A quirky, informational listen that reads like multiple podcast episodes.

MV Rating: 6/10
• each chapter begins with an in-depth chemical/scientific breakdown of each poison, followed by a notable murder or murderer who used it.
•the scientific parts sometimes felt like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher talk, but I loved the stories that followed.
•each chapter has the same setup, but is individualized, so it feels more like a short story collection than a cohesive book in some ways.

Overall, a great and informative listen with very entertaining detail in each chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced listener access!

A very readable listening experience. Poisons cover both plant toxins and elements. Stories used to illustrate each poison where dramatically told, illuminating the poison's history, possible delivery methods, symptoms, and outcomes. A great read for listeners who like just a touch of lurid in their science NF.

3.5 stars

Historically, poison was a popular murder weapon because it was difficult (or impossible) to detect in the dead victim. Thus countless killers got away with murder. Now of course, modern technology can sniff out poison quite easily, and its use as a murder weapon has plummeted. Still, poisons are a fascinating subject.

'A Taste For Poison' is a compendium of eleven well-known poisons, familiar to fans of mystery fiction as well as true crime aficionados. For each substance, Bradbury describes its provenance, how it works, and its use by a killer. The poisons are aconite, arsenic, atropine, chlorine, cyanide, digoxin, insulin, polonium, potassium, ricin and strychnine.

Many poisons, such as aconite, atropine, cyanide, digoxin, ricin, and strychnine come from plants; insulin is a hormone made in animals; and other poisons are found in soil, rocks, and other naturally occurring substances. Bradbury explains, 'Whatever the poison may be, there are three distinct stages that occur before death: delivery, actions, and effects." Poisons can be delivered via four paths, ingestion (eaten or drunk), respiration (inhaled), absorption (taken in through the skin), or injection (shot into muscle or blood vessel). Once inside the body a poison might attack the nervous system; interfere with vital organs; affect cell chemistry; paralyze muscles; break down cells; and more. Taken far enough, any of these actions could result in death.

In some ways, the sections on how poisons kill is reminiscent of my college physiology class, but Bradbury's narrative is much more entertaining. I was also struck by the killers Bradbury uses as examples, some of whom crafted murder schemes worthy of the great Agatha Christie herself. Of course most of the murderers exemplified in this book were caught.....and I shudder to think of the many more that walked free.

Many people have heard of poisons like arsenic, cyanide and strychnine, and most of the other featured toxins probably 'ring a bell' as well. So, to provide a feel for the book, I'll briefly outline Bradbury's chapter on a rare and unusual killer - polonium.

Polonium, discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1903, is a lethal radioactive metal. Sadly, one of the first victims of polonium may have been the Curies' daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, who died of leukemia at the age of 58 - possibly from accidental exposure to the radioactive substance.

Polonium-210 is the ideal poison. It's lethal in small amounts, doesn't generate the hard gamma radiation that's easily detected by monitors at airports and shipping ports, and causes death relatively quickly. Of course polonium is very expensive and hard to get, but - in one case (at least) - it was used as an assassination tool.

The story: In 2006 a London man named Edwin Carter suddenly fell ill. He exhibited stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and labored breathing. At the hospital, Carter was diagnosed with gastroenteritis with dehydration, but Edwin's low white cell count argued against it. Nevertheless, Carter was treated with the antibiotics normally used to combat gastroenteritis.

When his health continued to decline, Carter announced that he was an ex-KBG agent named Alexander Litvinenko, and that he'd been poisoned. Hospital staff thought Edwin was delusional until his hair started falling out and his blood platelet count plummeted, which doesn't happen with gastroenteritis.

An MI-6 handler finally confirmed that Litvinenko had been a KGB agent who had publicly accused KGB officials of being in league with Russian organized crime. Litvinenko was fired in 1999, and defected to Britain, where he became an informant for MI-6.

Litvinenko was poisoned during a meeting with Russian 'businessmen' who would (supposedly) help British firms do business in Russia. Litvinenko unknowingly drank some polonium-laced tea during the conference, and fell ill while the 'businessmen' hustled back to Russia.

It turns out the polonium came from a nuclear facility in Russia, and the 'businessmen' were Russian agents called Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun - ostensibly sent by either Vladimir Putin or the Russian secret service. In any case, no one was ever extradited or arrested.

Bradbury explains what polonium does in detail, but in a nutshell: Polonium enters the body via the small intestine and breaks down the gut wall. This causes bacterial infections, which make the victim ill. Meanwhile, polonium enters the bloodstream, travels around the body, and destroys the liver, heart, hair follicles, immune system, bone marrow, and so on. Litvinenko's body was "literally shredded apart."

