it can be seen that a chemical is not intrinsically good or bad, it's just a chemical.Many have intriguing plant origins. The castor plant, with its distinctively shaped, pointed leaves, would be a striking landscaping choice if it were non-toxic. Strychnine comes from the benign-looking strychnine tree. Digoxin comes from the beautiful foxglove plant. Atropine comes from the flowering belladonna plant, dotted by black berries that look edible.
A Taste for Poison is a perfectly balanced hybrid of true-crime and science. Each poison gets a dedicated chapter in which Bradbury concisely covers a few aspects, keeping these roughly the same length: the origin of the poison; the history of its use as a tonic (or practical tool), if relevant; some chilling true-crime accounts involving that poison; and a biological explanation--as reader friendly as possible--for how the poison works in the body. The true-crime stories are strong examples in their category thanks to a winning combination of high shock factor and built-in intrigue, and they span time from the Victorian era to now. In the interest of brevity, Bradbury hits only the main, most relevant points of these accounts, enough to bring the people and events to some life. Perpetrators came from various backgrounds, but it’s especially alarming (despite making sense, given the need for scientific understanding) how many worked in the medical field, mainly as nurses. As the poisons are concerned, he doesn’t linger on the gruesome details; however, these are poisons--softening description here has its limits.
An interest in poisons isn’t a prerequisite for reading this book; Bradbury takes care of that from the first page. By weaving stories of real-life horror into science lessons about poisons, he’s crafted a captivating read, the kind that educates sneakily. I knew very little about poisons before beginning this book and have come away from it well informed. Obviously, it most suits readers who like both true-crime and science--but there’s something here for all kinds of readers, and the book’s tight organization is conducive to skipping to parts of specific interest.
NOTE: I received this as a complimentary finished copy from Goodreads in August 2023.
August 18, 2022
3.5 ☆ rounded up
A Taste for Poison presented an interesting blend of hard science and murderers' poisons of choice. The author focused on seven "biomolecules of death," most of which are derived from plants: aconite (aka monkshood or wolfsbane), atropine (aka belladonna), cyanide, digoxin (aka foxglove or digitalis), insulin, ricin, and strychnine. And he included these four "molecules of death" which originate from the earth: arsenic, chlorine, polonium, and potassium. A few of these deadly molecules have been known for centuries, but unfortunately for the victims, the development of forensics lagged. Many of these poisons should be familiar to fans of crime fiction. Due to her stint as an apothecary's assistant, Dame Agatha Christie featured half of these as her killers' weapons in her mysteries.
The author Neil Bradbury is a professor of physiology and biophysics. He explained very clearly the specific impacts, down to the molecular level, that these 11 poisons can exert within the body. Often times the line separating life and death was a mere hair's breadth. For instance, too much digoxin or digitalis, just a few milligrams, will result in death. But since the 18th century, lower dosages of digitalis have been given to patients with congestive heart failure. Dr. William Withering of England was the first to conduct clinical drug trials of any kind when he studied the efficacy of digitalis. Withering had learned about the foxglove plant from a woman, a herbalist who lived in the forest and whose name is lost to time (typical that the woman is forgotten).
People in the past didn't realize just how lethal some of these toxins actually were. Possibly the oldest known poison, arsenic became more accessible and affordable due to the Industrial Revolution. Not only was arsenic powder used for pest control, but its inclusion created a vibrant shade of green that was very popular in wallpaper during Victorian times.
Bradbury highlighted more than a dozen killers. While terrible for its victims, the assassinations of the Soviet defectors and ex-KGB personnel were fascinating stories that were part of the Cold War's legacy. But aside from these state-sponsored murders, the vast majority of the highlighted killers had very personal targets - their spouses or lovers.
Napoleon voiced his accusation because of his ailments, which many believe were symptomatic of stomach cancer. But his comment also applied to the four serial killers Bradbury included because they all worked in the medical field. Nurse Charles Cullen's murders were disturbing in two respects: the high number of victims (40 were confirmed but hundreds were more likely) and his employers' complicity by keeping silent. The hospitals were eager to avoid scandal and negative publicity so they fired Cullen and refused to investigate when suspicions were raised. After Cullen's conviction in New Jersey in 2006, the state passed a law requiring hospitals to report any such similar allegations to their regulatory bodies.
Having recently read Immune: a Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive and being a longterm fan of crime fiction, I found this book to be pretty interesting. In addition to the Christie references, one of my favorite espionage novelists incorporated tales of the state-sponsored assassinations. Bradbury's strength was more apparent in the physiological descriptions than in the recounting of past true crimes. I did wonder what criteria he had for his selection of murderers. And sometimes in his attempts to make the historical reports more exciting, the writing became less orderly. Overall though, this was an entertaining and informative dive into poisons. [And, yes, for those with deadly malicious intentions, this will be inspiring. ☠]
"It is the dose that makes the poison."
