I really enjoyed this book. I was pleasantly surprised to find I had heard of most these cases before. There were a few times when the book had a bit of a "text book" feel to it, but it wasn't enough to make me stop reading it. I would suggest the book to my fellow true crime loving people!

Please follow me on @lil.yellow.library for more Advanced Reader Reviews for books coming into publication!

📚ADVANCED READER REVIEW📚⁠
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Reviews are in for A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury, Ph.D.

Preface this with the classic refrain: I don't often read non-fiction.

I am a librarian, yes. I dabble. But a cover to cover non-fiction? never. That said, give me more books like THIS.

The ease in which Derek Perkins reads and the excellent vibe of Neil Bradbury's writing makes for a tremendous mix. I am not only engaged but actively enjoying as I read, and for a non-fiction, I find this refreshing. I particularly enjoy that the biology and chemistry aspects fold into the true crime component, and as a frequent listener of True Crime Podcasts, this book on audio is very very accessible.

Thank you to @netgalley , the publisher @macmillan.audio and the author Neil Bradbury Ph.D for opening me up to some new and enticing non fiction.

#ARC #AdvancedReaderCopies ⁠
#book #bookstagram #reader #reading #booklover #instabook #booksofinstagram
#atasteforpoison #atasteforpoisonneilbradbury #neilbradburyphd #truecrime #poisoners #DerekPerkins
1m

Absolutely fascinating. Relegating tales of famous murders through poison, the science behind famous poisons, and their potential benefits to the scientific community, this book is incredible. It takes a subject that has had intrigue throughout history and details the science behind the deadly chemicals, without making it dull and keeping the reader (in this case listener) enthralled throughout. The book is well written and paced, and the narrator does a wonderful job with his inflections.

I'm certainly impressed that in the 19th century there was a scientist whose hobby was tasting alkaloids and was so proficient that he could determine the compound faster than colleagues with scientific measures.

The perfect blend of science and true crime! I was hooked from the first page and found the science behind each of the poisons covered as interesting as the cases related to them. I'll be on the lookout for more books from this author.

Are you a Murderino? Do you love This Podcast Will Kill You? If you answered yes to these questions then the answer to “Should I read this book?” is also 100% yes. I learned so much about poison from this book…what various poisons are made of, what they do to a body, how they’ve been used throughout history to kill people…you know…all the important poison things! Very enjoyable and interesting read.

📚📝BOOK REVIEW📝📚
Thank you to @netgalley , the publisher @macmillan.audio and the author Neil Bradbury, PhD for the ARC of A TASTE FOR POISON: ELEVEN DEADLY SUBSTANCES & THE KILLERS WHO USED THEM. Happy Pub Day!

💉💉💉
"Within the annals of crime, murder holds a particularly heinous position, and among the means of killing, few methods generate such a peculiarly morbid fascination as poison. Compared with hot blooded spur of the moment murders, the planning and cold calculations involved in murder by poison, perfectly fit the legal term, 'malice of forethought.'" - A Taste for Poison opening.

I was absolutely delighted to get an advanced audiobook to listen to this excellent new true crime book weaving medical and forensic history, toxicology, true stories of deadly poisonings, and FANTASTIC Agatha Christie quotes!

Dr. Bradbury takes us through the physical and chemical properties of each of the eleven deadly molecules discussed while explaining how each was used to commit murder in real life, pop culture and of course, Agatha Christie's famous books.

The book's narration was performed by Derek Perkins and his brilliant British accent made me feel like I was in a cozy episode of Midsomer Murders trying to figure out whodunnit.

This was a pure delight to listen to and combined many of my favorite things. Many of the poisonings discussed were very well known but the author makes sure you understand how exactly the murderers got away with their crimes, why the poisons could not be detected or what finally got them caught.

And yes, I know this is the ebook cover and not the audiobook one but I LOVE this cover so I had to use this for my review. If this cover ends up being in physical form I will HAVE To get it for my growing library of true crime poisoning books.

What is your favorite book involving poison?

#poisonbooks #truecrime #macmillanaudio #netgalley #atasteforpoison #neilbraburyphd #toxicology #chemistry #thedosemakesthepoison

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

A Taste For Poison is a look at the historical uses of poison for murder. It covers the background of each poison as well as its uses and at what dose it becomes lethal. The author covers some of the reasons for poisoning in case histories for a number of individual poisoning events. The audiobook was highly entertaining and very interesting. The narrator added candor and some levity to dark subject matter. I enjoyed the book, even as a topic I had never really thought about before. This book is well-researched and organized. The science-based explanations were accessible and interesting without being dry.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC of this audibook.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of this!

This was fantastic! Really easy to follow, interesting, and while I had heard of a few cases most were new to me. Even those I had heard of were presented in an interesting way, and I wasn’t bored hearing about them again. The narrator was very good, though at times I had trouble with his accent and had to slow the audio down a bit from my normal listening speed. Overall, I really enjoyed this and felt like I learned from it!

𝙰 𝚃𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙿𝚘𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡 𝚜𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎— 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝.

𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲. 𝖨𝗇 𝗔 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝖣𝗋. 𝖭𝖾𝗂𝗅 𝖡𝗋𝖺𝖽𝖻𝗎𝗋𝗒 𝖻𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗌𝖼𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾, 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝗁𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝖿𝖺𝗌𝖼𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗒𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗆𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖻𝖾 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗅 𝖾𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗌𝗈𝗇.

I had so much fun listening to this audiobook. It captivated me from start to finish. The Narrator Derek Perkins did an excellent job setting the tone and pace. He did an excellent job bringing the true crime stories to life and building on the intrigue with the scientific elements.

