Neil Bradbury
Author of A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Substances and the Killers Who Used Them
About the Author
Works by Neil Bradbury
A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Substances and the Killers Who Used Them (2022) 420 copies, 18 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Bradbury, Neil
- Birthdate
- 1962
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Wales, Cardiff (PhD | Medical Biochemistry)
- Nationality
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
The book actually covers both poisons which can be "natural or man-made" and toxins, which are "deadly chemicals made by living things." Accompanying them, of course, is a crime associated with each. This includes insulin, atropine, aconite, ricin, digoxin, potassium chloride, polonium, and chlorine. Ricin is the scariest one in my opinion if you want to wiki it. I'm grateful it wasn't the usual line-up of arsenic, cyanide and strychnine.
Outright, this book concerns the methodology, so don't show more go into it expecting deep psychological examinations or family drama. Unlike most other true crime reads, Bradbury breaks down and explains each poison's effect on the body. This portion is what really sold me, because it could've derailed the narrative, but Bradbury's explanations are very easy to understand. He assumes just enough to avoid isolating the reader without patronizing them. His writing style is engaging, and each poison doesn't overstay its welcome. Even better, most of the examples given are of recent memory! I used to think "murder-by-poison" had its place in ancient times or the 19th century, but not anymore! A Taste for Poison features crimes from 1957 to 2011. I think this is an excellent non-fiction read for those who don't usually delve into the genre. show less
Outright, this book concerns the methodology, so don't show more go into it expecting deep psychological examinations or family drama. Unlike most other true crime reads, Bradbury breaks down and explains each poison's effect on the body. This portion is what really sold me, because it could've derailed the narrative, but Bradbury's explanations are very easy to understand. He assumes just enough to avoid isolating the reader without patronizing them. His writing style is engaging, and each poison doesn't overstay its welcome. Even better, most of the examples given are of recent memory! I used to think "murder-by-poison" had its place in ancient times or the 19th century, but not anymore! A Taste for Poison features crimes from 1957 to 2011. I think this is an excellent non-fiction read for those who don't usually delve into the genre. show less
Poison is one of the least popular murder weapons, yet according to A Taste for Poison, it can be highly effective. Before sophisticated criminal forensics, poisoning was also often a foolproof way to get away with murder. Obviously, though, one has to understand the poison well in a few different respects, and the kind of poison matters. Scientist and educator Neil Bradbury focuses on eleven of the most potent: aconite, arsenic, atropine, chlorine, cyanide, digoxin, insulin, polonium-210, show more potassium, ricin, and strychnine. As poisons, they cause many of the same horrible symptoms, with notable exceptions, such as strychnine, which stands out for being particularly torturous.
The overarching theme in A Taste for Poison is that dosage matters--what is a toxin in one amount can be a tonic in another. The castor plant provides both the remedy castor oil and the poison ricin. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant, absolutely essential in medical settings, but you don’t want it injected into your IV line. Insulin has improved the quality of life for countless diabetics, but too much kills. More interesting, in an odd twist, one poison dosed correctly can be the antidote for another. And for some, administration matters: A poison that’s deadly if injected can be harmless if ingested.
The word “molecules” in the subtitle is meaningful. The featured substances aren’t poisons inherently. Bradbury says more than once that poisons are chemicals--since life is composed of chemicals--but that “chemical” doesn’t automatically equal “dangerous.” Chemicals are molecular configurations. It’s how they’re manipulated and applied that matters:
A Taste for Poison is a perfectly balanced hybrid of true-crime and science. Each poison gets a dedicated chapter in which Bradbury concisely covers a few aspects, keeping these roughly the same length: the origin of the poison; the history of its use as a tonic (or practical tool), if relevant; some chilling true-crime accounts involving that poison; and a biological explanation--as reader friendly as possible--for how the poison works in the body. The true-crime stories are strong examples in their category thanks to a winning combination of high shock factor and built-in intrigue, and they span time from the Victorian era to now. In the interest of brevity, Bradbury hits only the main, most relevant points of these accounts, enough to bring the people and events to some life. Perpetrators came from various backgrounds, but it’s especially alarming (despite making sense, given the need for scientific understanding) how many worked in the medical field, mainly as nurses. As the poisons are concerned, he doesn’t linger on the gruesome details; however, these are poisons--softening description here has its limits.
An interest in poisons isn’t a prerequisite for reading this book; Bradbury takes care of that from the first page. By weaving stories of real-life horror into science lessons about poisons, he’s crafted a captivating read, the kind that educates sneakily. I knew very little about poisons before beginning this book and have come away from it well informed. Obviously, it most suits readers who like both true-crime and science--but there’s something here for all kinds of readers, and the book’s tight organization is conducive to skipping to parts of specific interest.