~ Paracelsus, alchemist & physician in the 16th century
A Taste for Poison presented an interesting blend of hard science and murderers' poisons of choice. The author focused on seven "biomolecules of death," most of which are derived from plants: aconite (aka monkshood or wolfsbane), atropine (aka belladonna), cyanide, digoxin (aka foxglove or digitalis), insulin, ricin, and strychnine. And he included these four "molecules of death" which originate from the earth: arsenic, chlorine, polonium, and potassium. A few of these deadly molecules have been known for centuries, but unfortunately for the victims, the development of forensics lagged. Many of these poisons should be familiar to fans of crime fiction. Due to her stint as an apothecary's assistant, Dame Agatha Christie featured half of these as her killers' weapons in her mysteries.
The use of poisons in scientific research is probably more widespread than most people realize. Without poisons our understanding of how the human body works would have been greatly hampered.
The author Neil Bradbury is a professor of physiology and biophysics. He explained very clearly the specific impacts, down to the molecular level, that these 11 poisons can exert within the body. Often times the line separating life and death was a mere hair's breadth. For instance, too much digoxin or digitalis, just a few milligrams, will result in death. But since the 18th century, lower dosages of digitalis have been given to patients with congestive heart failure. Dr. William Withering of England was the first to conduct clinical drug trials of any kind when he studied the efficacy of digitalis. Withering had learned about the foxglove plant from a woman, a herbalist who lived in the forest and whose name is lost to time (typical that the woman is forgotten).
People in the past didn't realize just how lethal some of these toxins actually were. Possibly the oldest known poison, arsenic became more accessible and affordable due to the Industrial Revolution. Not only was arsenic powder used for pest control, but its inclusion created a vibrant shade of green that was very popular in wallpaper during Victorian times.
Knowing that you are unlikely to be bitten by bedbugs as the wallpaper is slowly killing you is not the calm relaxed feeling most people want from their bedrooms.
Bradbury highlighted more than a dozen killers. While terrible for its victims, the assassinations of the Soviet defectors and ex-KGB personnel were fascinating stories that were part of the Cold War's legacy. But aside from these state-sponsored murders, the vast majority of the highlighted killers had very personal targets - their spouses or lovers.
"You medical people will have more lives to answer for in the other world, than even we generals."
~ Napoleon Bonaparte before his death in 1821
Napoleon voiced his accusation because of his ailments, which many believe were symptomatic of stomach cancer. But his comment also applied to the four serial killers Bradbury included because they all worked in the medical field. Nurse Charles Cullen's murders were disturbing in two respects: the high number of victims (40 were confirmed but hundreds were more likely) and his employers' complicity by keeping silent. The hospitals were eager to avoid scandal and negative publicity so they fired Cullen and refused to investigate when suspicions were raised. After Cullen's conviction in New Jersey in 2006, the state passed a law requiring hospitals to report any such similar allegations to their regulatory bodies.
Having recently read Immune: a Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive and being a longterm fan of crime fiction, I found this book to be pretty interesting. In addition to the Christie references, one of my favorite espionage novelists incorporated tales of the state-sponsored assassinations. Bradbury's strength was more apparent in the physiological descriptions than in the recounting of past true crimes. I did wonder what criteria he had for his selection of murderers. And sometimes in his attempts to make the historical reports more exciting, the writing became less orderly. Overall though, this was an entertaining and informative dive into poisons. [And, yes, for those with deadly malicious intentions, this will be inspiring. ☠]
August 22, 2021
OK I'm the author so of course I gave it 5 stars. I wanted this book to be informative and and "enjoyable". for those who like true crime, history, medicine and science.
January 29, 2023
Finished this a fe dys ago but don't feel in quite a review writing mood. Listened to this as an audiobook and found it very engaging to listen to. A bit scary knowing such deadly things exist but very interesting.
November 5, 2021
This was a really well written exploration of poisons, looking at eleven chemicals and how they have been used for murder and mayhem. I really enjoyed the book's structure; each compound was explored both scientifically and criminologically, starting with its origins. The author goes deep into biochemistry and exactly what each poison does in the body that causes harm; I like scientific deep dives and I was extremely impressed with how well the author explained complex biochemical concepts. That's what made the book for me. But there was more! He then detailed the way each poison was used, several high profile criminal cases involving the poisons, and the way forensic science learned to identify he use of each poison. He also took pains to identify the way poisons have been used for beneficial health reasons too. On the whole a well compelling and entertaining book!
May 2, 2022
This book is a marvelous blend of stories about crime, and biochemistry. I love how the author describes each type of poison in a separate chapter, interleaving stories about crimes committed with the poison's chemical and biological characteristics. A major theme in the book is the multiple uses of these poisons. The lethality of many of them depend on dosage; at low dosage these poisons are actually in use to improve health in some way!
The crime stories are absolutely fascinating. Here are some examples:
"Gin and tonic" was invented by the British in the mid-1800s. It consisted of gin, sugar, lime, and a quinine tonic. The gin, sugar, and lime were used to mask the bitter taste of quinine, which was discovered to prevent malaria. However, during the Napoleonic era, French physicians assumed that since quinine, a bitter white powder, was medically useful for treating malaria, that all bitter white powders would also be beneficial. Strychnine is also a bitter white powder, so ...
In 2017, Betty Miller lived in a retirement home in Vermont. She harvested castor beans on the home's property, and processed them to make ricin. She put the ricin in the food of other residents. She wanted to test the effectiveness of ricin as a poison, before using it to commit suicide. However, none of the residents became very sick, because her ricin was not pure, and ingestion of ricin is not an effectivve route for poisoning. Today, research is being done to see if ricin could be targeted to kill cancer cells.
