jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating and at times chilling read. Blum presents information about the earliest poisons through a mix of science, crime, politics and history and also documents the early days of scientific method through trailblazers Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler. The narrative structure is a little awkward as the focus jumps around quite a bit within each chapter, which was difficult to get used to. The chemistry cited is tediously detailed at times, yet for the most part is fairly easy to understand. A common thread present throughout is the difficulty of prosecuting poisoners, thus making the work of Norris and Gettler so incredibly valuable. I wish that Blum had delved more into the personal lives of Norris and Gettler so I could have gotten a more complete view of them as individuals. I was particularly intrigued by the frightening angle of Prohibition exposed here and the horrific nature of radium. Certainly not for the faint of heart!
nglofile's review against another edition
2.0
This was OK. The title, however, is much more exciting than the text itself. I also think I learned more about the unfortunate effects of Prohibition than I did about forensics, though the latter part of the book was stronger in its education.
audiobook note: To be honest, not a stellar production. I was willing to excuse a few slightly mispronounced words (it could be dialect, right?), but when words are allowed to be transposed without correction (submitting a "one letter sentence of resignation"), you've exasperated me.
audiobook note: To be honest, not a stellar production. I was willing to excuse a few slightly mispronounced words (it could be dialect, right?), but when words are allowed to be transposed without correction (submitting a "one letter sentence of resignation"), you've exasperated me.
keruichun212's review against another edition
5.0
Great writing style for a nonfiction book. Engaging. Loved the shorter vignettes, which helps me not get bogged down. The subject matter was fascinating. I toyed with the idea of giving it 4 stars simply because I wish there were more stories, more poisons, etc..
mickey_d's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
It was a fine book. I just hadn’t realized it was nonfiction when I started it. It’s got a good balance between the science and the story, but the science can get a little tedious.
lakecake's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really interesting book, a review of the Medical Examiner's Office in New York City during the 1900's through 1930's. The book itself is really good--using fascinating examples of crime from a different age, and weaving in the background of the people in the city and in the office. The narrator of this version makes some mistakes that are really jarring and brought me out of the story with regularity, so I'd recommend getting the actual book versus this version.
gothic_donut's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
It was my favourite book for awhile.