I began this book very irritated because the author chose to use the same word 3 times on a page. That kind of editorial oversight drives me insane and is completely distracting (and it's okay if I do it, I'm not a writer!) Once I got into the book, though, that improved dramatically. This is basically a history of forensics and the detection of poisons in dead bodies. Fascinating, disgusting, and disturbing. Through in a little Prohibition and the amount of dead people from poisoning skyrocketed, which was also an interesting bit of information. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't really understand the chemistry all that much, but still found it compelling. Anyone who is addicted to Bones or any of the CSI TV series will love this book.

Re-read this after seeing the author at a library conference. Very excellent speaker.