V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death

I picked this up after really enjoying A is for Arsenic, which was originally gifted to me by the man who would eventually become my life partner—a move still spoken of in extended family circles as a “bold choice” from a “brave man.”

I read A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup when it first came out and even had the slightly surreal experience of meeting the author at a pathology museum after a lecture on poisoning, back when I was in my (only mildly more) morbid era, so I came into V is for Venom with fairly high expectations.

I didn’t love this one quite as much, mostly because the A material (in every sense, haha) was already used in A is for Arsenic, and it’s hard not to feel that the best opportunities were taken early. show more That said, V is for Venom is still a strong follow-up, even if it strays slightly from classic “poisons” into adjacent territory like venom and gas.

The science remains solid and engaging, though it felt a bit heavier than I remembered—possibly because when I read the first book I had a medical school acceptance in hand, and now I’m pursuing a PhD in information systems (not that kind of doctor, tragically). Even so, the explanations are clear enough that this shouldn’t be an issue for most readers.

Overall, while it doesn’t quite recapture the novelty of the first book, it’s still a fascinating and well-written exploration of murder, literature, and science. A very respectable B+… which, fittingly, comes after A. show less