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