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A review by paperbacksandpines
A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup
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.