Was Napoleon Poisoned?

by Peter Haugen

Did King Herod slaughter Bethlehem's babies? Who was the real King Arthur? What made George III insane? Was Princess Diana murdered? Discover the secrets of royal history's most enduring mysteries and scandals, from ancient times to the present. You'll learn the historical context, scientific findings, theories, and controversies surrounding each puzzling episode, and you'll see how investigators have used every means available—including the latest historical research, psychological analysis, forensic technology, and sheer guesswork—to shed new light on these fascinating regal conundrums.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2008

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basic non-fiction book that looks at history's unsolved mysteries and conspiracies. It is a quick and easy read, but sometimes a little light on the details. I appreciated that it worked through the vignettes chronologically, so it was simple to follow. I did enjoy it for exploring things that I am already aware, but also lesser known tales. For a middle of the road book, 3 stars.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter presents a brief vignette of a historical mystery - from ancient Egypt's King Tutankhamen through Israel's King Herod right up to Princess Diana of Wales. Some chapters are almost laughable as 30 seconds worth of thought would solve the "mystery" (urban myths and rumours do not mysteries make), but some are certainly more enlightening. As much as I have read about Lady Diana Spencer and the deluge of information surrounding her tragic death, there were bits and pieces in that chapter that I had not known previously.
When reading books of this ilk, editing errors always push me over the edge. There were 2 chapters with problems - the author or editor had trouble keeping his King Georges of England straight, often referring to George III as George II; that chapter also placed George III in the 1660s rather than the 1760s. In a later chapter, there was also an instance where George VI was referred to as George V, making Queen Elizabeth II the sister of her father!

[Spencer H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think one's enjoyment of this book would depend on expectations. Anyone hoping for an in-depth look at each mystery will be disappointed, but I felt the book's strength was in covering so many varied perspectives in a relatively restricted page limit. In addition, the language is quite simplistic and clearly geared towards the layperson, so anyone with a deep interest in history or strong knowledge base regarding the monarchy may not find much new here to sink their teeth into. I'd say the strength is the readability, and the annotated biography at the end of each chapter. I found the topics were generally interesting enough to wet my appetite and I added many of the recommended books to my goodreads list. Really my main criticism was that some of the "mysteries" seemed a bit of a stretch - ie. the entire chapter about Edward and Wallis.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the 3 star ratings in that this was a not bad book but not a great one. Every chapter was pretty short and there didn't seem to be much consensus around what actually happened to most of them and more of a "shrug" guess we'll never know attitude. I would have preferred some in text citations for some of the points as they seemed a little off kilter and there were some inaccuracies that I took note of. But not a bad book, a quick read for history buffs and those that just want a quick and interesting read.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, speculative read.

[Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information was given quite well, and the book was well written. I was, however, a bit disappointed that they don't really give any answers. While the author does give all information available, the title led me to believe that perhaps there might be more insight to be found in many of the cases looked at.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readable and entertaining, but full of casual errors (not sustained, but more in the vein of egregious editing errors). This is better for readers who want to dip their toes in a little history and be directed to fuller accounts of the periods/people in question. For someone who has read most of the works cited, as I have, this was kind of boring and the editing errors very aggravating.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining look at a number of historical mysteries related to royalty through the ages, from Ancient Egypt all the way to the death of Princess Diana. While the author doesn't offer any new information on any of the cases he discusses, the book offers a good introduction to each of its subjects. Fun for armchair historians, serious scholars are better off elsewhere.

[Luv_trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun and easy read. Very intriguing ,and interesting. I found I couldn't put it down without picking it up again. Each chapter have you thinking could that have happen? I found the book to be very enjoyable

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So dumbed-down I thought it must have been written for teenagers Scholarship was shaky and the tone can be unbearably arch.