This is more dramatic than most of Bradbury's examples, which usually involve things like spouses killing their partners; nurses or doctors murdering patients; relatives killing for an inheritance; the Borgias poisoning their way to wealth and power; poison gas used for mass murder; and so on. In any case, the book will make you wary of what you eat, drink, touch, or breathe in.

Though most information in the book is available on the internet, the narrative pulls the information together in one place, and the audiobook is excellent for dipping into during free moments.

Thanks to Netgalley, Neil Bradbury, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

A Taste for Poison truly is a fascinating compilation of historical entries on how different elements came to be called as poison. Dr.Bradbury not only discusses about toxins, but also how common items can become deadly and induce comatose in an individual. Enough science and story to make this enjoyable over audio. I devoured this audiobook in a day. The English accented narrator their job perfectly!

Thank you Macmillan audio via Netgalley for the ALC.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. It is crazy to not only know the history of poison but what people actually think that they can get away with and then how they get caught. Highly recommend if you are a fan. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one was fantastic. For all true crime lovers, it was just enough science, just enough story. I feel like I could be an expert on poisonings now. The narrator was also great, I don't remember much of him, and in a nonfiction, not remembering is a good thing. I want more from the author- a podcast, a blog, I want more.

A Strong 4.5. I probably shouldn’t enjoy reading books about poisons as much as I do, but books like this make it so easy. I listened to the audiobook version of it and it moved along so easily and I was so engaged in it I was almost surprised that I finished it in one day, but it is less than 8 hours.
One thing that Neil Bradbury is very keen on is showing that the poisons themselves are not inherently bad. Beladona was used for cosmetic purposes, atropine will save you from a Russian organophosphate assassination attempt, apparently strychnine is on the Olympics’ banded substances list but that hasn’t stopped athletes in 1996 and 2016 from being caught using it as a PED. He goes into the science of each poison and how it works on the body in a way that a non biology major, or even high school bio class taker could understand. There is a smattering of wit among the history, but if you are not a fan of hearing about scores of nameless and thankless mice and frogs dying even the humor might not liven it up for you. Science aside the human stories of how the poison’s had been used to murder were utterly fascinating. I have no idea how the Dr, Neil/Cream story has not been made into a period piece for BBC/PBS. I would watch it in a heartbeat. And this is very much something I do not do, but stay for the credits, his acknowledgment made me literally laugh out loud.
If you enjoy nonfiction and true crime, along with finding out how things work when they kill a person, this book will be right up your alley. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of this audiobook.

This book was okay- as books about the biochemistry of poisons goes, it's pretty standard. The classic poisons are discussed, and not much more. I've read or heard of all of the poisoning accounts described in the book, so it felt like I didn't learn much or hear any new stories. The descriptions of how the poisons worked were well described for laypeople, but it would be nice if it maybe went a little more in depth.

A Taste for Poison is a nonfiction look at the stealthiest of stealthy killing techniques that will appeal if you are:

- A murderino*

- Walter White**

- Scientifically inclined***

- Bell Biv Devoe****

- Someone with a huge life insurance policy on a spouse*****

To my surprise, I have heard of many of the poisonings author Neil Bradbury covers, since several have occurred during my lifetime. While some sections felt like collegiate-level chemistry lessons, I never lost interest and learned a lot about ingestible killers.

* A murderino is a person with an obsessive interest in true crime, as coined by followers of the podcast “My Favorite Murder.” (MFM is my one and only podcast addiction, thus I am in fact a murderino.)

** Walter White is the main character from the exceptional TV series “Breaking Bad.” If you know, you know.

*** Scientifically inclined people do science. I am not and I do not.

**** Bel Biv Devoe, aka BBD, is an R&B group popular in the 90s whose hit “Poison” taught a generation of young men to never trust a big butt and a smile.

***** People with huge life insurance policies on their spouses who want to cash in early now have a how-to manual.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio and the author for the opportunity to review an advance listening copy via NetGalley. The audiobook clocks in at 7 hours 15 minutes and is narrated by Derek Perkins. Publication is slated for February 2022.

Fascinating tales of how various poisons are used in actual murder cases, then the explanations of how the poisons attack the body to shut the systems down

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to to review this audio

A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury is a well written and meticulously researched history of the favored poisons used throughout the centuries. Beginning with arsenic, that old favorite, to polonium, the most expensive poison in the world.

Arsenic has long been a favorite, but was made more popular as a favored weapon of the Borgias. Although the recipe has been lost, cantarella was frequently used, as was Aqua Tofana. Believed to be a mixture of arsenic, lead, and belladonna, cantarella was so precise that it could be considered time release.

Then there's polonium, arguably the most expensive poison in the world. After all, doesn't everyone have a bit of refined uranium lying around.

I would highly recommend this title to anyone interested in the history of poison.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital audio copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

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