The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie
Poisoning occurs in over half of Agatha Christie's many novels and stories. In fact, she used a larger number and broader selection of poisons and medicines, for a wider variety of purposes, with greater frequency, ingenuity, and scientific accuracy than any other detective fiction writer. Yet very little has been written on the use of drugs, poisons, and chemicals in Christie's fiction.
The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie entertainingly and authoritatively fills this gap. Michael Gerald explores the use of poisons and drugs in Christie's fiction not only to commit murder and suicide but also to incapacitate a victim, alter behavior, treat disease, or support addiction. He also analyzes her views, as expressed in her fiction and autobiography, on drug addiction, the health professions, the value of medicines, and scientific discoveries.
Especially valuable is Gerald's exhaustive listing of all drugs, poisons, and chemicals mentioned in Christie's novels and stories, with references to the work(s) in which each appears and the ways in which each is used. Other tables list all the novels and short stories and the chemicals that are used in each. Throughout, the properties of all drugs are clearly explained so that the reader needs no special scientific or medical knowledge.
The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie illuminates the fictional uses Christie made of her real-life experiences as a hospital drug dispenser and as a provider of nursing care. It will be of interest to fans and scholars alike.
...an authoritative reference work on the use of poison as a murder weapon in Christie's writings.
Students of the detective story, especially those interested in medicine, will consider this book a must.... Gerald's love for Christie's works and his expertise in pharmacology are obvious. The reader with a similar combination of interests is likely to find this book appealing.
- Preface
- Selected Dates in the Life of Agatha Christie
- Part I. A Poison for Every Purpose
- 1. A Matter of Taste: Better Dying through Chemicals
- 2. Disposal of Unwanted Persons with Time-Honored Poisons
- 3. Disposal of Still More Unwanted Persons: Natural and Unusual Poisons
- 4. Poison or Not a Poison? That Is the Question
- 5. How Was That Poison Given?
- 6. Chemical Control of Body, Mind, and Soul
- 7. Murder with Medicines
- 8. Taking Drug Compliance to an Extreme: On Addicts and Addiction
- 9. Poisoning by Professionals: Helpful or Harmful Health Providers
- 10. Science and Scientists: Benefits versus Risks to Society
- Part II. A Guide to Christie's Poisons, Drugs, and Chemicals
- Appendix One. Complete List of Novels and Short Stories and the Ways Poisons,
- Drugs, and Chemicals Are Used in Each
- Appendix Two. Medical Use of Drugs in Novels and Short Stories
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Subject Index
- Title Index
