Oddly Unsatisfying, 24 May 2007
John Emsley is one of my favourite science writers and I came to this tome with high hopes of being thoroughly entertained, but finished it with a vague sense of disappointment

Entitled « Elements of Murder » the book actually only considers the malicious use of five _ mercury, lead, arsenic, thallium and antimony. Unhappily for Emsley (and even more unhappily for the recipient), the alleged use of polonium as a poison post dates this work, or the variety could have been improved.

The science bits of the book (how and why these things are so darned nasty) is superbly written, as are the sections of what can only be called trivia - the speculations the both Mozart and Napoleon met their ends as the result of ingesting, either by accident or design, toxic metals. Where the book fails to deliver is in the description of some famous proved cases of murder by poisoning, such as those carried out by George Chapman. Emsley is a talented science writer, not a teller of juicy scandal and by the time the last couple of murders are reached, the tales are getting a little repetitive.

Buy the book for well written popular science and you will not be disappointed: buy it for the history of crime and I think you might feel short changed.


Just what the Doctor ordered., 08 Feb 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It struck an excellent balance between scientific insight and salacious gossip. What a combination!

I was reading this in my hospital bed needing something demanding enough to save me from terminal boredom, but that I could pick up in short bursts. Just what the Doctor ordered.

A Cheap 'Cut and Paste' Effort. , 27 Nov 2006
The concept of the book is clever: it takes the main heavy metal elements and discusses their uses and misuses, in respect of murder.
The result, however, is disappointing. It appears to have been written across a weekend by taking a few very basis facts and then pasting in chunks of `off the shelf' (often rambling) criminal biography.
Considering Emsley is a scientist most parts of the book are so un-scientific to be exasperating. I quote just two examples: in respect of the possibility of lead ingestion being the cause of gout (in the 1800's) `there is no reason why this could (cause gout) but it does' (!). Equally the madness of King George III he attributes to lead (despite a mass of contrary research on this subject - which he fails to quote), `because he was fond of lemonade and sauerkraut' (allegedly high in lead).
Readable, but a really cheap `put-together'. Mr Emsley, please spend a little more time

It didn't meet my expectations., 03 Sep 2006
This book was promising. My advice would be to read the introduction which is well written and interesting and ignore the rest of it. Everything that followed the introduction was of such a poor quality that I could not believe the author of the introduction to be the same as for the main body of the book. For reasons best known to the author there were digressions into vitriolic judgements on the sexual proclivities of King Charles and some quite unsustainable remarks about Isaac Newton. What a shame! I was really looking forward to this book, and whereas the introduction had some very nicely written paragraphs the main body of the book was in ungainly prose. I didn't read much beyond the third chapter -perhaps it improved.
For something much more worthwhile read Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean of Calabar by Peter Macinnins.

Oddly Unsatisfying, 24 May 2007
John Emsley is one of my favourite science writers and I came to this tome with high hopes of being thoroughly entertained, but finished it with a vague sense of disappointment

Entitled « Elements of Murder » the book actually only considers the malicious use of five _ mercury, lead, arsenic, thallium and antimony. Unhappily for Emsley (and even more unhappily for the recipient), the alleged use of polonium as a poison post dates this work, or the variety could have been improved.

The science bits of the book (how and why these things are so darned nasty) is superbly written, as are the sections of what can only be called trivia - the speculations the both Mozart and Napoleon met their ends as the result of ingesting, either by accident or design, toxic metals. Where the book fails to deliver is in the description of some famous proved cases of murder by poisoning, such as those carried out by George Chapman. Emsley is a talented science writer, not a teller of juicy scandal and by the time the last couple of murders are reached, the tales are getting a little repetitive.

Buy the book for well written popular science and you will not be disappointed: buy it for the history of crime and I think you might feel short changed.


Just what the Doctor ordered., 08 Feb 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It struck an excellent balance between scientific insight and salacious gossip. What a combination!

I was reading this in my hospital bed needing something demanding enough to save me from terminal boredom, but that I could pick up in short bursts. Just what the Doctor ordered.

A Cheap 'Cut and Paste' Effort. , 27 Nov 2006
The concept of the book is clever: it takes the main heavy metal elements and discusses their uses and misuses, in respect of murder.
The result, however, is disappointing. It appears to have been written across a weekend by taking a few very basis facts and then pasting in chunks of `off the shelf' (often rambling) criminal biography.
Considering Emsley is a scientist most parts of the book are so un-scientific to be exasperating. I quote just two examples: in respect of the possibility of lead ingestion being the cause of gout (in the 1800's) `there is no reason why this could (cause gout) but it does' (!). Equally the madness of King George III he attributes to lead (despite a mass of contrary research on this subject - which he fails to quote), `because he was fond of lemonade and sauerkraut' (allegedly high in lead).
Readable, but a really cheap `put-together'. Mr Emsley, please spend a little more time

It didn't meet my expectations., 03 Sep 2006
This book was promising. My advice would be to read the introduction which is well written and interesting and ignore the rest of it. Everything that followed the introduction was of such a poor quality that I could not believe the author of the introduction to be the same as for the main body of the book. For reasons best known to the author there were digressions into vitriolic judgements on the sexual proclivities of King Charles and some quite unsustainable remarks about Isaac Newton. What a shame! I was really looking forward to this book, and whereas the introduction had some very nicely written paragraphs the main body of the book was in ungainly prose. I didn't read much beyond the third chapter -perhaps it improved.
For something much more worthwhile read Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean of Calabar by Peter Macinnins.

