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Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science
Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science | Sandra Hempel
5 posts | 6 read | 8 to read
In the first half of the nineteenth century, an epidemic swept Europe: arsenic poisoning. Available at any corner shop for a few pence, arsenic was so frequently used by potential beneficiaries of wills that it was nicknamed "the inheritor's powder." But it was difficult to prove that a victim had been poisoned, let alone to identify the contaminated food or drink since arsenic was tasteless. Then came a riveting case. On the morning of Saturday, November 2, 1833, the Bodle household sat down to their morning breakfast. That evening, the local doctor John Butler received an urgent summons: the family and their servants had collapsed and were seriously ill. Three days later, after lingering in agony, wealthy George Bodle died in his bed at his farmhouse in Plumstead, leaving behind several heirs, including a son and grandson--both of whom were not on the best of terms with the family patriarch.The investigation, which gained international attention, brought together a colorful cast of characters: bickering relatives; a drunken, bumbling policeman; and James Marsh, an unknown but brilliant chemist who, assigned the Bodle case, attempted to create a test that could accurately pinpoint the presence of arsenic. In doing so, however, he would cause as many problems as he solved. Were innocent men and women now going to the gallows? And would George Bodle's killer be found?Incisive and wryly entertaining, science writer Sandra Hempel brings to life a gripping story of domestic infighting, wayward police behavior, a slice of Victorian history, stories of poisonings, and an unforgettable foray into the origins of forensic science.
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review
Argon
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Mehso-so

This book isn‘t bad. The writing has a tendency to get sidetracked, providing information about events and people which are only marginally related to the main narrative of the Bodle murder. In fact, it felt like only half the book discussed the Bodle case itself. While the historical information was interesting, the way it was written wasn‘t captivating and often gave the feeling of wandering off topic.

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Argon

“...by the nineteenth century doctors were prescribing [arsenic] for practically everything from asthma to typhus, malaria, period pain, worms, anaemia, syphilis, neuralgia and as a general pick-me-up.”

Ah, yes, because if anything is a cure-all it‘s poison!

review
melissanorr
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Mehso-so

This book was really quite interesting but Hempel jumps around so much that it kills the reading flow. So it's a pick for the information but not the writing.

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melissanorr
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I have three books that are due in two days and this is the only one I can't renew so I had to set aside Scarlet Sisters to get this one done. Luckily it's not very long and it is quite interesting.

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Oryx
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I wanted to like this, and it's probably very good, but it was a #dnf for me. But, awesome cover and excellent #subtitle #aprilbookshowers @RealLifeReading

LeahBergen I thought this sounded good. 7y
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