Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn't
mean it's all made-up . . .
Agatha Christie reveled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate
victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder
method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel.
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. How is it that some compounds prove so deadly, and in
such tiny amounts?
Christie's extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for A is
for Arsenic, in which Kathryn Harkup investigates the poisons used by
the murderer in fourteen classic Agatha Christie mysteries. It looks at
why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, the cases
that may have inspired Christie, and the feasibility of obtaining,
administering and detecting these poisons, both at the time the novel
was written and today. A is for Arsenic is a celebration of the use of
science by the undisputed Queen of Crime.