what exactly they do they do that causes death. For others, the appeal may be more scientific as Bradbury looks not only at these eleven poisons and the dosage at which they become lethal – some are, in smaller quantities, quite beneficial to us – but also the impact that they have on the human body i.e. I’m a lover of crime fiction and for me the attraction was to learn more about some of the poisons that I’ve come across in various works of fiction, Agatha Christie in particular being fond of dispatching of her characters in this manner. From the deadly origins of the gin & tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom, A Taste for Poison leads readers on a fascinating tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive – or don’t.Ī Taste for Poison is a brilliant book and one that will appeal to readers for different reasons. 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.ĭrawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the fascinating tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals, and political assassins, showing how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison.

In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and narrative crime nonfiction, Dr Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict? 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.

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.

A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury