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Murder Isn't Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie
Carla will explore how Christie kept at the cutting edge of developments in forensics: How would Poirot have been so easily able to identify a bullet from a Mauser pistol? How would Miss Marple have knowledge of blood spatter patterns?
While other children were devouring the works of Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter, Carla Valentine was poring through the pages of Agatha Christie novels. It was this early fascination that led to her job as a pathology technician, trained in forensics and working in mortuaries.
Nearly every Agatha Christie story involves one - or, more commonly, several - dead bodies, and for a young Carla, a curious child already fascinated with biology, these stories and these bodies were perfect puzzles.
Of course, Agatha herself didn't talk of 'forensics' in the way we use it now, but in each tale she writes of twists and turns with her expert weave of human observation, ingenuity and genuine science of the era. Through the medium of the 'whodunnit', Agatha Christie was a pioneer of forensic science, and in Murder Isn't Easy Carla illuminates all of the knowledge of one of our most beloved authors.
While other children were devouring the works of Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter, Carla Valentine was poring through the pages of Agatha Christie novels. It was this early fascination that led to her job as a pathology technician, trained in forensics and working in mortuaries.
Nearly every Agatha Christie story involves one - or, more commonly, several - dead bodies, and for a young Carla, a curious child already fascinated with biology, these stories and these bodies were perfect puzzles.
Of course, Agatha herself didn't talk of 'forensics' in the way we use it now, but in each tale she writes of twists and turns with her expert weave of human observation, ingenuity and genuine science of the era. Through the medium of the 'whodunnit', Agatha Christie was a pioneer of forensic science, and in Murder Isn't Easy Carla illuminates all of the knowledge of one of our most beloved authors.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 418 reviews
October 25, 2025
Die Bücher von Agatha Christie habe ich schon in meiner Jugend gelesen und danach immer wieder mal. Sie gehören auch heute noch zu meinen Lieblingsbüchern, daher war ich natürlich sehr gespannt auf "Mord ist eine Wissenschaft" von Carla Valentine.
In ihrem Buch klärt die Forensik-Expertin auf über verschiedene Aspekte, die in Agatha Christies Büchern eine Rolle spielen. Gift, Waffen, Fingerabdrücke, usw.
Ich fand es sehr interessant und lehrreich und auch unterhaltsam.
In ihrem Buch klärt die Forensik-Expertin auf über verschiedene Aspekte, die in Agatha Christies Büchern eine Rolle spielen. Gift, Waffen, Fingerabdrücke, usw.
Ich fand es sehr interessant und lehrreich und auch unterhaltsam.
November 3, 2022
In this book, mortician and Agatha Christie super fan Carla Valentine looks at the forensics found inside Agatha Christie's works, noting how knowledgeable Christie was about many modern crime detection techniques, how she learned as she wrote more books, and the ways in which she took inspiration from true crime cases of her day.
This book is gory, but surprisingly jolly. Valentine clearly loves Christie's books (but takes care not to spoil them) and admires how much the writer educated herself to fill her imaginative crime stories with realistic detail. I had so much fun reading this!
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
This book is gory, but surprisingly jolly. Valentine clearly loves Christie's books (but takes care not to spoil them) and admires how much the writer educated herself to fill her imaginative crime stories with realistic detail. I had so much fun reading this!
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
March 18, 2024
reading vlog: https://youtu.be/4d4NO__n550
3.5 stars. super interesting especially for my niche interests - just felt like the writing itself was lacking a bit!
3.5 stars. super interesting especially for my niche interests - just felt like the writing itself was lacking a bit!
August 29, 2022
My favorite aunt had the entire collection of Christie's novels. Christie and Grafton were her two reading passions. As a preteen she was the one who introduced me to this authors books. Despite that I've still read too few of this prolific authors works. This book made me want to seek her out again.
The author does a super job of describing the history of developments in crime detection and showing the reader how these were used by Christie's detectives. Never knew there were so many ways to take fingerprints. We live in an age where so many of these are common, but easier crime solving was a much bigger challenge. Christie's books were so popular because she herself had an avid interest on and kept up with the latest techniques and used them realistically in her novels. History, true crime, science and fiction all meet up in this interesting book.
The author does a super job of describing the history of developments in crime detection and showing the reader how these were used by Christie's detectives. Never knew there were so many ways to take fingerprints. We live in an age where so many of these are common, but easier crime solving was a much bigger challenge. Christie's books were so popular because she herself had an avid interest on and kept up with the latest techniques and used them realistically in her novels. History, true crime, science and fiction all meet up in this interesting book.
March 17, 2022
It’s been much too long since my forensic science class. I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan. I love mysteries. There were so many reasons to select this book from Netgalley, and I’m glad to have read it AND I liked it as much as I figured I would.
Some people have jobs, and some people have vocations. Carla Valentine is of the latter fortunate variety of individuals who gets to do what she loves for a living – she is a forensic pathology technician. She’s also a huge Agatha Christie fan. In this book, she combines her two passions for a comprehensive and engaging look into the titular science of murder.
