HowDunit - The Book of Poisons

by Serita Stevens

Discover Deadly Doses to Kill Off Characters The readers of your crime and mystery stories should be trying to figure out "whodunit"—not wondering why your facts don't make sense. If you want to kill off characters with something poisonous, you need to know how a villain would gain access to such a poison, how it would be administered, and what the effects on the victim would be. Book of Poisons can help you figure out all of the details of proper poisoning. This thorough guide catalogs the classic poisons, household poisons, poisonous animals and plants, poisons used in wars, and more. With information on toxicity, reaction time, effects and symptoms, and antidotes and treatments, you'll know exactly what your villain needs to succeed and exactly what could foil his plans. You'll also With alphabetical organization and appendices that cross-reference by symptoms, form, administration, and other methods, you'll be able to find the perfect poisons to fit your plot. Plus, a glossary of medical terms makes decoding symptoms and treatments easy for the writer with no medical background. Book of Poisons is the comprehensive reference you need to create deaths by poison without stopping readers dead in their tracks over misguided facts.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Research, Science, Crime, True Crime

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2006

About the author

Sometimes also published as Megan MacDonnell, Shira Stevens, Serita Mendelson Stevens, or Serita Deborah Stevens.

Reviews

[Terry Odell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference, although hubby freaks when he sees it on my desk.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a great deal to earn a permanent place on my night stand and this book has done just that! It covers a HUGE range of poisons and gives a thorough explanation of every one, from toxicity level to symptoms to the amount of time before it takes effect. It also has handy indexes for quick lookups of the forms of poison, possible symptoms, time, methods of administration etc. It is a great reference book! This edition also has a new chapter on biological weapons and expanded the chapters on botanical poisons.
I would not recommend keeping this one in your kitchen though...people will start to look at you with fear in their eyes. But maybe that isn't such a bad thing, especially if you don't want someone to eat all the cookies you just baked. ;)

[Jen Bluekissed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a handy thing to have on my shelf...

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference book on poisons, with the focus on presenting information that would be useful to writers. (EG- mystery writers or the like.). While it is not an exhaustive list of every poison out there; the poisons are organized in a useful way for writers: Poison Plants, Animals, Street Drugs, Classic Poisons, Industrial poisons etc... It also has a chapter on how to "create your own poison." And if that's not enough there are appendixes that list poisons by method of administration, symptoms, forms, time in which they take effect and toxicity.

There is quite a bit of some medical language involved and a glossary at the back does help if you're not too familiar with this. There are also examples in blue boxes of real or fictive events where poisons were used. I also like the fact that the authors also cover drug interactions as you can in essence poison someone by giving another chemical that will either eliminate the effect of another someone is taking or exaggerate it. (It is the reason some people die when they are given not just the wrong, but inappropriate pill in a hospital.).

Actually a fascinating read, and one where I learned a lot about medicines and other items that we use in daily life, which in the right dose can cure or kill or clean.

[Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even for people who don't write, this book is just fascinating. For people who DO write, save yourself some time and just go buy this right now. The number of plots you could come up with just from the material in here is staggering. Aside from the font being like 8 pt, I have nothing but good things to say about this.

[Jax Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great reference to have on hand if you plan to have your characters poisoned or drugged. It always made my dad nervous though when he'd see it on my desk. The book goes into various substances from household poisons, to medical industrial, plants, animals, street drugs, biological/radiological/chemical weapons and their effects, toxicity, forms a given substance comes in, scientific name, brand names, antidotes, reaction times, etc.

[Kathrynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful tool/resource book! It's very easy to understand; the symptoms, forms, methods and reactions are cross-referenced so if you are looking for a poison that will turn a person yellow it's easy to find.

The book lists acute poisonings (immediate) and not chronic poisoning (slow effect) which is great since quick effect is what most writers need.

Neat how the book walks you into a toxicologogist lab and explains WHY it is impossible to get DNA results in 24 hours (like they do on CSI shows).

Explains why tox screens can only be done on liquids, such as blood. How they use the liver as a milkshake to test for things, etc.

A lot of information packed in this 6x8 paperback including changes in medical treatment; explaining if you are writing a book set 10 years of more in the past, syrup of ipecac and gastric lavage may be an appropriate treatment in the ER, but today, that is no longer the case.

Cool book!

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first read on my new Kindle, and a free one at that. This was on my list as it was cited in The Poisoner's Handbook. It is meant as a guide and reference for writers, and would be very useful for that purpose, though it is not as interesting a read as the aforementioned Handbook. In trying to be exhaustive, Ms. Stevens sticks to the same outline for each and every substance, so there is a lot of redundancy. Like the Handbook, it is illustrated throughout with historic murder cases as well as forensisc examples from literature. A must-have for budding Agatha Christie's.

[Janet Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a really valuable resource-- not even just the info, but how it's arranged and ordered, is done with the writer in mind. However, I noticed a couple of inaccuracies in a topic I'm familiar with, which makes it harder for me to entirely trust this as a resource. But what source should you trust entirely? My highlighted copy of this will help me write, and let my biographers puzzle over my mental state. (And scare visitors when it's sitting around.)

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful guide for authors who are planning on killing off any characters with a particular poison. This book goes into detail about various poisons, the ease of access in obtaining them, and everything else that would help to explain why a character would choose a certain poison. Definitely a must-read for authors of suspense and intrigue.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful for writers and aspiring writers (and probably aspiring killers). Poisons are sorted by several categories so you can find the one you need based on name, or the time until it takes effect, or its deadliness, or search by symptoms, and so on. If possible, an antidote or possible treatment is also listed.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book before I realized I didn't actually want to kill anyone in my current writing project, just drug them for a bit, but it was still an interesting read!

[Carolina Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent reference book for writers.

[afdisah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and organized in a clear and useful way conducive to maximum efficiency and character destruction!

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An invaluable guide for mystery writers.

[Leo Cieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a awesome book for people who enjoy science and how poisons kill (like me).

[Hex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! While it may be somewhat difficult to understand, it is still a very good reference book. I have been writing about a character who loves to deal with poisons and this book has come in handy to help me understand poisons and how they work.

Might I add that it was very interesting to read! I have learned quite a lot reading this book.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book in the Howdunit series. Great all around poison reference book that provides accurate information and save a writer having to go through book after book for ideas to kill off characters. This book like the rest of the series is a must for any crime author.

[James Tomasino · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are going to write about poisons or run an RPG with poisons taking a major role, this book is invaluable. Get it now, read it cover to cover, then keep it in your pile when you run or write anything.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book, if not very medical. Not for the faint of heart or easily confused, but if you want to kill a character off and use something more subtle than rat poison, this is your book.

[Dawn Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great information. I just add notes in the margin with more information. Never know exactly what details I'll need until I need them, so if it's not in the book already, it gets added.

[Mills College Library]

615.9 S846 2007

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reference source!

[Romy Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm macabre. I know.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating reference book for writers.

[Caramia Sami]

R.I.P to my characters because this was very helpful

[DC James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic primer for a staple of mystery writing.

[M.T. Bostick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to use when you want to kill someone.

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series and book are great tools for writers looking for information on poisons and their Latin pseudonym as well as side effects. I found myself going to this book and series for research. This book outlines the poisons in a way that makes the content interesting and fun.