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pauline_b's review against another edition
5.0
Highly informative and entertaining, a perfect non fiction read for me (being a chemistry graduate and Christie nerd).
Harkup's writing is engaging and she explores different poisons Christie used to kill her characters, where they come from and what their impact is on our bodies, without requiring prior knowledge from the reader.
The author also demonstates Agatha's obvious technical knowledge of these substances and discusses true crimes that may or may not have inspired Christie's writing.
A must read for any Christie fan and anyone interested in the chemistry/toxicology aspect of true crimes.
Harkup's writing is engaging and she explores different poisons Christie used to kill her characters, where they come from and what their impact is on our bodies, without requiring prior knowledge from the reader.
The author also demonstates Agatha's obvious technical knowledge of these substances and discusses true crimes that may or may not have inspired Christie's writing.
A must read for any Christie fan and anyone interested in the chemistry/toxicology aspect of true crimes.
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.