The Poisoner's Handbook

Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

By: Deborah Blum

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Deborah Blum, writing with the high style and skill for suspense that is characteristic of the very best mystery fiction, shares the untold story of how poison rocked Jazz Age New York City.

In The Poisoner's Handbook, Blum draws from highly original research to track the fascinating, perilous days when a pair of forensic scientists began their trailblazing chemical detective work, fighting to end an era when untraceable poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime.

Drama unfolds case by case as the heroes of The Poisoner's Handbook---chief medical examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler---investigate a family mysteriously stricken bald, Barnum and Bailey's Famous Blue Man, factory workers with crumbling bones, a diner serving poisoned pies, and many others. Each case presents a deadly new puzzle, and Norris and Gettler work with a creativity that rivals that of the most imaginative murderer, creating revolutionary experiments to tease out even the wiliest compounds from human tissue. Yet in the tricky game of toxins, even science can't always be trusted, as proven when one of Gettler's experiments erroneously sets free a suburban housewife later nicknamed "America's Lucretia Borgia" to continue her nefarious work.

From the vantage of Norris and Gettler's laboratory in the infamous Bellevue Hospital it becomes clear that killers aren't the only toxic threat to New Yorkers. Modern life has created a kind of poison playground, and danger lurks around every corner. Automobiles choke the city streets with carbon monoxide, while potent compounds such as morphine can be found on store shelves in products ranging from pesticides to cosmetics. Prohibition incites a chemist's war between bootleggers and government chemists, while in Gotham's crowded speakeasies each round of cocktails becomes a game of Russian roulette. Norris and Gettler triumph over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.

©2010 Deborah Blum (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee - Best Nonfiction Audiobook, 2011

"Blum effectively balances the fast-moving detective story with a clear view of the scientific advances that her protagonists brought to the field. Caviar for true-crime fans and science buffs alike." (<>Kirkus)
"With the pacing and rich characterization of a first-rate suspense novelist, Blum makes science accessible and fascinating." (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)
"Blum interlaces true-crime stories with the history of forensic medicine and the chemistry of various poisons…. [A] readable and enjoyable book.... Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

PLENTY OF ARSENIC BUT NO OLD LACE

Well researched and interestingly presented. More than I wanted to know about poisons. Until I listened to this book, I was unaware that the government was responsible for using poisonous alcohol to add to illegal spirits during Prohibition. Some interesting tales of people being poisoned and eventually the poisoner being caught.

Terrific!

Any additional comments?

Riveting. Great reading made the dense topic easy to follow. I also liked that the reading/voice wasn't so distinctive that it distracted from the content. Fantastic pop history, if slightly repetitive. Revisiting and repeating some of the chemicals later in the book was tricky because I couldn't refer back to the earlier chapter and refresh my memory as I would in a text. The only other real drawback to the audio book is that I can't look at the source list and endnotes which must be fascinating for this book.

I love this book.

I couldn't put it down. The reader was clear and the plot was engaging. I have recommended this story to others, and will continue to do so.

Excellent book, mediocre narrator

Well-researched history that reads like a thriller, this book would have benefitted from a better narrator. Although her voice is pleasant and well-modulated, she mispronounces some words (phthalate, for example, or "indicated" for "indicted"). The most annoying drawback is her inexplicable use of a Bronx blue-collar accent for the voice of the toxicologist. If you can get past these flaws, you will enjoy this book if you are a fan of mysteries, forensics, and/or history: this is an intersection of all three. I enjoyed it very much, but would opt for the print version if I ever re-read it someday.

Weird narration

The general narration is fine, but she does accents that are just awful. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes an appearance when an Austrian man speaks. And the French accent is totally unnecessary and so distracting. There are also odd pauses in the middle of sentences. I'm not sure if it's shoddy editing or poor narration or both, but it's very distracting.

Couldn't get very far - boring

I can't review the whole book - I couldn't get hooked. Dry as a bone.

great book on the history of poison detection

I enjoy this type of science book. It goes into the history of how and why and when different types of poisons became detectable by latoratory tests (think CSI). Stories of how some of the poisons were used prior to their being detectable are included. Fascinating for some background in how poisons have been used.

Boring

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Nothing

Do you think The Poisoner's Handbook needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Any additional comments?

This book should have been interesting, but it took me two tries to get through it.

Great book!

I have listened to this twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it both times! Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in forensic science

Fascinating book marred by production errors

First, this book is fascinating and engrossing, neatly following the birth of the New York City Medical Examiner's office and the creation of forensic medicine as a science in America. The book is organized into chapters covering both a short span of time (usually a year or two) and a particular poison that figures prominently into cases from that time.

The audio production itself, however, suffers from frequent mispronunciations of words and occasional changes of meaning from inopportune pauses by the narrator. It's as though the narrator did the book in a single take and no one bothered to listen to it with an appropriately critical ear. If it weren't for this the book would rate five stars from me.