I picked up Neil Bradbury’s A Taste For Poison due to my interest in crime; while murder is never good, murder by poison seems particularly cold. The book’s emphasis is the history of poisons, their delivery, how they work on the body, and the tell-tale signs they leave behind. Chapters covers each of these poisons: insulin, atropine, strychnine, Aconite, Ricin, Digoxin, Cyanide, Potassium, Polonium, Arsenic and Chlorine, and chapters include poison cases and detail the sometimes limited technology available at the time. The author points out that murder by poisoning can’t be “spur-of-the-moment,” and it

“requires planning and a knowledge of the victim’s habits. It requires consideration of how the poison will be administered. Some poisons can kill within minutes; others can be given slowly over time, gradually accumulating in the body but still leading inexorably to the victim’s death.”

The intro explains that the book is “not a catalog of poisoners and their victims, but rather explores the nature of poisons and how they affect the body at the molecular, cellular and physiological levels.” This results in a unique book which is a mixture of chemistry, history and crime. The author explains that poison can be “delivered” through 4 “routes”: ingestion, respiration, absorption or injection. I’d never quite heard the subject of poison broken down with this specific simplicity, and I immediately began thinking of various poisonings and how they slot into the 4 methods of delivery


One of the points made in the book is these chemicals can be “both toxic and tonic” with a quote from the 16th century alchemist/physician Theophrastus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus): “It is the dose that makes the poison.” Enter insulin. A short, concise history of insulin takes us to the murder of Elizabeth Barlow, whose hubbie, Kenneth, sobbed over a photo of his wife as the police arrived to pull his dead wife from her bathtub. Then there’s a description of what insulin does to the body, and while insulin really is a miracle drug, in Elizabeth Barlow’s case (she was NOT a diabetic), a huge injection of insulin left some tell-tale signs which became clues that her death was an act of murder. In 1957, there was no “reliable test for insulin in the body.” In this landmark case, “1200 mice, ninety rats and several guinea pigs were used to determine that a lethal amount of insulin was in Elizabeth’s body.” Kenneth Barlow, a nurse, is “credited” for being the first person to commit murder using insulin. Another fascinating fact, most of the documented murders by insulin have been “committed by doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals.” Makes sense.

One of the frequently recurring themes in this book is the idea that physicians and scientists believe their training and expertise provide unparalleled insights that allow them to commit undetectable murders where others had failed.

Shocking facts here–animals killed in courtrooms as demo opportunities (probably plus a great shock factor to the jury), increasing patient deaths that defied all statistical possibility while murderous nurses ran rampant, and insulin-induced coma therapy as a cure for schizophrenia. (Note to doctors: AMAZING: comas will ‘cure’ all deviant behaviour.) Poisoning is a deadly serious subject yet the author delivers this detailed book with an irony that fits its content. Here’s an example:

Doctors giddily competed to see how many times a week they could put their patients into an insulin-induced coma, while others pushed the envelope to see how long their patients could be kept in a coma before reviving them.

It’s curious how many poisons have/had other uses–again that ‘dose’ quote. Arsenic for the face, castor oil for sickly children (thanks, mum!), Foxglove for the garden, the colour Prussian Blue….

In 1994, Safeway customers in Edinburgh were victims of a campaign poisoner who tainted bottles of water with Atropine. While the victims appeared to be random, they were collateral damage as part of a macabre plan for biochemist, university lecturer Paul Agutter to rid himself of his wife. Again, there’s a history of atropine, its uses and the tell-tell signs in the body.

Strychnine (“listed third in the top ten poisons by number of criminal cases, behind only arsenic and cyanide“) was a handy-dandy “pick-me-up” tonic for years but expanded into use as a “vermin killer.” A description of the crimes of the Lambeth Poisoner details the delivery, results and signs of this horrific poison.

Historically, Aconite plants appeared in herbal medicines for a variety of ailments and were used by dentists, but as the author notes, the margin of error between “numbing a pain and killing the patient were narrow.” (Let’s hope they were good at Math.) Enter Dr. Lamson who in the 19th century “went on a killing spree right out of a Christie mystery as he worked his way through his inlaws/family to get his hands on their inheritance.” In this case, a Dr. Stevenson, an expert in alkaloid poisons was called in to help the police. Stevenson’s “hobby” (well we all have to have hobbies, right?) was his ability to taste alkaloid “against a background of various bodily fluids.” Yes you guessed it.

Out of interest I looked on Amazon and found innumerable aconite herbal remedy products. Yikes!

