A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie

If you're looking for an intriguing, fact filled book giving an overview of the poisons used in Agatha Christie's mystery tales, this is the book for you. Author Harkup does a brilliant job of giving the reader an overview of the poisons, including chemical make-up, uses, history, bodily effects--and then segues into examples of Dame Christie's tales utilizing the poison, coupled with real life instances as well.I was particularly struck by the range of detail in the book. The use of scientific data mixed with literary examples gives the reader a unique view into the 'behind the scenes thinking and knowledge' Dame Christie may have in fact utilized as she developed her storylines and plans for a character's demise.As a cozy mystery writer and reader, I found the information to be extremely helpful and enlightening. I will definitely be reading more of Author Harkup's 'science meets literary' works. A fascinating read, highly recommended!

I truly enjoyed this book, which I read as a lifelong fan of Agatha Christie and immediately after finishing Poirot and Me by David Suchet. Her explanations of the science are highly readable. Her insights into how Christie selected her poisons makes a lot of sense (e.g., Christie's dispensary training, contemporary accounts of crimes).

I was amazed at all the information in this book. Concentrating on the types of poisons used by Agatha Christie in her novels had to be pretty much a labor of love for British chemist Kathryn Harkup because you can tell immediately that she is also a fan of this great icon of crime fiction. The book is written from the British point of view with changes in book titles noted for the American market. I really had my doubts that this subject matter could be presented in such a way that it held my attention for the time it took to read the book, but by the end I found myself wishing there was just one more chapter. But then I would have wanted another and another.The book is very stylishly presented with artwork which is wonderfully evocative of the 1930s art deco style that I somehow assign to the Christie novels even though they were not all written during, or for, that time period. Maybe the really good television series has something to do with that. Each chapter deals with one specific poison beginning with arsenic, then belladonna, cyanide, digitalis, eserine, hemlock, monkshood, nicotine, opium, phosphorus, ricin, strychnine, thallium, and veronal. Each chapter leads off with a brief synopsis of the major novel, or in one instance a short story, the author will be using as an example of the use of that specific poison, then moves on to the story (history) of the poison, how the poison works in the body to kill, whether there is an antidote, some real-life cases, and then how Christie used the poison. I had been afraid the chemistry associated with where the poison comes from and how it works within the body would have been either too technical or too boring for me to enjoy. Wow, was I ever wrong. I discovered all kinds of wonderful facts. This book is wonderfully readable by those of us who aren't trained in the science of chemicals. Plus Kathryn Harkup has a very wry sense of humor which caused me to get some strange looks when I was sitting in a doctor's waiting room laughing out loud while reading a book about poisons. Let's just say the chairs on each side of me became vacant when someone asked what book I was reading. This is the type of book Agatha Christie fans will keep right on the shelf with all their copies of the novels for reference during future re-readings of the novels. Because let's face it, if you love Agatha Christie novels you don't read them just once.Another fascinating section of the book is Appendix 1: Christie's Causes of Death. This is a chart listing each novel and short story written by Agatha Christie and the method of the murder in that story. Sometimes, with multiple victims there are multiple murder methods. I found this absolutely fascinating and used the list to make sure I do own each story Christie wrote. Actually I own them multiple times over, but there is no need to go into my personal addiction here.In discussing how Christie used the poisons the author has revealed some spoilers, but she always warns the reader to skip ahead to another section if they aren't familiar with the story and don't want to know who and how. I really appreciated how Harkup complimented Christie on her thoroughness and knowledge when it was warranted, but she didn't hesitate on several occasions to point out that Christie had gotten some things wrong. Interesting for me was how seldom Christie made mistakes in her information.This book is most definitely aimed at the devoted Agatha Christie fan. I found it fascinating and if you didn't, well........I challenge you to a duel with the infamous Calabar bean!Added Sept. 10, 2015: I received this book as an ARC through the Amazon Vine Voices program. Often ARC copies don't hold up very well over time and they will have portions omitted because it is not the shelf-ready book. I enjoyed this one so much I purchased the finished copy in hard cover to keep on my shelf for reference material when I'm reading mysteries.

I'm a professor of literature who reads a ridiculous number of critical volumes, and this is one of the finest books I've read in a long, long time. As a study of Christie it's sophisticated, illuminating, and delightful, leading the reader through her background, her cultural moment, and her sophisticated use of poisons efficiently and deftly. It's chock full of fascinating tidbits as well, so much so that I felt obliged to put the book down the first time I leafed through it to make sure I'd have a notebook beside me for jotting details down. All the chapters are neatly sectioned, so those readers who are primarily interested in examining Christie's methods or the play of poisons in her short stories and novels can sort and sift as they like. Doing so would be a mistake, however, for the examination of poisons--their history, the way they work on the body, and their remedies--are eminently readable, fascinating, and fun (in a macabre sort of way). Harkup is a brilliant communicator, translating esoteric biochemistry into clear, vivid analogies. This book ticks off all the boxes for me--it's an absolute delight.

I’ve been rereading Agatha Christie this year and this book is a great accompanying resource. Very well written and enjoyable.

As someone who has barely read any of her books...I will. I love how the chapters are set up and her knowledge on poisons is breathtaking (no pun intended). This is a good read for anyone curious about the subject.

This book is great. Perfect gift for a chemistry student or your favorite science lover.

An interesting mixture of the science of poisons in A. Christies works. Historic info about murder over time, some descriptions of cases which paralleled Christie characters, plus a fair amount of chemistry, which can be studied or skimmed. A book club read. One of these topical interests is a good reason for this read. Well presented. If not interested in these topics, skip this one.

Great read!A book of great knowlegde!Must read for anyone interested in the field of forensics… especially in Poisons/Chemicals .. 🔥

I simply loved this book and l have read it over and over again. This small treatise is absolutely fascinating and should be read by anyone who, like me, has a strong passion for toxicology and murder mysteries.

Excelente entrega, excelente diseño de la edición. El libro es un excelente trabajo de investigación, no es una lectura tan ligera pero era justo lo que esperaba.

I loved this book, it was technical but approachable and written with a very dramatic flair. I cannot recommend it enough. It is great for fans of Agatha Christie's work (or any detective fiction) or those interested in chemistry and perhaps most of all, it is great for fellow writers looking to kill off a few characters in interesting ways!

This is a well written and very informative book about poisons and how Agatha Christie used them in her novels and short stories. You don't need to have read the books to find this book interesting as it will be of interest to anyone who reads crime novels. Christie did have professional knowledge of poisons before she started writing full time so it is perhaps not surprising that the details in her books are accurate.Each poison has a section to itself and the author relates the history of the substance and its uses, if any, in medicine as well as a poison. How easy or difficult it would have been to obtain the poison at the time Christie's books or stories were written is also detailed together with the ways the law has changed since then. Real life poisoning cases are also detailed. How the poison works and its chemical make up are also covered and I have to confess to skipping some of the more technical passages as I found my O level chemistry was not really up to the task.But the chemical details make up a very small part of the text and not always being able to understand these small sections did not spoil my enjoyment of the whole book which is a mine of information. There are two appendices to the book - one a detailed list of all Christie's books with causes of death of the victims and the other one showing chemical diagrams for all the poisons discussed. There is a bibliography and an index as well.This is a fascinating book for anyone who loves Agatha Christie's writing and for anyone who reads crime novels or true crime.