Overall, this was good. Hempel frames the rudimentary beginnings of forensic science - specifically toxicology - within the narrative of a famous poisoning case of the time, that of the Bodle family, which resulted in the death of George Bodle, the rather wealthy patriarch.

She sets up a rather thrilling beginning; I was at once riveted to the story as we're walked through the morning of the poisoning. I very much wanted to know what was going to happen next.

And this is where Hempel falters. Because just when you're on the edge of your seat, she launches into the science, the scientists and the research of the time, which leads her into side avenues of other contemporary cases. These are also interesting, but she throws so many names and events at the reader in these side alleys to her narrative, that by the time she wends her way back to the Bodles, I've lost track of who everybody was.

This becomes slightly less of a problem in the second half of the book, as things become too exciting for Hempel to get sidetracked, but it's still a regular occurrence. And the thing is, these deviations are the part where all the interesting science-y bits are; about all the attempts at trying to detect arsenic definitively; how Marsh was inspired to create his game-changing test, and how it wasn't *quite* the game-changer so many pinned their hopes on. And it's all good stuff. But Hempel is a victim of her own success at spinning a gripping narrative; I started out wanting the science-y bits but ended up just wanting to know who killed George Bodle.

Worth reading, definitely. But it's not necessarily an easy read for unexpected reasons. ( )

"To this day I cannot look without a shudder at the big square house in Plumstead village"
By sally tarbox on 10 May 2017
Format: Audible Audio Edition
This true-life crime story is well-researched and an interesting read.
In 1833 Plumstead (London) , George Bodle - and some of his household - were stricken with violent symptoms after partaking of coffee. Evidence pointed to poison, but who was to blame: a disgruntled servant? George's feckless grandson? Or his son - largely and inexplicably cut out of the Will, and seemingly eager to put the blame on his son. What about George's beloved son-in-law, who stood to inherit the lion's share?
The author takes us through the trial and also through the infancy of toxicology, as various scientists attempted - with varying degrees of success - to test definitively for arsenic.
An intriguing story, though I felt Ms Hempel digressed rather a lot, bringing in every random piece of information she had uncovered ( )

For centuries arsenic had been used for medicinal and pest control issues. In the early 1800's arsenic was quite readily available for purchase and because it was odorless and mixed easily with food and drink, it became the poison of choice for those who wished to do away with those rich relatives who just wouldn't die quickly enough. The 1833 case of George Bodle, a weathly landowner in Plumstead, England, brought the issue of detecting arsenic poisoning to the foreground. The entire Bodle household, including the servants, became suddenly ill after breakfast one November morning. Everyone, except patriarch George, recovered and George's grandson, John, stood accused of murder. The local doctor requested the help of James Marsh, a chemist who had been devising a test for arsenic poisoning. The Bodle case lingered long in the court system due to mismanagement of evidence, arguments over who was going to pay for the trial, and generally laughable police work as the local constable visits several pubs on his way to the police station with the accused murderer in tow. This murder trial is the main focus but many other arsenic deaths are mentioned as well as the quest for a definitive test for the poison.

Hempel has obviously done a great deal of research into her subject matter and the Bodle case itself reads like an interesting Victorian mystery. I did find the book was difficult to follow at times for there were so many people to try to keep straight. For the most part I enjoyed the book.
( )

Apparently the author considered the story too long for a magazine article and too short for a book. Unfortunately she chose to add filler, lots of filler, to make it up to 250 pages. There are about 150 good pages in there, but Hempel needed a tough editor to force her to cut away the dross. I couldn't make it through numerous accounts of arsenical poisoning completely unrelated to her storyline. It's tempting to include every fact one has uncovered through exhaustive research, but more engaging writers pick and choose in order to build a narrative. If you skip the last three chapters, you will have made a substantial down payment on trimming the book down to its optimal size. ( )