Also included here is mention of Laboratory Number 1 in Moscow–a lab whose “trademark” “was to take existing poisons [and] using them in a way that was difficult to detect or trace back to Russia.” Cyanide mists, contaminated coffee (radioactive), poison tipped bullets. Also the poisoned umbrella tip “created” for the Bulgarian Secret Service used to kill Georgi Markov. All very James Bond–except that this is real– as was the murder of Alexander Litvinenko (polonium poisoning, Chapter 9). It’s difficult for me to narrow down the most shocking info here, but the most shocking mental image award goes to the section which details “death by bleach”–how one nurse injected bleach into dialysis ports eventually doing it in front of patients on dialysis machines!

Review copy

Bradbury blends solid scientific details with violent murders by poison, and the result is a fascinating book. Bradbury gives us detailed information about the history of a poison, explains how this poison works, and then ties it all together with a historic case using the poison, as well as a modern-day poisoning.

I went into the book looking forward to the true-crime elements and was surprised to find myself actually understanding Bradbury's explanations of the nature of the poison and how it works to destroy human cells. For example, here's his explanation of how cyanide kills:

"Once in the body, cyanide can stick to hemoglobin in red blood cells and hitch a ride, to be rapidly distributed by the blood. However, cyanide binds quite poorly to hemoglobin, and causes its devastating effects not by affecting the blood but by hopping off hemoglobin and entering the cells. Once inside the cells of the body, cyanide disrupts their ability to generate the energy needed to live. Located deep within each of our cells are mitochondria, small rod-shaped structures that act as tiny power plants to generate the chemical energy adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which keeps us alive."

Cyanide kills by stopping the production of ATP in the central nervous system, brain and heart. And don't get me started on how the heart's intricate system of sodium and potassium channels and pumps regulate the heart in 1/5th of a second and does so over 3 billion times in an average life span! He also explains how a substance can be used as a poison and alternately as an effective treatment. " .... such toxins are inherently neither good or evil; it is the purpose to which they are put that makes them poisons."

I found Bradbury's book absolutely fascinating and would highly recommend to anyone interested in true-crime, as well as someone (I'm raising my hand here) who enjoys learning more about the amazing human body and how all its intricate systems are designed to work together. 5 stars.

What a fascinating treatise on the topic of poisons — how they work, how they are used, and case studies of when someone was looking for a way to kill.

“Chemicals themselves are not intrinsically good or bad. It is only in the uses to which they are put that makes them beneficial or deadly.”

Keep in mind that typically the deleterious use of chemicals is premeditated. The poisoner needs to know their victim in order to decide which to use, how to deliver it to them, and how rapidly it will work. Of course most want to be well away by the time the victim succumbs. This book describes 11 different chemicals that have been used to harm another person, deliberately, with malice. It also elucidates the way each works normally in beneficial ways and then details how it is wielded as a poison to cause toxic results and death.

As well as being interesting to anyone who enjoys true crime, the scientific information presented is deep enough but made very clear and easy to understand by the author. I found it all extremely fascinating to review the physiology. The examples and case studies were interesting as the reader can see that chemicals have been intentionally misused historically and we know they continue to be in current day as well.

The book really gets into the way that these chemicals affect the body and cause death at the molecular, cellular, and physiological level. All kill in their own unique way. Sometimes the symptoms experienced by the person poisoned give important clues as to what has been administered — via injection, inhalation, topical, or ingestion. Some have no antidotes and several cause death with only a tiny amount. Actually scary if you think about it!

I love books where I can learn something new and this fit the bill. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend to anyone interested in the subject.

This book belongs on the shelf of every mystery and true crime reader. There are eleven poisons as the focus in this very well written book. Each one is examined in easy to understand detail - its history, how it works in the body and how it can be used to kill or, in some cases, help. The history of poison is utterly fascinating and this was one of my favorite reads of the past year.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Poison is one of the oldest and most popular weapons of choice when it comes to murder. This book provides us with an in-depth look at how eleven poisons are used to kill, what it does to the body, and how that poison is created.

This book was quite fascinating. The book covers eleven poisons: insulin, atropine, strychnine, aconite, ricin, digoxin, cyanide, potassium, polonium, arsenic, and chlorine. The author has done a very good job at breaking each poison down by what it's made of, an actual case from where it was used to kill, and then how the body reacts to the poisons. The cases discussed were quite fascinating and some of them were even from the 2000s which is crazy because I never heard of them.

This was very well written and easy to read. The sections about how impacts your body did get a bit technical but I was still able to get the gist of what happens to your body. It's been a long time since biology class so I don’t remember the breakdown of cells and stuff in the body very well. Also science wasn’t my strongest class so that didn’t help, but I still had the ability to understand what was happening to the body.