Alexander Litvinenko was a KGB agen, and after the fall of the Soviet Union, he became an FSB agent. He found evidence that his superiors were colluding with a crime syndicate that was trafficking heroin from Afghanistan to Western Europe. He alleged that Putin was personally involved in a cover up. He later defected to the West. In 2005, while living in the UK, he was poisoned with polonium-210. It is suspected that Putin himself gave the order to poison him!
I am very much puzzled by the stories about arsenic. It accumulates in the body, so it can be used in a series of small doses to simulated a slowly-worsening natural illness. On the other hand, consider the people living in the region of Styria in Austria, home of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many people there regularly eat arsenic as a health tonic! They start with small doses, and gradually build up an immunity. There seems to be some truthg that a series of small, increasing doses does provide some health benefit. But, how does this reconcile with its usage as poisoning in small, cumulative doses?
I was encouraged to start this book because of the high ratings here on Goodreads. But before I started reading it, I thought that this would not be an interesting book. But -- it is a real page-turner for me! It is so well-written, and the blend of chemistry and crime is presented so nicely. I highly recommend this book!
The crime stories are absolutely fascinating. Here are some examples:
"Gin and tonic" was invented by the British in the mid-1800s. It consisted of gin, sugar, lime, and a quinine tonic. The gin, sugar, and lime were used to mask the bitter taste of quinine, which was discovered to prevent malaria. However, during the Napoleonic era, French physicians assumed that since quinine, a bitter white powder, was medically useful for treating malaria, that all bitter white powders would also be beneficial. Strychnine is also a bitter white powder, so ...
In 2017, Betty Miller lived in a retirement home in Vermont. She harvested castor beans on the home's property, and processed them to make ricin. She put the ricin in the food of other residents. She wanted to test the effectiveness of ricin as a poison, before using it to commit suicide. However, none of the residents became very sick, because her ricin was not pure, and ingestion of ricin is not an effectivve route for poisoning. Today, research is being done to see if ricin could be targeted to kill cancer cells.
Alexander Litvinenko was a KGB agen, and after the fall of the Soviet Union, he became an FSB agent. He found evidence that his superiors were colluding with a crime syndicate that was trafficking heroin from Afghanistan to Western Europe. He alleged that Putin was personally involved in a cover up. He later defected to the West. In 2005, while living in the UK, he was poisoned with polonium-210. It is suspected that Putin himself gave the order to poison him!
I am very much puzzled by the stories about arsenic. It accumulates in the body, so it can be used in a series of small doses to simulated a slowly-worsening natural illness. On the other hand, consider the people living in the region of Styria in Austria, home of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many people there regularly eat arsenic as a health tonic! They start with small doses, and gradually build up an immunity. There seems to be some truthg that a series of small, increasing doses does provide some health benefit. But, how does this reconcile with its usage as poisoning in small, cumulative doses?
I was encouraged to start this book because of the high ratings here on Goodreads. But before I started reading it, I thought that this would not be an interesting book. But -- it is a real page-turner for me! It is so well-written, and the blend of chemistry and crime is presented so nicely. I highly recommend this book!
January 25, 2022
This is a riveting and potent (ha) mix of true crime/murder, physiology, medicine and the history of various poisons from the prominent to the lesser-known and detailing both the possible therapeutic and deadly uses, including how each works to achieve its end goal. Written authoritatively and entertainingly, Bradbury has truly surprised me by quite how fascinating this was.
He approaches each toxin from a slew of different angles describing from where it is derived and its impact on our biological processes providing some intriguing examples of how each has been utilised by would-be killers. A superb multi-faceted read that will appeal to those interested in toxicology, medicine, wider science history and, not forgetting, true crime. Highly recommended.
He approaches each toxin from a slew of different angles describing from where it is derived and its impact on our biological processes providing some intriguing examples of how each has been utilised by would-be killers. A superb multi-faceted read that will appeal to those interested in toxicology, medicine, wider science history and, not forgetting, true crime. Highly recommended.
May 12, 2022
An intriguing and informative look into eleven of the more common poisons used to kill, and how. I particularly liked that this was broken down into molecular and elemental poisons. My favourite poison (because that doesn't sound weird) to read about was polonium. However, I do work with ionising radiation so maybe I'm bias.
I thought overall this did a good job of presenting just enough scientific overview into each substance without being bogged down by too much data that could otherwise have been overwhelming. In particular I was pretty impressed with its description on the effects of free radicals on cells and DNA, which managed to present a really complicated topic in an easy to read way.
If you've got an interest in poisons and biology I don't think you'd be disappointed in this.
I thought overall this did a good job of presenting just enough scientific overview into each substance without being bogged down by too much data that could otherwise have been overwhelming. In particular I was pretty impressed with its description on the effects of free radicals on cells and DNA, which managed to present a really complicated topic in an easy to read way.
If you've got an interest in poisons and biology I don't think you'd be disappointed in this.
December 22, 2021
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Feb. 1, 2022
Neil Bradbury combines science and murder in his new non-fiction work, “A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them.”
