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

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New YorkEqual parts true crime, twentieth century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie" (The New York Observer) A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science

Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie" (The New York Observer)

A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.

In 2014, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE released a film based on The Poisoner's Handbook.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 01/25/2011
ISBN: 9780143118824
Pages: 319
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.48h x 5.56w x 0.73d

Review Citations: Entertainment Weekly 01/21/2011 pg. 78
New York Times Book Review 01/30/2011 pg. 24