Deborah Blum is a professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin. She worked as a newspaper science writer for twenty years, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her writing about primate research. She is the author of Ghost Hunters and coeditor of A Field Guide for Science Writers, and she has written about scientific research for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Discover, Health, Psychology Today, and Mother Jones. She is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers and serves as the North American board member of the World Federation of Science Journalists. Coleen Marlo is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator who has been nominated for an Audie Award twice, winning in 2011. She has been awarded three Listen-Up Awards from Publishers Weekly, an AudioFile Audiobook of the Year Award in 2011, and was named Audiobook Narrator of the Year for 2010 by Publishers Weekly. She is a member of the prestigious Actors Studio and taught acting for ten years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Marlo is a proud founding member of Deyan Institute of Voice Artistry and Technology.
"The Poisoner's Handbook is an inventive history that, like
arsenic, mixed into blackberry pie, goes down with ease."-- "New
York Times Book Review"
"The Poisoner's Handbook succeeds as science, as history, as
entertainment and as an argument for the power and purpose of
popular science writing."-- "Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel"
"All the nitty-gritty about death by arsenic, by thallium, by wood
alcohol, is here in precise, gruesome detail. It makes for a
stomach-turning read...Ms. Blum's combination of chemistry and
crime fiction creates a vicious, page-turning story that reads more
like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie."-- "New York Observer"
"Blum has cooked up a delicious, addictive brew: murder, forensic
toxicology, New York City in the 20s, the biochemistry of poison. I
loved this book. I knocked it back in one go and now I want
more!"-- "Mary Roach, author of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of
Science and Sex"
"Blum illuminates these tales of Norris and Gettler and their era
with a dedication and exuberance that reflect the men themselves.
Not only is The Poisoner's Handbook as thrilling as any CSI
episode, but it also offers something even better: an education in
how forensics really works."-- "Washington Post"
"Caviar for true-crime fans and science buffs alike."-- "Kirkus
Reviews"
"Fast-paced and suspenseful, The Poisoner's Handbook breathes
deadly life into the Roaring Twenties."-- "Financial Times"
"In this bubbling beaker of a book, [Blum] mixes up a heady potion
of forensic toxicology, history and true crime...The Poisoner's
Handbook will get into your head. You'll find yourself questioning
the chemicals in our everyday lives. What's really in our food,
cosmetics, pesticides, cleaning supplies, children's toys and pet
dinners? This isn't just a good read. It's a summons to study
labels, research, think and act."-- "Dallas Morning News"
"With the pacing and rich characterization of a first-rate suspense
novelist, Blum makes science accessible and fascinating."--
"Publishers Weekly, starred review"
Formative figures in forensics, Norris and Gettler become
fascinating crusaders in Blum's fine depiction of their work in the
law-flouting atmosphere of Prohibition-era New York."-- "Booklist"
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