Overall, this was a fascinating look at poisons, cases involving poisons, and how they are made. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in true crime, science, or

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Mr. Bradbury for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Fascinating account, albeit science-heavy (consider yourself warned!), of eleven deadly poisons and famous murders committed with them.

I learned a lot from this book; here are some major takeaways:
-poison seems like it would be an easy way to die. Mostly, it is NOT. Most of the poisons described herein cause excruciating deaths.
-you will almost certainly (eventually) be caught if you poison someone. HOWEVER, your victim will almost certainly die. Symptoms of poisoning frequently appear like symptoms of various diseases, at least until it's too late to do anything.
-animal research, from laboratories to field trials to lawyers in courtrooms in the 1800s who nabbed unfortunate stray dogs and cats, was rampant (and so SO sad, RIP little guys ☹)
-people are dumb (this is not news)


I wish the book had provided more context in many of the murder cases. For example, the Quaker who poisoned his mistress (who happened to be the mother of his children). WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIDS? I felt like there was more to most of the stories. While the author was extremely (extreeemely) extensive on the science part, the personal interest portions could have maybe benefitted from a tad more info.

Regardless this was very interesting and I would recommend to readers of NF and true crime.

This book was highly educational, and it also showcased the many mistakes so many murderers have made throughout history. I was disturbed to learn about how cats were once used in the courtroom. Aside from that, though, this book was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

What an interesting book this is! A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury is for anyone who likes true crime and has an interest in science. This wasn’t my usual kind of read but I liked it a lot and can always appreciate learning something new. It held my attention and I found the content to be truly fascinating! A must-read for my fellow murderinos.

As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring—and popular—weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?

In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes—some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved—are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.

Out on 2/1

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was the perfect balance between history, true crime and science. I feel like I learned so much and still had a lot of fun reading along. Even though perhaps at times I felt a little lost in the more scientific aspect of how certain poisons effect cells and organs, I could still mostly follow the point the author was making by including these aspects. To understand how a poison kills you really have to understand what is happening on a cellular level! I also enjoyed the range of cases they used, ranging from 2017 to 1840s, really helped shape the scope and understanding of the significance of these poisons and their uses.

This was an interesting view on death by poisoning. I thought that the author did a good job of explaining sciency things in layman's terms. I would have liked for it to focus a little more on the cases themselves, and not so much on the biology, but at the end it was interesting to learn.

A Taste of Poison is a fascinating read on eleven different poisons that have historically been used throughout history to commit murder.

Each poison is introduced , their molecules explained how they work, why they are so deadly.

Neil Bradbury follows each poison with a true crime case. How the Killer used the poison, how they get caught and what happened during trial .

The premise was so fascinating and well written that even a layman like myself could follow easily .

At times I felt I had some of the symptoms: specially the arsenic one.

A Taste for Poison is well worth the read and the book will stay with me for a long time.

I can't recommend this read highly enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for a intriguing and knowledgeable read.

This book was crazy, in a good way. I got offered a widget for this one, and being a Murderino at heart I happily accepted. This book followed a very good format - it introduced the current poison, talking about who discovered it and where it was found, and then discusses one of two famous cases where the poison was used to kill people. I think the bleach case was very crazy and interesting. I did like this book but overall it was a bit dry, so I'm rating it 3.5 rounded down.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
There's a disclaimer at the end of the book that is seriously worth mentioning. Do not use this for personal reference to do harm. This is a book about the cases, science and method of the use of poisons. Classic criminal cases are revisited, even some Agatha Christie references are made in this highly informative book! I recommend to crime novelists, true crime aficionado readers and law enforcement agencies. Interesting and well written. Great addition to a true crime readers library.

A taste of poison was one of my New Year’s reads and one that I greatly enjoyed. A blend of science and true crime, it was a book that really fascinated me. When I think of methods of murder poison is one of the most intriguing. There are so many different kinds and multiple ways it can be administered.

In this book, Neil Bradley Ph.D examines eleven chemicals and the various ways they have been used in crimes. He includes the chemistry of these molecules and goes into great detail about how they effect the body. I found this part to be extremely interesting and it is written in a way that is easy to comprehend. He then ties these notorious poisons together by connecting them to actual true crime cases. I was familiar with some of the cases and a few were new to me but all were enthralling to read about.

