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The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale Of Arsenic, Murder, And The New Forensic Science (2013)

by Sandra Hempel(Favorite Author)

3.08 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0393239713 (ISBN13: 9780393239713)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: There was a time in the 1880's when arsenic was the murder's choice of 'weapon' as it was often misdiagnosed as dysentery. This book begins with the poisoning of a family, one of which dies from arsenic being infused into the morning coffee, and touches on some infamous cases. Along the way, science - especially forensics, begins to develop and a mild wave of hysteria can be seen to prevail in Britain. Cases are widely reported and the burgeoning science commits some awful mistakes...defendants often hung, based on flimsy evidence.
review 2: really interesting snapshot of life in early 1800's in rural England. the details about scientific experiments, daily farm life, how court proceedings were carried out were all very fascinating. I like watching all the show... mores about forensics so this was an interesting topic to me. the story of the poisoning and the perpetrator just made me think that there have always been narcissistic pathological liars out for their own good--if you put this story in modern times it would be a Dateline special. the book does end rather abruptly. picked it up on a whim and enjoyed it. less

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