This is an excellent read, which takes an in depth look at a number of poisons and the uses to which they have been put. This involves a look at each poison’s origins, its historical uses as well as examples of how they have been misused. Although the author looks at each poison scientifically, he manages to make this both understandable and, often, gripping. The way in which poisons can alter cells and the affect they can have on the body was fascinating and Bradbury deserves plaudits for combining true crime examples with something more serious, but never dry.

I learnt so much from this book. For example, with the poison atropine, we learn that tomatoes were originally viewed with suspicion – so much so that stallholders would employ people to sit and eat raw tomatoes so that buyers would see them as safe. There are famous, and infamous, poisoning cases, such as Alexander Litvinenko, the Skripal poisonings in Salisbury, Beverley Alitt and the Borgias, as well as cases less well known to me. In the same way, I was familiar with some poisonings, such as arsenic, strychnine and cyanide, but less so with others, such as polonium and aconite.

I am not sure this is a book I should have enjoyed as much as I did, but I found it a really excellent read. It will appeal to true crime fans and is never gruesome or salacious. Bradbury is a natural storyteller and I look forward to reading more from him. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. Highly recommended.

"Overall, the use of poisons in scientific research is probably more widespread than most people realize. Without poisons our understanding of how the human body works would have been greatly hampered."

I really enjoyed this one. It deals with eleven well-known poisons, and I mainly picked it up because I'm a fan of crime novels. It's a wonderful mix of true crime, science, history and culture, easy to read and with some fascinating facts as well as interesting speculations. Wait until you get to the bit about Van Gogh and digitalis. I learned so much about the human body, plant life, medicine, criminal law, the list goes on. I think a lot of people would enjoy this book as it caters to a wide range of interests, and I highly recommend it.

I'd like to thank the publishers, Harper North, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy, I really appreciate it.

Review on my blog, 3rd January:

I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but there was something about the cover to A TASTE FOR POISON that really called to me. I requested it on that whim and ended up reading it in a few sittings, picking it up over some of my fiction books - which I really didn’t expect. It’s left me with a hankering for more non-fiction, and lot of that is down to Neil Bradbury’s very accessible writing.

The way the book is set out is very interesting. It covers case studies both historical and recent, the way that the poisons chemically interact with the body, and the history of the poisons - including, interestingly, positive uses for some of the substances. I know extremely little about chemistry, so at first I was a little worried that it would be too complicated for me to get properly interested in, but it was incredibly accessible and easy to read. Considering that it’s been a while since I last read anything digitally, I’ve been struggling with physical reading, I was surprised to find myself so immediately invested. The chapters are broken down in an interesting way, and it all ties together cohesively for a fascinating true-crime and natural science read.

I hope that Neil Bradbury writes more non-fiction, because I will definitely be picking it up, and I’m going to be reading more non-fiction in 2022 largely because of this book.

This is a good, intriguing and highly fascinating book about the use and misuse of highly toxic plants. How some of these plants can be used to treat diseases but when used to harm can become deadly. Very good and would recommend to any true crime enthusiasts

Endlessly Fascinating…
Poison, weapon of choice, for so many murder mysteries - both of the fictional and realistic variety. This is a compelling account of such poisons and the killers that used them. Alongside the accounts of the crimes, the methods and the murderers, the author provides the medical science into how these poisons affect the human body. Perfectly compiled, eminently readable, grotesquely entertaining and endlessly fascinating. A nigh on perfect companion for any reader of crime, murder and means - beit fiction or otherwise.

This is such an interesting read, I have already been recommending it to friends. It examines poisons both from the angle of how they were discovered and how they affect the human body, and the science to back these aspects up, and the use of these poisons in real life crimes. It was a fascinating read and well balanced between being factual without being dry and boring. I can’t rate it high enough

This was a really interesting and informative. I finished this feeling like I learnt more about some crimes I knew about already and others I hadn't heard of. The writing was good and I kept me hooked throughout. This was a good read and I'd pick up more by this author in the future.

A most fascinating study of poisons, based on historical records and news headlines. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.