Oddly Unsatisfying, 24 May 2007
John Emsley is one of my favourite science writers and I came to this tome with high hopes of being thoroughly entertained, but finished it with a vague sense of disappointment

Entitled « Elements of Murder » the book actually only considers the malicious use of five _ mercury, lead, arsenic, thallium and antimony. Unhappily for Emsley (and even more unhappily for the recipient), the alleged use of polonium as a poison post dates this work, or the variety could have been improved.

The science bits of the book (how and why these things are so darned nasty) is superbly written, as are the sections of what can only be called trivia - the speculations the both Mozart and Napoleon met their ends as the result of ingesting, either by accident or design, toxic metals. Where the book fails to deliver is in the description of some famous proved cases of murder by poisoning, such as those carried out by George Chapman. Emsley is a talented science writer, not a teller of juicy scandal and by the time the last couple of murders are reached, the tales are getting a little repetitive.

Buy the book for well written popular science and you will not be disappointed: buy it for the history of crime and I think you might feel short changed.


Just what the Doctor ordered., 08 Feb 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It struck an excellent balance between scientific insight and salacious gossip. What a combination!

I was reading this in my hospital bed needing something demanding enough to save me from terminal boredom, but that I could pick up in short bursts. Just what the Doctor ordered.

A Cheap 'Cut and Paste' Effort. , 27 Nov 2006
The concept of the book is clever: it takes the main heavy metal elements and discusses their uses and misuses, in respect of murder.
The result, however, is disappointing. It appears to have been written across a weekend by taking a few very basis facts and then pasting in chunks of `off the shelf' (often rambling) criminal biography.
Considering Emsley is a scientist most parts of the book are so un-scientific to be exasperating. I quote just two examples: in respect of the possibility of lead ingestion being the cause of gout (in the 1800's) `there is no reason why this could (cause gout) but it does' (!). Equally the madness of King George III he attributes to lead (despite a mass of contrary research on this subject - which he fails to quote), `because he was fond of lemonade and sauerkraut' (allegedly high in lead).
Readable, but a really cheap `put-together'. Mr Emsley, please spend a little more time

It didn't meet my expectations., 03 Sep 2006
This book was promising. My advice would be to read the introduction which is well written and interesting and ignore the rest of it. Everything that followed the introduction was of such a poor quality that I could not believe the author of the introduction to be the same as for the main body of the book. For reasons best known to the author there were digressions into vitriolic judgements on the sexual proclivities of King Charles and some quite unsustainable remarks about Isaac Newton. What a shame! I was really looking forward to this book, and whereas the introduction had some very nicely written paragraphs the main body of the book was in ungainly prose. I didn't read much beyond the third chapter -perhaps it improved.
For something much more worthwhile read Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean of Calabar by Peter Macinnins.

Oddly Unsatisfying, 24 May 2007
John Emsley is one of my favourite science writers and I came to this tome with high hopes of being thoroughly entertained, but finished it with a vague sense of disappointment

Entitled « Elements of Murder » the book actually only considers the malicious use of five _ mercury, lead, arsenic, thallium and antimony. Unhappily for Emsley (and even more unhappily for the recipient), the alleged use of polonium as a poison post dates this work, or the variety could have been improved.

The science bits of the book (how and why these things are so darned nasty) is superbly written, as are the sections of what can only be called trivia - the speculations the both Mozart and Napoleon met their ends as the result of ingesting, either by accident or design, toxic metals. Where the book fails to deliver is in the description of some famous proved cases of murder by poisoning, such as those carried out by George Chapman. Emsley is a talented science writer, not a teller of juicy scandal and by the time the last couple of murders are reached, the tales are getting a little repetitive.

Buy the book for well written popular science and you will not be disappointed: buy it for the history of crime and I think you might feel short changed.


Just what the Doctor ordered., 08 Feb 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It struck an excellent balance between scientific insight and salacious gossip. What a combination!

I was reading this in my hospital bed needing something demanding enough to save me from terminal boredom, but that I could pick up in short bursts. Just what the Doctor ordered.

