A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie

by Kathryn Harkup

Overview

Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's all made-up . . .

Agatha Christie reveled 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—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?

Christie's extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for A is for Arsenic, 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 is a celebration of the use of science by the undisputed Queen of Crime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472911322
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/03/2017
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	160,079
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Kathryn Harkup is a chemist and author. Kathryn completed a doctorate on her favorite chemicals, phosphines, and went on to further postdoctoral research before realizing that talking, writing and demonstrating science appealed a bit more than hours slaving over a hot fume-hood. For six years she ran the outreach in engineering, computing, physics and maths at the University of Surrey, which involved writing talks on science topics that would appeal to bored teenagers (anything disgusting or dangerous was usually the most popular). Kathryn is now a freelance science communicator delivering talks and workshops on the quirky side of science.

Table of Contents

Dame Agatha's Deadly Dispensary 9

A is for Arsenic - Murder is Easy 19

B is for Belladonna - The Labours of Hercules 49

C is for Cyanide - Sparkling Cyanide 71

D is for Digitalis - Appointment with Death 89

E is for Eserine - Crooked House 109

H is for Hemlock - Five Little Pigs 127

M is for Monkshood - 4.50 from Paddington 141

N is for Nicotine - Three Act Tragedy 157

O is for Opium - Sad Cypress 175

P is for Phosphorus - Dumb Witness 203

R is for Ricin - Partners in Crime 223

S is for Strychnine - The Mysterious Affair at Styles 237

T is for Thallium - The Pale Horse 255

V is for Veronal - Lord Edgware Dies 275

Appendix 1 Christie's Causes of Death 291

Appendix 2 Structures of some of the chemicals in this book 308

Selected Bibliography 312

Acknowledgements 314

Index 315

Editorial Reviews

"Remember the homicidal glee of that old Cary Grant movie 'Arsenic and Old Lace'? Those adorable aged aunts, earnestly luring lonely old men to their house so they could knock them off with poison-laced elderberry wine? If you liked that, you’ll like A IS FOR ARSENIC: THE POISONS OF AGATHA CHRISTIE; it has a little of that lethal charm . . . And while it’s essentially good book-club-style fun, the book has a practical application: For every poison, it offers some antidotes." —Washington Post

"A] scholarly and enjoyable analysis of the great author’s penchant for poison . . . if science was a banquet, then poison was her dish." —The New York Times Book Review

"Chemist Harkup delves deep into the history and science behind more than a dozen lethal substances, introducing each through its appearance in Christie’s writing. You don’t have to be familiar with the likes of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, however, to enjoy Harkup’s detailed, near-gleeful dip into what she calls Christie’s deadly dispensary." —Discover

"If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, read this book. If you’re a forensic-science fan, read this book. If you know someone harboring a grudge and an unseemly interest in poison, hide this book. Harkup, a chemist, has written a knockout analysis of poisons used in Christie’s novels and short stories . . . This is an absolutely bravura chemical compound." —starred review, Booklist

"Intriguing and illuminating . . . This compilation should please mystery fans, true crime readers, and lovers of popular science." —Publishers Weekly

"This would be a perfect reference for anyone writing murder mysteries and is scientific enough to be used as a textbook . . . The addition of real-life cases and comparisons to Christie’s works make this a nice little murder mystery of its own. Fear not, she’s careful not to spoil the endings of the classic novels." —Kirkus Reviews

