{"id":73,"date":"2019-12-02T13:03:55","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T13:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/?page_id=73"},"modified":"2024-10-28T12:08:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T12:08:45","slug":"a-is-for-arsenic-the-poisons-of-agatha-christie","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/?page_id=73","title":{"rendered":"A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie<\/a><\/h1>\n
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Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it’s all made-up …<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel. Her choice of deadly substances was far from random \u2013 the characteristics of each often provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but this is not the case with poisons. How is it that some compounds prove so deadly, and in such tiny amounts?<\/p>\n\n

Christie’s extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for A is for Arsenic<\/em>, in which Kathryn Harkup investigates the poisons used by the murderer in fourteen classic Agatha Christie mysteries. It looks at why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, the cases that may have inspired Christie, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering and detecting these poisons, both at the time the novel was written and today. A is for Arsenic<\/em> is a celebration of the use of science by the undisputed Queen of Crime.<\/p>\n\n

Click here for The Missing Chemical Structures<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Click here for the Full Bibliography<\/a><\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I wrote about Agatha Christie and her killer compounds, I also give talks about Christie and other poisons. For more information or to book a talk click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cA is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie<\/em> … has lethal charm. [Kathryn] Harkup leads every chapter with a literary quote, then proceeds to tell us what the poison is, how and under what circumstances it kills, some real-life instances of its use and what role it plays in the Christie plot … good fun.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 The Washington Post<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201c…this book is fascinating and anyone who is interested in the myriad painful and unpleasant ways in which people can be killed will relish it.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 The Times<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201c…a cracking compendium of Christie’s poisonings…A Is For Arsenic<\/em> will appeal to any fan of Christie’s work, but as a potted history of poisons, antidotes and medicines it has much wider reach than that.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Mark Lorch, BBC Focus (Science and Technology)<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cHarkup superbly captures the texture of Christie’s books, the sunshine and the surreptitious villainy.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Daily Mail<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cFact and fun packed, A is for Arsenic <\/em>looks at why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with th body, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering and detecting these poisons.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Agatha Christie Website<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201c…a knockout analysis of poisons used in Christie’s novels and short stories…Each chapter gives riveting information on the poison’s chemical makeup, how it kills, whether there’s an antidote, its history and its use in Christie’s works and in real life…This is an absolutely bravura chemical compound.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Connie Fletcher, Booklist<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cIntriguing and illuminating … will please mystery fans, true crime readers, and lovers of popular science.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Publishers Weekly<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cAn enjoyable, alphabetical overview of the renowned mystery writer’s frequent weapon of choice.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Washington Independent Review of Books<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cA fascinating look at the poisons used in Christie’s work.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 How it Works<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf you are coming to Agatha Christie’s work for the first time, an avid fan, have an interest in crime or toxicology, or just like being taken on an adventure through time, A is for Arsenic <\/em>is a must read.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Chemistry World<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cA killing read that combines scientific expertise with fan-based knowledge.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Saga<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Podcasts\/Interviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Chemistry World Book Club<\/a><\/p>\n\n

The Poisoner’s Cabinet – Expert Witness: Dr Kathryn Harkup<\/a><\/p>\n\n

SheDunnit – The Pale Horse<\/a><\/p>\n\n

SheDunnit – The Dispenser<\/a><\/p>\n\n

To the Best of Our Knowledge – How to Get Away With Murder<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Partners in Crime – Poison Special<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Guardian Science Podcast – Poison Tales<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner<\/a><\/p>\n

The Infinite Monkey Cage – Poison<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it’s all made-up … Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-73","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1024,"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions\/1024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harkup.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}