NOTE: I received this as a complimentary finished copy from Goodreads in August 2023. show less
The overarching theme in A Taste for Poison is that dosage matters--what is a toxin in one amount can be a tonic in another. The castor plant provides both the remedy castor oil and the poison ricin. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant, absolutely essential in medical settings, but you don’t want it injected into your IV line. Insulin has improved the quality of life for countless diabetics, but too much kills. More interesting, in an odd twist, one poison dosed correctly can be the antidote for another. And for some, administration matters: A poison that’s deadly if injected can be harmless if ingested.
The word “molecules” in the subtitle is meaningful. The featured substances aren’t poisons inherently. Bradbury says more than once that poisons are chemicals--since life is composed of chemicals--but that “chemical” doesn’t automatically equal “dangerous.” Chemicals are molecular configurations. It’s how they’re manipulated and applied that matters:
While most people would consider poisons to be lethal drugs, scientists have used the exact same chemicals to tease apart the inner molecular and cellular mechanisms of cells and organs, using this information to develop new drugs that treat and cure a wide range of diseases. For example, studying how the poisons in the foxglove plant affect the body has led to the development of drugs to treat congestive heart failure. Similarly, understanding how belladonna affects the body has helped create drugs now routinely used in surgery to prevent postoperative complications, and even to treat soldiers exposed to chemical warfare. From this it can be seen that a chemical is not intrinsically good or bad, it's just a chemical.Many have intriguing plant origins. The castor plant, with its distinctively shaped, pointed leaves, would be a striking landscaping choice if it were non-toxic. Strychnine comes from the benign-looking strychnine tree. Digoxin comes from the beautiful foxglove plant. Atropine comes from the flowering belladonna plant, dotted by black berries that look edible.
A Taste for Poison is a perfectly balanced hybrid of true-crime and science. Each poison gets a dedicated chapter in which Bradbury concisely covers a few aspects, keeping these roughly the same length: the origin of the poison; the history of its use as a tonic (or practical tool), if relevant; some chilling true-crime accounts involving that poison; and a biological explanation--as reader friendly as possible--for how the poison works in the body. The true-crime stories are strong examples in their category thanks to a winning combination of high shock factor and built-in intrigue, and they span time from the Victorian era to now. In the interest of brevity, Bradbury hits only the main, most relevant points of these accounts, enough to bring the people and events to some life. Perpetrators came from various backgrounds, but it’s especially alarming (despite making sense, given the need for scientific understanding) how many worked in the medical field, mainly as nurses. As the poisons are concerned, he doesn’t linger on the gruesome details; however, these are poisons--softening description here has its limits.
An interest in poisons isn’t a prerequisite for reading this book; Bradbury takes care of that from the first page. By weaving stories of real-life horror into science lessons about poisons, he’s crafted a captivating read, the kind that educates sneakily. I knew very little about poisons before beginning this book and have come away from it well informed. Obviously, it most suits readers who like both true-crime and science--but there’s something here for all kinds of readers, and the book’s tight organization is conducive to skipping to parts of specific interest.
NOTE: I received this as a complimentary finished copy from Goodreads in August 2023. show less
A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury is his first book and I am already looking forward to what he comes up with next!
Bradbury has found the perfect formula to combine information that any true crime fan, scientist, historian, or combination will enjoy. He writes in such a way that even a high school student could understand the more technical aspects, and intertwines a sense of humor that had me wondering what kind of sass he would come up with next.
But the sass was never over the top. show more Here’s one example from page 72: “As any sensible nineteenth-century writer would do, he elected to put the poison by his bedside rather than outside, in -say- a garden shed, in a container marked “POISON”.”
And then he goes on to let us know how the mix up happened one night with the wrong pills by the bedside being taken.
Never a dull moment, which can sometimes happen with writing of a more scientific or historical foundation.
If you enjoy reading mysteries or true crime, like learning about science or history, or are a mystery/suspense/thriller writer, A Taste for Poison is a book you should check out. show less
Bradbury has found the perfect formula to combine information that any true crime fan, scientist, historian, or combination will enjoy. He writes in such a way that even a high school student could understand the more technical aspects, and intertwines a sense of humor that had me wondering what kind of sass he would come up with next.
But the sass was never over the top. show more Here’s one example from page 72: “As any sensible nineteenth-century writer would do, he elected to put the poison by his bedside rather than outside, in -say- a garden shed, in a container marked “POISON”.”
And then he goes on to let us know how the mix up happened one night with the wrong pills by the bedside being taken.
Never a dull moment, which can sometimes happen with writing of a more scientific or historical foundation.
If you enjoy reading mysteries or true crime, like learning about science or history, or are a mystery/suspense/thriller writer, A Taste for Poison is a book you should check out. show less
I've read a few books on this topic (for no reason...) I do find it fascinating how these regular people thought they were being so sneaky using a novel poison no one would think to check for. But if a regular person knows about it, the experts are bound to as well.
I think I liked the Poisoner's Handbook a little better than this, but this is short and concise and has some cases I hadn't heard of before.
I think I liked the Poisoner's Handbook a little better than this, but this is short and concise and has some cases I hadn't heard of before.
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Statistics
- Works
- 1
- Members
- 420
- Popularity
- #58,059
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 18
- ISBNs
- 11