"A joy to read." —FanGirl Nation

From the Publisher

07/13/2015
Harkup, a chemist and Agatha Christie fan, celebrates the 125th anniversary of the Dame’s birth with this intriguing and illuminating examination of Christie’s use of poisons in her mysteries. She begins by examining Christie’s background with regard to poisons, as well as her commitment to the ethos of the detective writer. Harkup does not name a poison for every letter, but she does include more than a dozen, arranged in alphabetical chapters from Arsenic to Veronal. She gives detailed, layperson-friendly explanations of how each poison acts on the body, along with its history and origin. Readers will also find real-world cases, including some that may have inspired Christie. In addition, the science, history, and literary explication are all leavened with a generous dose of poison trivia. Harkup includes two appendices: the first covers causes of death in Christie’s stories and novels, while the second provides chemical diagrams for many of the compounds. Though Harkup does not reveal any of Christie’s culprits, the book deserves a “Spoiler Alert” tag, as she does explain how the poisons are administered as well as how the respective sleuths come to their conclusions. This compilation should please mystery fans, true crime readers, and lovers of popular science. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

You don't have to be familiar with the likes of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, however, to enjoy Harkup's detailed, near-gleeful dip into what she calls Christie's 'deadly dispensary.'

Discover Magazine

If you're an Agatha Christie fan, read this book. If you're a forensic-science fan, read this book. If you know someone harboring a grudge and an unseemly interest in poison, hide this book. Harkup, a chemist, has written a knockout analysis of poisons used in Christie's novels and short stories . . . This is an absolutely bravura chemical compound.

Booklist - starred review

Remember the homicidal glee of that old Cary Grant movie 'Arsenic and Old Lace'? Those adorable aged aunts, earnestly luring lonely old men to their house so they could knock them off with poison-laced elderberry wine? If you liked that, you'll like 'A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie'; it has a little of that lethal charm . . . And while it's essentially good book-club-style fun, the book has a practical application: For every poison, it offers some antidotes.

Washington Post

09/01/2015
Former research chemist Harkup examines the gamut of poisons successfully employed in Agatha Christie's mysteries. Each of the 14 chapters takes us through the history of a toxic chemical element, molecule, or class of compounds, its physiological effect (including possible medicinal uses at proper dosages), notable real-life murders, and a synopsis of how it was employed in Christie's work. Care is taken to not name the murderer, though twice "spoiler" warnings are given when revealing the culprit is inevitable. On a few occasions the author points out where Christie may have taken liberties for plot convenience, but Christie's own training as a pharmaceutical assistant served her remarkably well in crafting scientifically accurate tales. Appendixes include a list of Christie's stories with causes of death noted and another of chemical structures of compounds. Michael Gerald's The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie covers similar ground but aims for a more exhaustive inventory and readability suffers a bit. VERDICT Recommended for scientifically curious mystery lovers and aficionados of CSI-type forensic dramas.—Wade M. Lee, Univ. of Toledo Lib.

Library Journal

2015-06-04
Chemist Harkup's first book is the product of her passion for the work of Agatha Christie and her broad knowledge and research in the matter of poisons. Christie was a volunteer nurse in a hospital dispensary in Torquay during World War I, a position that required she pass exams to qualify as a dispenser. In those days, prescriptions were made by hand, so she had a strong working knowledge of drugs and poisons. With the publication of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), Christie received one of her most cherished compliments when the Pharmaceutical Journal and Pharmacist praised the correctness of her writing. Harkup devotes each of 14 chapters to a particular poison (belladonna, cyanide, ricin, thallium, and others), and she explains each thoroughly, including its origins, how to extract it from the most potent part of the plant, and its benign uses (for humans) such as pesticides. Then the author explores the most effective ways of dosing, whether by injection, dissolved in food, tea, or inhalation, and the effects on victims. She also lists antidotes, if there are any. Post-mortem testing is a large part of determining if a murder has been committed, and Harkup lists tests available at the time the books were written (many are still in use). This would be a perfect reference for anyone writing murder mysteries and is scientific enough to be used as a textbook, which is also its only drawback. Technical explanations will daunt average readers with little knowledge of chemistry (the author also includes an appendix with drawings of each poison's chemical structure), but the narrative is informative, and the author's easy style of writing makes up for the slow bits. The addition of real-life cases and comparisons to Christie's works make this a nice little murder mystery of its own. Fear not, she's careful not to spoil the endings of the classic novels.

Kirkus Reviews