Bradbury is a professor of physiology, so he definitely knows what he’s talking about, but he manages to make this novel easy to read, and the science aspects, when discussed, simply add to the entertaining nature of the novel, and provide further information for the reader.
Bradbury’s book takes eleven deadly poisons that either occur organically in our bodies or grow in nature (some examples being insulin, chlorine, cyanide, radiation, ricin, belladonna/nightshade) and gives them each a chapter, where their origin and uses are discussed. Further, Bradbury provides examples (from modern day, within the last twenty years, and from as long ago as ancient Rome and Greece) of people who have used these poisons to kill. However, Bradbury does not forget to mention how each compound can also be used to the benefit of humanity, and how they serve the body when used for good.
“Deadly Poisons” is scientific without being wordy, and surprisingly entertaining. I was unexpectedly impressed with Bradbury’s writing style, and found this novel provided me with information I didn’t realize I wanted to know. “Poisons” manages to tie science together with murder in a fascinating, page-turning way and I recommend this novel for anyone who wants to know more about the world around us, and what grows in it.
Expected publication date: Feb. 1, 2022
Neil Bradbury combines science and murder in his new non-fiction work, “A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them.”
Bradbury is a professor of physiology, so he definitely knows what he’s talking about, but he manages to make this novel easy to read, and the science aspects, when discussed, simply add to the entertaining nature of the novel, and provide further information for the reader.
Bradbury’s book takes eleven deadly poisons that either occur organically in our bodies or grow in nature (some examples being insulin, chlorine, cyanide, radiation, ricin, belladonna/nightshade) and gives them each a chapter, where their origin and uses are discussed. Further, Bradbury provides examples (from modern day, within the last twenty years, and from as long ago as ancient Rome and Greece) of people who have used these poisons to kill. However, Bradbury does not forget to mention how each compound can also be used to the benefit of humanity, and how they serve the body when used for good.
“Deadly Poisons” is scientific without being wordy, and surprisingly entertaining. I was unexpectedly impressed with Bradbury’s writing style, and found this novel provided me with information I didn’t realize I wanted to know. “Poisons” manages to tie science together with murder in a fascinating, page-turning way and I recommend this novel for anyone who wants to know more about the world around us, and what grows in it.
June 10, 2024
If you want to start reading non-fiction but don't know where to begin - this is a perfect book for you.
Entertaining blend of true crime, medicine and history makes for a book that is difficult to put down.
Each one of 11 chapters is covering a different poison (insulin, atropine, strychnine, aconite, ricin, digoxin, cyanide, potassium, polonium, arsenic and chlorine) and they are roughly following the same pattern - brief historical background of the poisonous compound, the case when it was used to murder someone, physiological explanation of how this chemical kills and examples of when it can be used for good purposes. Everything is sprinkled with somewhat snarky remarks and all that mixed together make for a book that although pretty morbid is also quite... fun. A beach read filled with gnarly descriptions of death.
But it also feels pretty surface level. Subchapters are very short and there is not enough time to dive deeper and scratch that curiosity itch a bit harder. Entertaining but not satisfying. Would recommend it to anyone.
Entertaining blend of true crime, medicine and history makes for a book that is difficult to put down.
Each one of 11 chapters is covering a different poison (insulin, atropine, strychnine, aconite, ricin, digoxin, cyanide, potassium, polonium, arsenic and chlorine) and they are roughly following the same pattern - brief historical background of the poisonous compound, the case when it was used to murder someone, physiological explanation of how this chemical kills and examples of when it can be used for good purposes. Everything is sprinkled with somewhat snarky remarks and all that mixed together make for a book that although pretty morbid is also quite... fun. A beach read filled with gnarly descriptions of death.
But it also feels pretty surface level. Subchapters are very short and there is not enough time to dive deeper and scratch that curiosity itch a bit harder. Entertaining but not satisfying. Would recommend it to anyone.
June 17, 2023
Take Sherlock Holmes and marry Agatha Christie. Within the marriage your vows to do no harm are shattered by the many secrets you hold within your vast knowledge of all those poisons you have used in your many murderous mysteries. The secrets have been revealed, and now your truly seen for who you are…..
Neil Bradbury is FANTASTIC! I have never love physiology so much!! His ability to captivate the biology, anatomy and physiology of humans while miraculously destroying your mind on their death through toxic exposure is mind boggling. It is a page turner, and you find yourself wanting to know more and more through each beautifully written story.
There are no words; just read and you’ll see what I mean!
Stay curious my friends! This is a great read for that!
Neil Bradbury is FANTASTIC! I have never love physiology so much!! His ability to captivate the biology, anatomy and physiology of humans while miraculously destroying your mind on their death through toxic exposure is mind boggling. It is a page turner, and you find yourself wanting to know more and more through each beautifully written story.
There are no words; just read and you’ll see what I mean!
Stay curious my friends! This is a great read for that!
December 3, 2021
Wow! I really enjoyed this. It was educational and interesting. Because this is about poisons the author followed many of the crimes associated with it. So if you love true crime I think you’ll really enjoy this. The author takes a deep dive into this topic and explains the chemistry along with what it actually does to the person and how it’s detected.
