The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science [Paperback]

Sandra Hempel has brilliantly researched a famous arsenic poisoning of 1833&This fascinating book could well be the next?Part of an honored English tradition&[T]his story still delivers the old shock: that someone actually plotted and accomplished the death of another human being.Readers of Sandra Hempels un-put-downable true crime narrative will not only find themselves caught up in a grippingly suspenseful murder mystery; they will be treated to a string of brilliantly delivered lessons on everything from the origins of toxicological science to pre-Victorian medical practices to the beginnings of modern forensic detection. I cant think of another recent work that so thrillingly fulfills the two major aims of literary art: to delight and instruct.Hempel weaves a diabolical tale of fractured families, their poisonous deeds, and the early scientists who found new ways to expose historys oldest crime. Told with verve and a keen eye for suspense,Hempel skillfully weaves whodunit and courtroom drama to take us back to the beginnings of the controversial science of forensic toxicology.This book will appeal to readers interested in the origins of forensic science as well as to readers of popular histories of science. Though nonfiction, it will likely appeal to mystery readers as well, with its vivid details, cast of potential poisoners, and curious twists in plot.Hempels fascinating look at how the science of poison detection developed is certain to draw in readers with its masterful combination of telling details, engrossing prose, and drama& The Bodle case reads like something out of Dickens, and those fascinated by modern shows like CSI will delight in learning about the fields early days. Fascinating&one of historys most important poisonsand most important murders. Deborah Blum, author of