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The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

by

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York Cover

ISBN13: 9780143118824
ISBN10: 014311882x
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era.

In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry.

Review:

"The Poisoner's Handbook is an inventive history that, like arsenic, mixed into blackberry pie, goes down with ease." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Blum illuminates these tales of Norris and Gettler and their era with a dedication and exuberance that reflect the men themselves. Not only is The Poisoner's Handbook as thrilling as any CSI episode, but it also offers something even better: an education in how forensics really works." The Washington Post

Review:

"Blum, a longtime newspaper writer and now a professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin, skillfully explains the chemistry behind Gettler's experiments. Her book is sure to appeal to mystery lovers, science nerds and history buffs." Associated Press

Review:

"Fast-paced and suspenseful, The Poisoner's Handbook breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties." Financial Times

Review:

"All the nitty-gritty about death by arsenic, by thallium, by wood alcohol, is here in precise, gruesome detail. It makes for a stomach-turning read....Ms. Blum's combination of chemistry and crime fiction creates a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie." New York Observer

Review:

"Formative figures in forensics, Norris and Gettler become fascinating crusaders in Blum's fine depiction of their work in the law-flouting atmosphere of Prohibition-era New York." Booklist

Review:

"Caviar for true-crime fans and science buffs alike." Kirkus Reviews

Synopsis:

A beguiling concoction — equal parts true crime, 20th-century history, and science thriller — The Poisoner's Handbook is a fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison, and murder, and the birth of forensic medicine.

Synopsis:

Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie" (The New York Observer)

A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.

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About the Author

Deborah Blum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the author of Ghost Hunters, and coeditor of A Field Guide for Science Writers. She is a professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin, and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 6 comments:
Karen from SF, April 3, 2013 (view all comments by Karen from SF)
Do you shy away from non-fiction reads, feeling that they're too preachy, teachy, or dry? This book will make you a convert. With each chapter devoted to a different poisonous substance, Blum wraps science, medicine, politics, and history in compulsively-readable anecdotes of outlandish and fascinating characters. Here you'll find more murder, mayhem, mystery and forensic medicine than an episode of CSI. Did the shy, polite husband kill his heiress wife for her money? Why did the famous movie ingenue drop dead? How does the immortal man finally get done in? Reading this true history of one of the most colorful times and places in US history--New York of the early 20th Century--you'll learn about the birth of forensics, the unintended consequences of prohibition, the fascinating effects of poison on the human body, and the dark side of the human psyche, all while being thoroughly entertained.
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Mac McAninch, January 5, 2013 (view all comments by Mac McAninch)
Fantastic read! For anyone interested in the birth of forensic science this book is the last word. For anyone interested in murder, how to solve AND how to commit, this is the rulebook. For anyone interested in creating the perfect whodunit, this is the reference. For anyone interested in the detective genre this book is "Bones" "CSI" and every other shows professional guide. Great pace and truly riveting, this book is part novel part reference and all fascinating.
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Rachel Coker, August 6, 2012 (view all comments by Rachel Coker)
A well-researched, compelling book that blends the histories of chemistry and criminology in an interesting way. You'll never think of Prohibition-era America the same way again!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780143118824
Author:
Blum, Deborah
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Subject:
Toxicology
Subject:
Forensic Medicine
Subject:
United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic
Subject:
Health and Medicine-Medical Specialties
Edition Description:
Mass Market
Publication Date:
20110131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Pages:
336
Dimensions:
8.56 x 5.6 x 0.76 in 0.61 lb
Age Level:
17-17
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Related Subjects


Health and Self-Help » Health and Medicine » History of Medicine
Health and Self-Help » Health and Medicine » Medical Specialties
History and Social Science » Crime » Forensics and Evidence
History and Social Science » Crime » General
History and Social Science » Sale Books
History and Social Science » World History » General

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York New Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$16.00 In Stock
Product details 336 pages Penguin Books - English 9780143118824 Reviews:
"Review" by , "The Poisoner's Handbook is an inventive history that, like arsenic, mixed into blackberry pie, goes down with ease."
"Review" by , "Blum illuminates these tales of Norris and Gettler and their era with a dedication and exuberance that reflect the men themselves. Not only is The Poisoner's Handbook as thrilling as any CSI episode, but it also offers something even better: an education in how forensics really works."
"Review" by , "Blum, a longtime newspaper writer and now a professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin, skillfully explains the chemistry behind Gettler's experiments. Her book is sure to appeal to mystery lovers, science nerds and history buffs."
"Review" by , "Fast-paced and suspenseful, The Poisoner's Handbook breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties."
"Review" by , "All the nitty-gritty about death by arsenic, by thallium, by wood alcohol, is here in precise, gruesome detail. It makes for a stomach-turning read....Ms. Blum's combination of chemistry and crime fiction creates a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie."
"Review" by , "Formative figures in forensics, Norris and Gettler become fascinating crusaders in Blum's fine depiction of their work in the law-flouting atmosphere of Prohibition-era New York."
"Review" by , "Caviar for true-crime fans and science buffs alike."
"Synopsis" by , A beguiling concoction — equal parts true crime, 20th-century history, and science thriller — The Poisoner's Handbook is a fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison, and murder, and the birth of forensic medicine.
"Synopsis" by ,
Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie" (The New York Observer)

A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.
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