A Taste for Poison

June 1, 2021

Debut author Bradbury (physiology and biophysics, Rosalind Franklin Univ. of Medicine and Science) takes readers on a frightening romp through killer chemicals, from chlorine gas, to ricin, to the poisoner's standard: cyanide. In each chapter, he discusses how a different lethal agent was developed, refined, or weaponized, and includes an example of death by that poison; for instance, in 2008, Lakhvir Kaur Singh, an Indian immigrant to the UK, poisoned her lover with aconite when he started a new relationship. Bradbury's thorough yet understandable explanations outline, in jargon-free language, how each poison makes its way through the body and eventually kills. He also sneaks in relevant histories of medicine, such as the late 19th-century understanding of the nervous system. His accounts are fascinating, edifying, and terrifying. VERDICT This absorbing volume about murderers' use of poison will appeal to true crime lovers and fans of popular science in the vein of Mary Roach.--Amelia Osterud, Milwaukee P.L.

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Starred review from August 16, 2021
Physiology and biophysics professor Bradbury debuts with an accessible and fascinating study of poisons, using real murder cases to explain how the chemicals affect the human body. In the past, poisoning murders were relatively easy to get away with, but today Bradbury considers the prospect of a poisoner getting away with their crime as “almost nonexistent.” In chapters with titles reminiscent of mystery fiction (“Aconite and Mrs. Singh’s Curry,” “Arsenic and Monsieur L’Angelier’s Cocoa”), Bradbury examines well-known cases—such as the 1978 ricin poisoning of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov by means of a jab from a specially treated umbrella tip—as well as more obscure ones, such as John Hendrickson’s 1853 murder of his wife with aconite. He also details exactly how his 11 potentially fatal molecules work; for example, arsenic, in its gaseous state, disintegrates red blood cells, thus causing asphyxiation by reducing the oxygen carried through the body. Bradbury offers the occasional light touch, as in an appendix with a caveat that the “following information is purely for educational purposes only, and is not intended to give the advantages or disadvantages for the use of any particular poison in the commission of murder.” Readers of A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie will be entertained. Agent: Jessica Papin, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

December 1, 2021
In A Taste for Poison, physiology and biochemistry professor Bradbury outlines various forms of death by poison. Part true crime and part medical text, the book begins each chapter discussing a specific type of poison and the various ways it was used to commit atrocities. Bradbury then delves into specific examples, appealing to true crime fans by referring to some events that aren't typically featured in other books. Some poisons may surprise, such as insulin overdoses being fatal, while others are more well known, such as cyanide, ricin, and arsenic. He gives the chemical breakdown of each compound and goes into specific detail about what it does to the human body, along with an explanation of what signs would appear if someone had been exposed to the poison. Bradbury's PhD in medical biochemistry serves him well; his scientific explanations are interesting without being too drawn out, making the book accessible to readers without a similar background. Appealing to any true crime fan, A Taste for Poison is a genre-bending book that holds readers' interests through each chapter.

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