The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

Deborah Blum tells the secret tale of how poison shocked Jazz Age New York City in a stylish and suspenseful manner that is indicative of the finest mystery literature. Blum uses a great deal of original research in The Poisoner's Handbook to follow the exciting and dangerous times when two forensic scientists started their groundbreaking work as chemical detectives, trying to put an end to a time when untraceable poisons provided a simple way to commit the ideal crime.

Drama unfolds case by case as the heroes of The Poisoner's Handbook—chief medical examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler—investigate a family mysteriously stricken bald, Barnum and Bailey's Famous Blue Man, factory workers with crumbling bones, a diner serving poisoned pies, and many others. Every case offers a terrible new riddle, as Norris and Gettler use inventiveness on par with the most creative serial killer, using ground-breaking procedures to extract even the most cunning substances from human tissue. But even science is not always reliable in the complex world of poisons, as seen when one of Gettler's experiments inadvertently releases a suburban housewife who would later be dubbed "America's Lucretia Borgia" to carry out her evil activities.

It is evident from the viewpoint of Norris and Gettler's lab at the notorious Bellevue Hospital that hazardous threats to New Yorkers are not limited to murderers. Danger lurks around every turn in the toxic playground that is modern life. Carbon monoxide from passing cars fills the city streets; strong substances like morphine are present in everything from cosmetics to insecticides. A chemist's war breaks out between government and bootleggers as a result of Prohibition, and in the packed speakeasies of Gotham, every round of drinks becomes into a game of Russian roulette. In an extraordinarily dangerous period, Norris and Gettler overcome overwhelming difficulties to become the forerunners of forensic chemistry and the guardians of justice. The Poisoner's Handbook is a captivating blend of science fiction, history of the twentieth century, and real crime that will have you flipping pages and taking in the sights of a New York long gone.