Overall, I found this to be a compelling and educational read. I can’t think of another book that I have read that has approached crime from such a scientific angle and was able to make it so approachable and entertaining. This book made this true crime junkie immensely happy and I managed to learn something also. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been fascinated by poison [much to the dismay of many people around me LOL] and why people choose to use that when trying to kill someone. In my mind, poison is very personal and is born out of severe anger and the need for vengeance and inflicted-pain. This book just confirms that AND that people who choose to use poison are some seriously twisted human beings.

This book is a fascinating look at eleven deadly molecules and how those simple things can be developed into deadly poisons and how they have been used to kill in both the past and now. While this could have been bogged-down by scientific mumbo-jumbo, the author never veers in that direction - this is very easy to read, deeply interesting and if you are a weirdo like me, extremely entertaining, as well as educational. It also showed me just how much I don't EVER want to poison someone [or myself]. What an absolutely horrifying way to die and one would have to be a complete psychopath to inflict that on anyone. There were moments of true horror as I listened to this book unfold. I had no idea about some of these poisons and while it was extremely interesting, it was also extremely horrifying. I still believe that one has to have some deep-seeded need for vengeance to use poison when plotting to kill someone.

I also had the opportunity to listen to a audiobook ARC of this book, narrated by Derek Perkins and he does an amazing job [I will be looking for books that he's narrated that's for sure] narrating this book - his speech and diction was crisp and clear and I really enjoyed listening to his voice tell me all about the poisons in the book.

Overall, this was an excellent read. If you are a fan of murder mysteries, true crime, Breaking Bad [thanks to another reviewer for reminding me about that show], or just things that look innocuous that can also be deadly, this is a book for you. It is an excellent read and you will not be sorry you read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Neil Bradbury, Ph.d, Derek Perkins [Narrator], St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

A Taste of Poison by Neil Bradbury

This book will appeal to readers of True Crime, historical narrative, and mystery stories. The author discusses the role that certain kinds of poisons have played in the history of crime. Readers who enjoy forensic details will appreciate the author’s descriptions of how each poison affected its unfortunate victim and how the legal systems of the time identified or failed to identify the type of poisons used and/or the method of poisoning. As the author discusses each type of poison, he weaves in a historical anecdote. These little vignettes provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the poisoners and their victims. Occasionally, the reader may get bogged down in the scientific details, but the anecdotes help to move the narrative forward. Overall, this was an interesting read.

A real scientific deep dive into popular poisons now and in history. Great if you love science and really want the nittty gritty on poisoning crimes. I can see myself using this as a reference in the future.

Educational and interesting, I think this book will appeal to fans of true crime as well as fans of or science communication related media, specifically I think Bradbury's method of explaining the science behind each of the poisons was reminiscent of the biology sections in episodes of <i>This Podcast Will Kill You</i>.

As a whole, this book was a joy to flip through, reading a chapter here and there until I completed it. I liked that each chapter had segments about real instances of the poisons being used and then an explanation of how the poison works in the body. Bradbury also did an excellent job exploring the maxim "The dose makes the poison" by talking about the medical benefits when used properly.

Fantastic read that was both informative and very interesting about 11 well-known poisons and the past poisoners who used them to commit murder. This is a very educational book as well and I was familiar with a number of the cases since I love True Crime stories.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book that is a brilliant blend of science and crime in exchange for an honest review.

This has got to be one of the most fascinating books there is...not only does the author vividly describe poisons and toxins but also the symptoms experienced, what happens in the body molecularly, true crime stories to illustrate each and medical history. The amount of research involved must be staggering! Dr. Bradbury's writing is also very engaging. When reading the scientific details I was again reminded how miraculous the human body is.

Poison enters the body by ingestion, respiration, absorption or injection. This book includes information such as the difference between toxins and poison and how they disrupt the workings of the body, antidotes, how some poisons literally create a hair's width gap in the firing of synapses (and how that gap completely alters cells and function) and how the dose itself can determine the outcome (beneficial or deadly).

From "pinpoint pupils" to nerve agents from which very few recover to the most bitter substance known to man which can kill to the "sardonic grin" to the "queen of poison" to unusual antidotes to analogies to serial killers, it's here, in spades. And it could not possibly be more enthralling. I read about the fatal umbrella poke, the interesting quality of cobalt with cyanide, the first casualty of polonium, Matt Ridley's incredible information on genomes, radioactive polonium inside a man's body which was the equivalent of 175,000 x-rays, the most ancient poison. Scheele green and arsenic eaters.

Highly informative and endlessly fascinating, this mind blowing book is a must for anyone remotely interested in poisons and how they work inside the body, including Agatha Christie fans! I was glued to it.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wondrous book!