It’s fascinating, really. Some kids read mysteries or dissect frogs in school and don’t think twice about it, some get grossed out by it and some…well, some become forensic scientists and authors like Carla Valentine.
Agatha Christie didn’t have forensic training. In fact, that entire field was fairly new in her time, evolving steadily throughout the past century. What she did have was a working knowledge of poisons, a curious and bright (and twisted) mind, and an appetite for murders, fictional and otherwise. This appetite resulted in a strikingly prolific career leading her to become the world’s number one bestselling author. Nothing outside of the Bible and Shakespeare has outsold Christie.
And while modern day bestselling label more often than not implies a bland pandering sellout, especially in genre fiction, with Christie you actually got a quality tale every time. This required the author to stay on top of the latest crimes and crime solving methods of her time. The more the science evolved, the more Christie used it in her fiction. Meaning you can trace the evolution of forensic science throughout the five decades of Christie’s work.
That’s pretty much exactly what the author of this book does, chapter by chapter, as she clearly and engagingly talks about various aspects of the science of murder from both perspectives – her own professional one and Christie’s fictional one.
And Carla Valentine is something of a superfan too, her knowledge of Christie’s oeuvre is encyclopedic and her passion for those mysteries comes across loud and clear. So reading this book is kind of like having a fun and informative, albeit necessarily one-sided, conversation with a fellow fan who’s actually knowledgeable on the nuts and bolts of it all.
Christie didn’t always get it right, but she made every effort to do so and steadily improved as her career progressed. Attention to detail was paid. In the way her characters were dispatched, in the way their murders were solved. Sometimes Christie followed the science, sometimes she led the pack, including being the first person to use the words scene of the crime and the first to mention having an investigator having a crime scene kit.
And that’s just one of the fascinating tidbits of information you’ll learn from reading this book. All in all, lots of fun. Entertaining and educational in equal measure, including a handy guide to all of Christie’s fictional murder methods. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
Some people have jobs, and some people have vocations. Carla Valentine is of the latter fortunate variety of individuals who gets to do what she loves for a living – she is a forensic pathology technician. She’s also a huge Agatha Christie fan. In this book, she combines her two passions for a comprehensive and engaging look into the titular science of murder.
It’s fascinating, really. Some kids read mysteries or dissect frogs in school and don’t think twice about it, some get grossed out by it and some…well, some become forensic scientists and authors like Carla Valentine.
Agatha Christie didn’t have forensic training. In fact, that entire field was fairly new in her time, evolving steadily throughout the past century. What she did have was a working knowledge of poisons, a curious and bright (and twisted) mind, and an appetite for murders, fictional and otherwise. This appetite resulted in a strikingly prolific career leading her to become the world’s number one bestselling author. Nothing outside of the Bible and Shakespeare has outsold Christie.
And while modern day bestselling label more often than not implies a bland pandering sellout, especially in genre fiction, with Christie you actually got a quality tale every time. This required the author to stay on top of the latest crimes and crime solving methods of her time. The more the science evolved, the more Christie used it in her fiction. Meaning you can trace the evolution of forensic science throughout the five decades of Christie’s work.
That’s pretty much exactly what the author of this book does, chapter by chapter, as she clearly and engagingly talks about various aspects of the science of murder from both perspectives – her own professional one and Christie’s fictional one.
And Carla Valentine is something of a superfan too, her knowledge of Christie’s oeuvre is encyclopedic and her passion for those mysteries comes across loud and clear. So reading this book is kind of like having a fun and informative, albeit necessarily one-sided, conversation with a fellow fan who’s actually knowledgeable on the nuts and bolts of it all.
Christie didn’t always get it right, but she made every effort to do so and steadily improved as her career progressed. Attention to detail was paid. In the way her characters were dispatched, in the way their murders were solved. Sometimes Christie followed the science, sometimes she led the pack, including being the first person to use the words scene of the crime and the first to mention having an investigator having a crime scene kit.
And that’s just one of the fascinating tidbits of information you’ll learn from reading this book. All in all, lots of fun. Entertaining and educational in equal measure, including a handy guide to all of Christie’s fictional murder methods. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
September 3, 2022
Okay, so.
The author of this is clearly a really obsessed Christie fan. Enthusiasm is good. There is in-depth analysis in this that had me blinking. But nay-saying audiobooks and ebooks and yelling at you to read the physical page copy of a book is ableist, lol, and a remark I was not able to get past listening to this.
Lemme backtrack. It's clearly a well-researched book and I think the author does something to do with medical things judging by her voiced experience with post-mortems, etc. in the text. I learned a lot about fingerprints and rigor mortis and poisons. The author holds Christie accountable for early errors in phrasing around guns and forensic practices, too, showing an eye for research and detail that astounded me.
The downsides: this book was really dense at times, peppered with "but you'll have to read the book!" remarks that irked and a really snooty tone at times. Awkward if you've read the book she refers to or not.
And then there was the aforementioned line that was like "no, get the REAL book" (in regards to the otherwise masterpiece that is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) and I was just off-put. Some people CANNOT physically read a book, due to some form of cognitive/physical/other disability. It was just horribly insensitive and boomer-toned for me to (ironically, as I listened to the audio of this book) listen to, and I frown at the editor who clearly approved that.
