These two killer books uncover Agatha Christie's knowledge of toxicology

Kathryn Harkup is a former chemist turned writer and science communicator. Agatha Christie is renowned for her captivating plots and creative ways of killing off ill-fated victims. And what better way to add intrigue to a story than poison? The surreptitious ways they can be administered and the characteristic symptoms they produce make these killer chemicals the ideal method of murder in a 'whodunit'. Christie perfected the use of poisons in her plots; her deft and varied use of toxic substances is one of her great strengths as a writer. Her choice of deadly substances was far from random – the characteristics of each often provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but this is not the case with poisons. But how is it that some compounds prove so fatal, and in such tiny amounts? Christie's extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for the books in which Kathryn Harkup investigates the poisons used by the murderer in classic Agatha Christie mysteries. Featuring poisons from the works of Agatha Christie, these books investigate the science behind the deadly substances, the history of their use in real-life murder cases, and how feasible was it to obtain, administer and detect these poisons in Christie's time and today. Combining Christie's murder mysteries, chemical science and true crime, these books are a celebration of the use of science by the undisputed Queen of Crime. A is for Arsenic: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/a-is-for-arsenic-9781472911322/

V is for Venom: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/v-is-for-venom-9781399413077/