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foofers1622's review
5.0
I read this book for my libraries Non-Fiction book club "Stranger Then Fiction".
WOW. Now that was a book overflowing with information! If you've ever been curious about the poisons of the world, this book is for you. Ms Harkup did an excellent job explaining each one and not getting to complicated with the chemistry aspect. She also warned you if she was going to spoil the ending of one of Agatha's books. Awesome job and can't wait to read more from her.
WOW. Now that was a book overflowing with information! If you've ever been curious about the poisons of the world, this book is for you. Ms Harkup did an excellent job explaining each one and not getting to complicated with the chemistry aspect. She also warned you if she was going to spoil the ending of one of Agatha's books. Awesome job and can't wait to read more from her.
angelabuck's review
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.0
An enjoyable and fascinating insight into the range of poisons used by Agatha Christie in her fictional detective stories. Offers detailed scientific information and brief histories of specific toxic substances with some links to their use in real-life crimes.
aoosterwyk's review
4.0
This is a great book for anyone who loves the Flavia de Luce mysteries and of course, Agatha Christie. I loved learning about the poisons she used in her mysteries and although I've only read a few, this made me want to read more.
The author has created different sections which include real life poisonings and how the poison works and also how Agatha used it. It's clever and I learned some things... :-)
The author has created different sections which include real life poisonings and how the poison works and also how Agatha used it. It's clever and I learned some things... :-)
paperbacksandpines's review
4.0
I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up. Harkup writes about some of the poisons Christie used in her stories. In each chapter, she introduces a poison used in one (or more) Christie stories and then expounds extensively about the poison, its chemical makeup, the effects of the poison, and its antidotes, if any. She goes on to refer to true crime cases that may have influenced Christie's stories, and then describes the story/stories in which Christie used the poison. If she is using spoilers, she states ahead of time to skip pages.
The explanations about the chemical makeup of the poison sometimes went way above my head and wasn't really what I was wanting out of the book but I was really intrigued by most of the writing as a whole.
I most especially enjoyed reading about Christie's background as a pharmacist technician in the interwar period. In most of her stories her descriptions about poisoning and its effects were detailed and correct. Sometimes she left out details that could leave matters open to interpretation but rarely was she ever outright incorrect.
This story reminded me a bit of [b:The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women|31409135|The Radium Girls The Dark Story of America's Shining Women|Kate Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496007867l/31409135._SY75_.jpg|47264110]. It was throughly enlightening.
The explanations about the chemical makeup of the poison sometimes went way above my head and wasn't really what I was wanting out of the book but I was really intrigued by most of the writing as a whole.
I most especially enjoyed reading about Christie's background as a pharmacist technician in the interwar period. In most of her stories her descriptions about poisoning and its effects were detailed and correct. Sometimes she left out details that could leave matters open to interpretation but rarely was she ever outright incorrect.
This story reminded me a bit of [b:The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women|31409135|The Radium Girls The Dark Story of America's Shining Women|Kate Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496007867l/31409135._SY75_.jpg|47264110]. It was throughly enlightening.
mwgerard's review
4.0
Today is the 125th birthday of Agatha Christie. Few readers can claim they don’t know her. Exceedingly prolific, she has never been out of print and is outsold only by Shakespeare and the Bible. She is a curious contradiction — a polite young woman of modest, comfortable upbringing who made a living imagining the worst of crimes — murder.
In celebration of this anniversary, many Christie-related events are taking place throughout the UK, and indeed around the world. Author Kathryn Harkup is a chemist, by trade, who describes herself as on the “quirky side of science.” Harkup devotes a chapter each to the various poisonous cocktails summoned up by Christie’s homicidal characters. She lays out the chemical properties of each, how it interacts with the human body, and how the Queen of Crime used it to her best advantage in her novels.
Perhaps most interesting is how Harkup links these real poisons with Christie’s real life. Before she was a Dame, indeed before she was at all famous, Christie worked as a dispensary nurse in both wars. When The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920, it was reviewed by the Pharmaceutical Journal and Pharmacist. The reviewer praised the author for getting the use of strychnine correct.
Read the rest of my review here: http://mwgerard.com/accent-a-is-for-arsenic-the-poisons-of-agatha-christie/
In celebration of this anniversary, many Christie-related events are taking place throughout the UK, and indeed around the world. Author Kathryn Harkup is a chemist, by trade, who describes herself as on the “quirky side of science.” Harkup devotes a chapter each to the various poisonous cocktails summoned up by Christie’s homicidal characters. She lays out the chemical properties of each, how it interacts with the human body, and how the Queen of Crime used it to her best advantage in her novels.
Perhaps most interesting is how Harkup links these real poisons with Christie’s real life. Before she was a Dame, indeed before she was at all famous, Christie worked as a dispensary nurse in both wars. When The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920, it was reviewed by the Pharmaceutical Journal and Pharmacist. The reviewer praised the author for getting the use of strychnine correct.
Read the rest of my review here: http://mwgerard.com/accent-a-is-for-arsenic-the-poisons-of-agatha-christie/