Really well done and I’m glad I read it. Very interesting. Thanks NetGalley.
Really well done and I’m glad I read it. Very interesting. Thanks NetGalley.
November 29, 2023
I think the blurb by Kathy Reich says it best: ”A fascinating tale of poison and poisonous deeds that both educated and entertains.” This had a great mix of science and true crime. I learned and I (surprisingly) laughed.
January 17, 2023
This is a book of eleven poisons. It's not an encyclopedia of poisons. It explains the effects and how the poisons work and kill, along with the killers who have used them. I found it quite fascinating and educational within its scope. Some of the poisons are familiar for any reader of murder mysteries and thrillers: strychnine, insulin, arsenic and cyanide. Others include potassium and polonium - and I'm afraid my memory doesn't stretch very far since I only remember half. There's also bleach, but that's not exactly something you can normally lure someone to eat or drink without them noticing. Not withstanding, there was a nurse who managed to kill quite a few people with bleach intravenously administered.
It's interesting that although most murderers are men, but many women were presented here, so I guess it's true that poison is a favorite of women with murderous intent. Back in the old days, you could poison someone and get away with it, that is no longer true, even if old text books might say they do.
It's interesting that although most murderers are men, but many women were presented here, so I guess it's true that poison is a favorite of women with murderous intent. Back in the old days, you could poison someone and get away with it, that is no longer true, even if old text books might say they do.
November 20, 2022
4,5/5
Nie dam pięciu gwiazdek, bo raczej nie przeczytam jej po raz kolejny, ALE uważam to za jedną z lepszych książek, które ostatnio czytałam, chociaż myślę, że jednak ma sporo wiedzy teoretycznej.
Tak czy siak, przeciekawa rzecz.
Nie dam pięciu gwiazdek, bo raczej nie przeczytam jej po raz kolejny, ALE uważam to za jedną z lepszych książek, które ostatnio czytałam, chociaż myślę, że jednak ma sporo wiedzy teoretycznej.
Tak czy siak, przeciekawa rzecz.
November 1, 2021
I was reading quietly at the dining room table while enjoying a bowl of scotch broth. Suddenly, the Long-Suffering Wife (LSW) entered, stage right, and plunked her open handbag on the table. A clear Zip-Lock® baggie, containing three vials, fell out of the handbag and onto the table in front of me. The vials, I noticed, contained liquids showing a tint and a viscosity which, in my sight, indicated that they were not water.
“O! Vision of Loveliness!” said I (for this is how I often address her). “I am even at this moment reading an enjoyable and informative book (which I received for free from the publisher for review) that is essentially a history of poisoning. You might think that this is a practice mostly done by dastardly men on their long-suffering (like you) wives or girlfriends, but (particularly in recent times) women give as good as they get in the poisoning business, seeing as comparatively inferior upper body strength is not a disadvantage when poisoning, and also because they can often accomplish the act without irreparable damage to their frocks. Therefore, seeing these three vials troubles me much more than it might otherwise, as each recently read chapter contains at least one alarmingly thorough description of the agonies which the poisoned endure, along with disturbing deep dives into the clinical details of the disrupted bodily functions which generate aforementioned agonies, as well as the methods used to bring the poisoners to justice, which are now much more effective and expeditious due to advances in medical and chemical science. So, what’s the deal with these unusual liquids?”
“They’re nothing,” replied LSW, grabbing the bag and exiting the room.
To be fair, unhappy and unprincipled wives, husbands, and other romantic entanglements don’t even seem to achieve the status of a majority of high-profile poisoning cases presented in this book, given the competition they receive from certain modern Slavic governments and (perhaps more disturbingly for those of us leading ordinary lives) murderous nurses. About the latter, allow me to say that the existence of these sadists (apparently exclusive to our own age) has perhaps not been sufficiently exploited by governments and other entities who wish to motivate us to be vaccinated against COVID and other modern horrors. In my case, reading about how these twisted anti-Florence Nightingales managed to remain at liberty to poison the already ill for astonishingly long periods of time, often aided by large dollops of bureaucratic sloth and indifference, has increased my desire to remain vaccinated up to the eyebrows, if it means decreasing the possibility that I will escape the horror of being intubated by a new modern iteration of like-minded maniac.
I found that making tables often helps me organize and retain information that I read. In this case, I used Google Sheets to keep track of the poisoners and their tonic of choice, plus other relevant details. Some chapters feature the story of more than one horrific poisoner, but to keep the organization relatively simple I have decided to only list the first, most prominently featured, poisoning in each chapter. A screenshot of the resulting table appears below. In case it doesn’t display properly, you can also see it here.
In the meanwhile, I have taken advantage of our quiet evenings at home after dinner, while LSW is contemplatively sticking pins into the eyes of dolls bearing the image of political figures with whom she disagrees, to remind her that now, as a method of disposing of one’s enemies, poisoning is now hopelessly old-fashioned, at least if one wishes to remain undetected and therefore at continued liberty to hatch diabolical plans which will trouble the sleep of global oligarchy. I believe my remonstrances have had the desired effect, but now she is asking more questions about the number and size of the hammers we have around the house.