Of course, no audiobook can shine without good material - and this book deserves all the stars. I have honestly not come across many science focused books that I had so fun reading in a long time. The true crime elements were many stories I had never heard, and instantly wanted to share. Then, when we dived in deep to how it all works I was hooked. At no point did I fine the science part dry, but on the contrary, it was truly fascinating mix of information that kept me on the edge of my morbidly curious seat.

After reading A Taste of Poison, you will forever be questioning exactly what was in your gin and tonic.

I was given access to an ARC audiobook courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the book A Taste of Poison by Neil Bradbury, Ph. D. I greatly enjoyed this audiobook; the narration is very mellifluous and keeps you engaged in the details of the book. While I personally enjoy reading and listening to audiobooks in the non-fiction genre, I know some people can easily use interest so a great narrator can really add to keeping one’s interest.
The content of the book itself was extremely interesting. I have always been fascinated by true crime and poisoners fall into that category. This book weaves both the science behind the poisons that most poisoners use and as well as true stories of their uses, making it a very interesting read. I high recommend it for anyone interested in science, true crime, or any well-written non-fiction read.

Perfect for fans of true crime featuring forensics and for readers who enjoy hearing various stories of criminals and how they almost got away with murder, but were caught using good detective work and knowledge of poisons.

The format was one of my favorite parts of this book- each chapter was dedicated to a different kind of poison - in which the author described the origin/history/science and then provided real life cases where people were poisoned by the substance. I was fascinated by all the stories of murder and attempted murder and I learned a lot of science along the way.

The author, a professor and Ph.D is clearly very knowledgeable on the topic and was able to present the science and the narratives in an engaging accessible way. I can see this book being used in a criminal justice or science classroom, but it'll also appeal to readers of the true crime genre.

I'd highly recommend this book to fans of the TV show Forensic Files, as well as Sue Black's titles and 'The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York' by Deborah Blum.

A scintillating collection of tales of uses of poisons throughout history (as medicines and murder weapon). The book ends with an account of a garden of poisonous plants in England. Text connects history, pharmacology, and chemistry seamlessly. A fascinating read/listen for anyone interested in biology or a fan of murder mysteries. Examples span all of recorded history. Best book I've encountered in a while. Well-wrtten, informative, and too interesting to put down.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I felt like the author had a great mix of true crime with the pharmacodynamics and biotransformation for each of the listed "poisons." This differs from other books by adding in the science behind each drug/poison, which, for me, adds an intellectual layer; rather than just reading about heinous serial killers. The breadth of cases between the 19th and 21st centuries added to the intrigue.

Trigger warning: the chapters that include the histories of Christina Marie Riggs and Beverley Allitt were harder to get through, as their victims were children.

This was a well-written work and I hope that Neil Bradbury continues in authoring books! Until then, I will read his journal manuscripts.

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.

Insightful and interesting true crime book. Although some of the cases covered were familiar, there's a mix between older cases and newer ones. Well researched.

The narration was good too. I can imagine tha with a less skilled narrator, the content could have been dry. No music, no other voices. However, since I like true crime audio books, I found the narrator pleasant and it's very well done.

I learned so much about the human body and how poison literally effects the different areas based on what is given. I think this great look at poisons throughout history from a very analytical and methodical point of view. It discusses particular murderers and the poison they chose but each chapter is dedicated to the poison. Every chapter analyzes how it can be used, how it attacks the body and what has happened as a result. It is not too long for the subject matter but not too short either. I did receive an audiobook from Netgalley and I really enjoyed the narrator. It was a great listening experience.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyment 5 stars
Overall 4.86 stars


The title says it all A Taste for Poison is truly a book about Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them.

Dr. Bradbury's narrative is enthralling, approachable, easy to follow, and thoroughly fascinating.

I listened to the audiobook produced by Macmillan Audio, and let me tell you - Derek Perkin's narration was everything.

A Taste for Poison is a well-researched and well-written book on poison and true crime. We get to learn everything about 11 toxins used in infamous murders - from their chemistry to their intended uses and how they affect the human body when used safely and when used in more nefarious applications, as illustrated by real-life accounts. Bradbury also references poisons in literature, including my favourite author, the poison queen - Agatha Christie.

I will put this out there, even though it may reveal more about me than I would like to - but this book made me smile from ear to ear as I listened to it. I honestly never expected nonfiction to make my heart sing this loud and entertain me as much as this did. Bradbury prose is everything!

If you're into True Crime, Golden Age mystery, and science, I highly recommend reading this book.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of A Taste for Poison.

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.

What an educational, yet intoxicating (see what I did there?) novel. The Introduction of this story gives history of words and meanings for poisons and when they were first introduced into our language. It goes on to give an outline for how the book is laid out. I appreciated the detail of the introduction and felt it was a solid level for non-science readers as well as people with science background.

One point I enjoyed throughout the book is how chemicals are not inherently good or bad; they are just chemicals. Examples include foxglove which can be deadly but can also treat congested heart failure.

“It is the dose that makes the poison.”

I enjoyed how the author gave examples from throughout history (Roman times, early 19th century, present day) as well as how he described the advantages of using said poisons for positive uses.

Chapter 8 was particularly disturbing due to the case study of the nurse who killed children with potassium. It was so hard to hear this actually occurred but what made it worse was how recently it happened and how many children were killed.

I would describe this book as part true crime and party physiology lesson. For each poison discussed, the author dives into what the chemical impacts within the body, how it impacts it, and why it works.

Overall, I thought this novel was well defined, well researched, and a pleasure to listen to. The narrator, Derek Perkins, was lovely. Solid 5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and MacMillian Audio for allowing me an advanced copy to listen to and share my humble thoughts and opinions.