The Poisoner's Handbook

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

De: Deborah Blum

Narrado por: Coleen Marlo

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

• 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)

Fascinating insight into the growth of forensic science

I loved the historical picture drawn of the 1920s. This book reveals the groundbreaking work and lives of the first toxicologists and forensic scientists.

Much better than expected

This book is really about the first chief medical examiner of NYC, at Bellevue Hospital, from 1924 - 1938. I loved the history. It made me think of the movies "Arsenic and Old Lace", "The Postman Always Rings Twice," and "Double Indemnity". These movies are inspired by actual cases that were handled by the medical examiner's office at Bellevue.

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.

Great Book - Narration is Fine

This is a fascinating study of the development of Forensic. The book is like a collection of short mysteries including dastardly villains and heroic investigators, law courtroom drama and tons of riveting details.

I was prompted to write this note because so many of the other reviews give the narration a C. For me, the tone of Coleen Marlo's voice is pleasant and her pace is solid. The quality of the recording is consistently excellent. The only issue I detect is that from time to time it sounds like she stopped mid sentence and re-started after a break. This creates several very minor stumbles - not poor narrating, a few minor production flaws. I noticed, but it was not a big deal. I give the narrator an A and the producer a C. Please don't overlook this book owing to reviews that note this bluntly. Great book, fine narration. It is likely that most listeners will not detect any issue.

Great, informative and engaging!

This was an incredibly interesting book. It was great to hear about how the forensic sciences got its start. A great book for people who love history and how things started.