Not only did I receive a free advance electronic review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley, I also got a very pleasant invitation by email to download and review this book, so of course I did. It is perhaps a flaw in my nature that, if you indicate that you value my opinion, I will do nearly anything you ask.
“O! Vision of Loveliness!” said I (for this is how I often address her). “I am even at this moment reading an enjoyable and informative book (which I received for free from the publisher for review) that is essentially a history of poisoning. You might think that this is a practice mostly done by dastardly men on their long-suffering (like you) wives or girlfriends, but (particularly in recent times) women give as good as they get in the poisoning business, seeing as comparatively inferior upper body strength is not a disadvantage when poisoning, and also because they can often accomplish the act without irreparable damage to their frocks. Therefore, seeing these three vials troubles me much more than it might otherwise, as each recently read chapter contains at least one alarmingly thorough description of the agonies which the poisoned endure, along with disturbing deep dives into the clinical details of the disrupted bodily functions which generate aforementioned agonies, as well as the methods used to bring the poisoners to justice, which are now much more effective and expeditious due to advances in medical and chemical science. So, what’s the deal with these unusual liquids?”
“They’re nothing,” replied LSW, grabbing the bag and exiting the room.
To be fair, unhappy and unprincipled wives, husbands, and other romantic entanglements don’t even seem to achieve the status of a majority of high-profile poisoning cases presented in this book, given the competition they receive from certain modern Slavic governments and (perhaps more disturbingly for those of us leading ordinary lives) murderous nurses. About the latter, allow me to say that the existence of these sadists (apparently exclusive to our own age) has perhaps not been sufficiently exploited by governments and other entities who wish to motivate us to be vaccinated against COVID and other modern horrors. In my case, reading about how these twisted anti-Florence Nightingales managed to remain at liberty to poison the already ill for astonishingly long periods of time, often aided by large dollops of bureaucratic sloth and indifference, has increased my desire to remain vaccinated up to the eyebrows, if it means decreasing the possibility that I will escape the horror of being intubated by a new modern iteration of like-minded maniac.
I found that making tables often helps me organize and retain information that I read. In this case, I used Google Sheets to keep track of the poisoners and their tonic of choice, plus other relevant details. Some chapters feature the story of more than one horrific poisoner, but to keep the organization relatively simple I have decided to only list the first, most prominently featured, poisoning in each chapter. A screenshot of the resulting table appears below. In case it doesn’t display properly, you can also see it here.
In the meanwhile, I have taken advantage of our quiet evenings at home after dinner, while LSW is contemplatively sticking pins into the eyes of dolls bearing the image of political figures with whom she disagrees, to remind her that now, as a method of disposing of one’s enemies, poisoning is now hopelessly old-fashioned, at least if one wishes to remain undetected and therefore at continued liberty to hatch diabolical plans which will trouble the sleep of global oligarchy. I believe my remonstrances have had the desired effect, but now she is asking more questions about the number and size of the hammers we have around the house.
Not only did I receive a free advance electronic review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley, I also got a very pleasant invitation by email to download and review this book, so of course I did. It is perhaps a flaw in my nature that, if you indicate that you value my opinion, I will do nearly anything you ask.
November 2, 2021
I found the audio version even more entertaining than reading the book. The narrator was good to listen to and I enjoyed hearing the book after reading it previously. Great true crime stories about people using poison to kill. I already reviewed the kindle edition of the book and you can read it below.
This book is filled with some fascinating stories about past poisoners and the various substances they used. It also goes deep into detail about how the substances work and affect the body which, while interesting, became a little tedious at times. I was amazed by how one such substance was able to be used to try and kill someone in one instance, and to try to hide the use of poison in another. And then it was used as an antidote to a poison in the 3rd situation! You can’t get more versatile than that. It always amazes me how people come up with so many ways to try and kill one another, and poison is one of the most sneaky and sinister. It’s a good thing that science has gotten so much better at detecting it in recent years, but it still takes someone who thinks to look for it first, in most cases. A satisfying read, overall. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Neil Bradbury, and the publisher.
This book is filled with some fascinating stories about past poisoners and the various substances they used. It also goes deep into detail about how the substances work and affect the body which, while interesting, became a little tedious at times. I was amazed by how one such substance was able to be used to try and kill someone in one instance, and to try to hide the use of poison in another. And then it was used as an antidote to a poison in the 3rd situation! You can’t get more versatile than that. It always amazes me how people come up with so many ways to try and kill one another, and poison is one of the most sneaky and sinister. It’s a good thing that science has gotten so much better at detecting it in recent years, but it still takes someone who thinks to look for it first, in most cases. A satisfying read, overall. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Neil Bradbury, and the publisher.
December 23, 2022
4 stars
I enjoyed this book. It gave a good description of poisons categorized by chapter. Each chapter explained a poison, it's inception to the medical and or scientific world, where it could be found and how potent it was. Then explained how the poison effected the body, either by injection, ingestion or inhalation. Summing up each poison with a parable where the poison was used for murder.
This book also pulled in facts and stories of others - like Dr Cream from The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer which we read last year and Jack the Ripper from The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper which we read a couple years ago.
I felt this book was both educational and entertaining.