A Cheap 'Cut and Paste' Effort. , 27 Nov 2006
The concept of the book is clever: it takes the main heavy metal elements and discusses their uses and misuses, in respect of murder.
The result, however, is disappointing. It appears to have been written across a weekend by taking a few very basis facts and then pasting in chunks of `off the shelf' (often rambling) criminal biography.
Considering Emsley is a scientist most parts of the book are so un-scientific to be exasperating. I quote just two examples: in respect of the possibility of lead ingestion being the cause of gout (in the 1800's) `there is no reason why this could (cause gout) but it does' (!). Equally the madness of King George III he attributes to lead (despite a mass of contrary research on this subject - which he fails to quote), `because he was fond of lemonade and sauerkraut' (allegedly high in lead).
Readable, but a really cheap `put-together'. Mr Emsley, please spend a little more time

It didn't meet my expectations., 03 Sep 2006
This book was promising. My advice would be to read the introduction which is well written and interesting and ignore the rest of it. Everything that followed the introduction was of such a poor quality that I could not believe the author of the introduction to be the same as for the main body of the book. For reasons best known to the author there were digressions into vitriolic judgements on the sexual proclivities of King Charles and some quite unsustainable remarks about Isaac Newton. What a shame! I was really looking forward to this book, and whereas the introduction had some very nicely written paragraphs the main body of the book was in ungainly prose. I didn't read much beyond the third chapter -perhaps it improved.
For something much more worthwhile read Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean of Calabar by Peter Macinnins.

Oddly Unsatisfying, 24 May 2007
John Emsley is one of my favourite science writers and I came to this tome with high hopes of being thoroughly entertained, but finished it with a vague sense of disappointment

Entitled « Elements of Murder » the book actually only considers the malicious use of five _ mercury, lead, arsenic, thallium and antimony. Unhappily for Emsley (and even more unhappily for the recipient), the alleged use of polonium as a poison post dates this work, or the variety could have been improved.

The science bits of the book (how and why these things are so darned nasty) is superbly written, as are the sections of what can only be called trivia - the speculations the both Mozart and Napoleon met their ends as the result of ingesting, either by accident or design, toxic metals. Where the book fails to deliver is in the description of some famous proved cases of murder by poisoning, such as those carried out by George Chapman. Emsley is a talented science writer, not a teller of juicy scandal and by the time the last couple of murders are reached, the tales are getting a little repetitive.

Buy the book for well written popular science and you will not be disappointed: buy it for the history of crime and I think you might feel short changed.


Just what the Doctor ordered., 08 Feb 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It struck an excellent balance between scientific insight and salacious gossip. What a combination!

I was reading this in my hospital bed needing something demanding enough to save me from terminal boredom, but that I could pick up in short bursts. Just what the Doctor ordered.

A Cheap 'Cut and Paste' Effort. , 27 Nov 2006
The concept of the book is clever: it takes the main heavy metal elements and discusses their uses and misuses, in respect of murder.
The result, however, is disappointing. It appears to have been written across a weekend by taking a few very basis facts and then pasting in chunks of `off the shelf' (often rambling) criminal biography.
Considering Emsley is a scientist most parts of the book are so un-scientific to be exasperating. I quote just two examples: in respect of the possibility of lead ingestion being the cause of gout (in the 1800's) `there is no reason why this could (cause gout) but it does' (!). Equally the madness of King George III he attributes to lead (despite a mass of contrary research on this subject - which he fails to quote), `because he was fond of lemonade and sauerkraut' (allegedly high in lead).
Readable, but a really cheap `put-together'. Mr Emsley, please spend a little more time

It didn't meet my expectations., 03 Sep 2006
This book was promising. My advice would be to read the introduction which is well written and interesting and ignore the rest of it. Everything that followed the introduction was of such a poor quality that I could not believe the author of the introduction to be the same as for the main body of the book. For reasons best known to the author there were digressions into vitriolic judgements on the sexual proclivities of King Charles and some quite unsustainable remarks about Isaac Newton. What a shame! I was really looking forward to this book, and whereas the introduction had some very nicely written paragraphs the main body of the book was in ungainly prose. I didn't read much beyond the third chapter -perhaps it improved.
For something much more worthwhile read Poisons: From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean of Calabar by Peter Macinnins.

A gripping and perplexing history of arsenic, 13 Jan 2008
Just a you have finished reading how arsenic became a mass murderer in the eighteenth century as a dye for wall paper and a popular cure for all sorts of ailments, and how it finally had been denounced by the year 1900, then Andrew Meharg, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Aberdeen, makes his most perplexing point. People are still dying of arsenic, in droves.

Polluted surface water in Bangladesh has led to the construction of thousands of wells in the country, striking underground water layers replete with arsenic. It is still unclear how many millions of people are affected, imbibing overdoses of arsenic on a daily basis. Bangladesh is not the only nation affected. In the developed world the United States have a poor record of controlling arsenic concentrations in tap water. Mr Meharg advises visitors to Nevada especially to stick with bottled water.

Strictly speaking, 'Venomous earth', is a thoroughly researched history book, covering its subject from the Roman emperor Nero to recent times. But it leaves the reader perplexed at such a poisoning going on on such a baffling scale.