My new book - The Poisoner's Handbook - will be published next month (February 18). But it's already having this effect on my life: my husband has developed a nervous habit of moving his coffee cup out of my reach. When the Wall Street Journal published an excerpt of the book (see link below) I promptly received the following e-mail: "Read the wonderful weekend section front in the Journal. But the coffee my wife just handed me tastes a little odd."Â When the invitation was sent out for my book launch party, it read: "We promise that the beer, wine, and snacks will be completely unadulterated and arsenic-free, though jazz is a possibility." The bit about jazz refers to my book's subtitle: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. It's actually a kind of early CSI story in which I'm completely on the side of the scientific detectives who are figuring out how to catch poisoners. So I feel confident in reassuring you - readers and friends - that although I do own a poison ring, it's empty. Promise.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487036992045750169717098146…
Congratulations on your new book and new blog. Your friends in California are anxious for its release. I have an itch for a good winter book---and it's not from poison oak.
Valita Robison, RN and aspiring forensic nurse
Thanks much, Valita. I'm excited about the book and the chance to talk about it - and the kind of science issues that fascinate me here on the blog. And, yeah, avoid poison oak!
Sent this way via Bob Finn's tweet. I'm excited about adding this to my RSS feed!
Hey, thanks! I'm hoping to keep it smart and it's been really fun to write about science from this perspective.