I enjoyed this book. It gave a good description of poisons categorized by chapter. Each chapter explained a poison, it's inception to the medical and or scientific world, where it could be found and how potent it was. Then explained how the poison effected the body, either by injection, ingestion or inhalation. Summing up each poison with a parable where the poison was used for murder.
This book also pulled in facts and stories of others - like Dr Cream from The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer which we read last year and Jack the Ripper from The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper which we read a couple years ago.
I felt this book was both educational and entertaining.
November 15, 2023
Labs informācijas pasniegšanas veids, katru nodaļu veido 2 daļas - info par indēm vai toksīniem un tam blakus kāds kapeņu stāstiņš par slaveniem indētājiem.
June 26, 2024
فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ
So Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators. [23:14]
This book made me really emotional, though there is nothing emotional about chemicals and biology. I suppose it was because it was an aching reminder of our feeble mortality. As I type this I am choked with emotion, for I never truly realised how terrifyingly easy it is for us to die, or how precarious the processes in our bodies that keep us alive are. I was overcome with a sense of powerlessness, for if one tiny thing was to go wrong in my own body there would be not a single thing I could do to save myself.
For some time, I became really anxious, overanalysing my health and wondering and waiting for something to go wrong, because it is simply unbelievable how many things have to go right in our bodies for us to be healthy. But then that anxiety and powerlessness just bled into tawakkul and awe of how Perfect and Powerful Allah is; of how there is absolutely no other explanation for me being alive and healthy right now other than His Mercy upon me. Alhamdulillah for health. Alhamdulillah. May Allah forgive us for ever being ungrateful for this na'mah.
This book was a stunning blend of biology, history and true crime. I was floored by how beautifully the author seamed these genres together, making it both interesting and accessible to all readers. However, despite all this man's knowledge, I could not help but think about how foolish one must be to study the mind-boggling complexity and perfection of the human body, to study poisonous plants, and not for a second believe that there is a Creator, a Higher Power so Perfect and Mighty in His creation
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ ءَاذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ
So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.[22:46]
So Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators. [23:14]
This book made me really emotional, though there is nothing emotional about chemicals and biology. I suppose it was because it was an aching reminder of our feeble mortality. As I type this I am choked with emotion, for I never truly realised how terrifyingly easy it is for us to die, or how precarious the processes in our bodies that keep us alive are. I was overcome with a sense of powerlessness, for if one tiny thing was to go wrong in my own body there would be not a single thing I could do to save myself.
For some time, I became really anxious, overanalysing my health and wondering and waiting for something to go wrong, because it is simply unbelievable how many things have to go right in our bodies for us to be healthy. But then that anxiety and powerlessness just bled into tawakkul and awe of how Perfect and Powerful Allah is; of how there is absolutely no other explanation for me being alive and healthy right now other than His Mercy upon me. Alhamdulillah for health. Alhamdulillah. May Allah forgive us for ever being ungrateful for this na'mah.
This book was a stunning blend of biology, history and true crime. I was floored by how beautifully the author seamed these genres together, making it both interesting and accessible to all readers. However, despite all this man's knowledge, I could not help but think about how foolish one must be to study the mind-boggling complexity and perfection of the human body, to study poisonous plants, and not for a second believe that there is a Creator, a Higher Power so Perfect and Mighty in His creation
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ ءَاذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ
So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.[22:46]
December 30, 2022
Силно препоръчителна книга, една от най-добрите за годината.
Убийството чрез отрова изисква планиране и познаване на навиците на жертвата. Някои отрови убиват за минути, а други бавно, чрез постепенно натрупване в тялото. Историята на 11 потенциално смъртоносни вещества и използването им от известни (и не толкова известни) убийци е повече от интересно четиво.
Още отначало аавторът ни запознава с коварен план за отравяне с атропин, който комбинира елементи на две от най-известните книги на Агата Кристи - "Азбучните убийства" и "Трагедия в три действия". Цианидът е бил предпочитаното средство за самоубийство на няколко високопоставени нацисти, които са го предпочели пред алтернативата да бъдат заловени живи. Цианидът е причина за смъртта и на стотици хора, последвали Джим Джоунс и неговата секта "Народен храм" в южноамериканската държава Гаяна. Цяла глава е отделена на убийството на Георги Марков на лондонския мост Ватерло през 1978 г . Атентатът е извъшен с рицин, попаднал в тялото след убождане с чадър, по поръчка на Държавна сигурност и като "подарък" за рождения ден на Тодор Живков.
За съжаление, немалка част от убийците, използващи отрова, имат медицинско образование. Те смятат, че със знанията си няма да бъдат заловени и смъртта ще се припише на естествени процеси, но се оказва, че жестоко грешат. Американска медицинска сестра инжектира хипохлориста киселина (белина) в кръвообращението на пациенти по време на диализа, а масовият убиец Чарлз Кълън използва сърдечното лекарство дигоксин, имащо тесен терапевтичен диапазон, за отнемане живота на десетки души преди да бъде разкрит.
Силно препоръчвам книгата и спокойно давам 5 звезди в Goodreads.
