Register

V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death on Zoom

Dr. Kathryn Harkup, writer, science communicator and vampirologist, will discuss her book "V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death."

Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's all made-up...

Agatha Christie is renowned for her captivating plots and creative ways of killing off ill-fated victims. And what better way to add intrigue to a story than poison? The surreptitious ways they can be administered and the characteristic symptoms they produce make these killer chemicals the ideal method of murder in a 'whodunit'. Christie perfected the use of poisons in her plots; her deft and varied use of toxic substances is one of her great strengths as a writer. But how is it that some compounds prove so fatal, and in such tiny amounts?

The follow up to Kathryn Harkup's best-selling A is for Arsenic, V is for Venom is a compelling exploration of Christie's use of poisons and her extensive chemical knowledge. Featuring fourteen more poisons from the works of Agatha Christie, this book investigates the science behind the deadly substances, the history of their use in real-life murder cases, and how feasible was it to obtain, administer and detect these poisons in Christie's time and today. Combining Christie's murder mysteries, chemical science and true crime, V is for Venom is a celebration of the use of science by the undisputed Queen of Crime.

Kathryn Harkup is a former chemist who has turned writer and science communicator. Her interests are in anything gothic, gory and geeky, and preferably all three. She gives regular public talks on the disgusting and dangerous side of science. Her first book was the international best-seller A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie. She has also written Making the Monster: The Science of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Death by Shakespeare and Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond. Her latest book is V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death.

This program is in partnership with Ashland Public Library.

Upcoming events