The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul by Eleanor Herman Non-fiction books about chemistry, especially where chemistry and sociology intersect, are one of my fun go-to reads (or listens, in this case.) I was kind of hoping it would be like The Poisoner’s Handbook, which was like …
Tag: poison
Nov 08
Book Review: Buffalo West Wing
Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy This is a solidly crafted cozy mystery with a unique niche–the amateur sleuth is the chief White House chef. I hadn’t heard of this before, but I found a couple of copies and I like a cozy mystery as much as the next person so I picked it up …
Sep 18
Book Review: Marrow Island
Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith This book has a few cool things to recommend it. It takes place in the Pacific Northwest, alternating between an island off the coast of Washington and a forest in Oregon. The event that triggers all else is the “May Day Quake” that leveled much of the Pacific Northwest …
Apr 20
Book Review: Wicked Plants
Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart Stewart wrote FLOWER CONFIDENTIAL about the floral industry, so one can posit that like me, she loves plants. Like me, she’s also fascinated with poison and murder. The book is lush with exquisitely beautiful (and sometimes exquisitely macabre) illustrations. With …
Mar 15
Book Review: The Poison Diaries
The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood I chose this book because my 12-year-old daughter highly recommended it. It has a lot of elements that pre-teen girls and young teen girls will find desirable: young heroine, cute mysterious boy, darkness, supernatural powers, and death. It’s a unique spin on the “pretty young woman meets pretty supernatural …