Убийството чрез отрова изисква планиране и познаване на навиците на жертвата. Някои отрови убиват за минути, а други бавно, чрез постепенно натрупване в тялото. Историята на 11 потенциално смъртоносни вещества и използването им от известни (и не толкова известни) убийци е повече от интересно четиво.
Още отначало аавторът ни запознава с коварен план за отравяне с атропин, който комбинира елементи на две от най-известните книги на Агата Кристи - "Азбучните убийства" и "Трагедия в три действия". Цианидът е бил предпочитаното средство за самоубийство на няколко високопоставени нацисти, които са го предпочели пред алтернативата да бъдат заловени живи. Цианидът е причина за смъртта и на стотици хора, последвали Джим Джоунс и неговата секта "Народен храм" в южноамериканската държава Гаяна. Цяла глава е отделена на убийството на Георги Марков на лондонския мост Ватерло през 1978 г . Атентатът е извъшен с рицин, попаднал в тялото след убождане с чадър, по поръчка на Държавна сигурност и като "подарък" за рождения ден на Тодор Живков.
За съжаление, немалка част от убийците, използващи отрова, имат медицинско образование. Те смятат, че със знанията си няма да бъдат заловени и смъртта ще се припише на естествени процеси, но се оказва, че жестоко грешат. Американска медицинска сестра инжектира хипохлориста киселина (белина) в кръвообращението на пациенти по време на диализа, а масовият убиец Чарлз Кълън използва сърдечното лекарство дигоксин, имащо тесен терапевтичен диапазон, за отнемане живота на десетки души преди да бъде разкрит.
Силно препоръчвам книгата и спокойно давам 5 звезди в Goodreads.
April 19, 2022
“You’re so pretty and so funny. Why do you never date anyone?”
Me: because I have a highly developed education in murdey and poison
Me: because I have a highly developed education in murdey and poison
January 12, 2022
The use of poison as a means of killing holds a morbid fascination for many that primarily stems from how aptly it fits the legal term malice aforethought and the premeditation requirement. Specifically it requires planning with a knowledge of the victim’s habits a must and a consideration of how said poison will be administered (ingestion, respiration, absorption or injection). Whist this varies from poison to poison and each has its own unique way of killing, this highly readable book takes a look at eleven specific poisons (including several well-known real life accounts) and explores how they affect the body at various levels and how the symptoms experienced can act as a guide to treatment and, if possible, recovery. The book is a far livelier read than I have made it sound largely thanks to the examples included and Neil Bradbury’s flair for illuminating the colourful characters involved.
The first case looks at how, in the course of barely three decades since it’s discovery, what began as a miracle drug in the case of insulin to manage blood sugar levels, has been misused to make it a murder weapon and highlights how crucial the dosage involved is in a consideration of whether a chemical is tonic (lifesaving small doses) or toxic (deadly large amounts). The ingestion of deadly nightshade, the common name for atropa belladonna and how atropine affects the nervous system and causes death is covered alongside that of other plant alkaloids: strychnine, aconite and digitalis and their associated symptoms. The second half of the book examines the poisons of ricin, potassium, chlorine, cyanide, arsenic and polonium before concluding with an epilogue and appendix with a crib sheet of key information on each poison covered (route of entry, lethal dose, symptoms and antidote).
I admit to being apprehensive at outset that this book might be bogged down by scientific references that would make it either incomprehensible to a lay person or just plain dull, but this is a great palate cleanser for any crime fiction fan keen to sharpen their detective skills between books and a must read for all true crime aficionados. The science is as limited as it could have been given it is a book about toxicology and Bradbury does not presume his readers have any scientific background and explains everything from first principles. Accessible, informative and packed with real-life case accounts, from both the UK and US, outlined across eleven chapters, all of which are interesting in their own right. A fascinating read and undoubtedly a terrific reference book with some memorable example cases, however I am sceptical as to how much of the scientific detail has sunk in and I’ll remember on a single reading.
The first case looks at how, in the course of barely three decades since it’s discovery, what began as a miracle drug in the case of insulin to manage blood sugar levels, has been misused to make it a murder weapon and highlights how crucial the dosage involved is in a consideration of whether a chemical is tonic (lifesaving small doses) or toxic (deadly large amounts). The ingestion of deadly nightshade, the common name for atropa belladonna and how atropine affects the nervous system and causes death is covered alongside that of other plant alkaloids: strychnine, aconite and digitalis and their associated symptoms. The second half of the book examines the poisons of ricin, potassium, chlorine, cyanide, arsenic and polonium before concluding with an epilogue and appendix with a crib sheet of key information on each poison covered (route of entry, lethal dose, symptoms and antidote).
I admit to being apprehensive at outset that this book might be bogged down by scientific references that would make it either incomprehensible to a lay person or just plain dull, but this is a great palate cleanser for any crime fiction fan keen to sharpen their detective skills between books and a must read for all true crime aficionados. The science is as limited as it could have been given it is a book about toxicology and Bradbury does not presume his readers have any scientific background and explains everything from first principles. Accessible, informative and packed with real-life case accounts, from both the UK and US, outlined across eleven chapters, all of which are interesting in their own right. A fascinating read and undoubtedly a terrific reference book with some memorable example cases, however I am sceptical as to how much of the scientific detail has sunk in and I’ll remember on a single reading.
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