I learned a lot but felt like I was plodding through for a lot of this. Kudos to the narrator for making it bearable.
The author of this is clearly a really obsessed Christie fan. Enthusiasm is good. There is in-depth analysis in this that had me blinking. But nay-saying audiobooks and ebooks and yelling at you to read the physical page copy of a book is ableist, lol, and a remark I was not able to get past listening to this.
Lemme backtrack. It's clearly a well-researched book and I think the author does something to do with medical things judging by her voiced experience with post-mortems, etc. in the text. I learned a lot about fingerprints and rigor mortis and poisons. The author holds Christie accountable for early errors in phrasing around guns and forensic practices, too, showing an eye for research and detail that astounded me.
The downsides: this book was really dense at times, peppered with "but you'll have to read the book!" remarks that irked and a really snooty tone at times. Awkward if you've read the book she refers to or not.
And then there was the aforementioned line that was like "no, get the REAL book" (in regards to the otherwise masterpiece that is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) and I was just off-put. Some people CANNOT physically read a book, due to some form of cognitive/physical/other disability. It was just horribly insensitive and boomer-toned for me to (ironically, as I listened to the audio of this book) listen to, and I frown at the editor who clearly approved that.
I learned a lot but felt like I was plodding through for a lot of this. Kudos to the narrator for making it bearable.
September 12, 2025
This was so fun and informative, but I did sort of sleep through certain parts with a lot of technicalities.
April 12, 2022
I'm a huge fan of murder mysteries, especially those of the Golden Age, and I will swiftly and eagerly inhale all things Agatha Christie, yet I'm only three chapters into this book and I'm finding it very difficult to continue.
It's not the subject matter that I have a problem with: the knowledge that Carla Valentine has is obviously excellent, and I'm very interested in the history of forensics, and how Christie found out about and utilised the scientific developments of the time. What makes reading this painful is the fact that it seems like a hastily written first draft for which there wasn't even a discussion with an editor for guidance. It's riddled with errors, showing that it's barely been proof-read or fact-checked. I'm not simply talking about the frequent grammatical errors and outright mistakes: Valentine seems to be confused with which century is which, claiming phrenology "fell out of favour in the early nineteenth century," when she clearly means the 1900s.
Additionally, the book is full of irrelevant tangents, seems badly organised within each chapter, and it makes Valentine's writing style jar with me. For example, in the chapter on trace evidence, Valentine writes, "if you're anything like me and have dyed your hair unusual colours, you're a trace examiner's dream. (Conversely, I'm my husband's nightmare! He hates pulling clumps of red, or peach, or orange hair out of the plughole in the shower, and it's not as though I can pretend they're not mine.)" This sort of fluff is everywhere, and makes me wonder if Valentine even had an editor. I really wish she'd had an attentive one, because I feel she's been badly let down by the publisher: this is a gorgeous book, and the writer has a ton of interesting knowledge to share, and she's clearly done mountains of research, yet the lack of editorial guidance and trimming mars the writing severely. I'm not sure that Covid can be entirely blamed for this.
I'm hopeful that as I continue to read, the style will improve. I'd like to finish this because I'm so interested in the subject matter but, while I'm hopeful, I'm also prepared to grit my teeth through further errors and disorganised passages to get to the good stuff.
Edit on finishing: in terms of the style, it did improve slightly, but the inaccuracies were still there and were inexcusable. For example, Valentine writes that during WW2, Christie wrote Curtain and Sleeping Murder (which is strangely absent from the list of mysteries at the end of the book) to be published posthumously because she wanted her readers to have Poirot and Miss Marple closure! Nope - Christie wrote them since it seemed possible if not likely that she would be killed by a German bomb (she didn't leave her house when air raid sirens went off) and she wanted her family to have more books to financially benefit them in the event of her death.
Valentine also writes that in the 1915 'Brides in the Bath' case, famous pathologist Dr Bernard Spilsbury demonstrated the murder method IN COURT, leading to a policewoman almost dying. In reality, it was the police inspector on the case who tried out several methods (some based on Spilsbury's suggestions) to see how the murderer had drowned his victims, and while Det Inspector Neil did almost kill a female diver in the process of finding the probable method, he did not do so in a courtroom!
On the one hand, Sphere/Little Brown seem to blame for not doing their due diligence with regard to fact-checking. But on the other, when a writer relies so much on barely remembered incidences, it's hard to trust much that she writes. A lot of her work is dependent on Kathryn Harkup's 'A is for Arsenic', Martin Edwards' 'The Golden Age of Murder', and the podcast 'Shedunnit'. I recommend all of those over this book, which is a shame, because it had the potential to be very good indeed.
It's not the subject matter that I have a problem with: the knowledge that Carla Valentine has is obviously excellent, and I'm very interested in the history of forensics, and how Christie found out about and utilised the scientific developments of the time. What makes reading this painful is the fact that it seems like a hastily written first draft for which there wasn't even a discussion with an editor for guidance. It's riddled with errors, showing that it's barely been proof-read or fact-checked. I'm not simply talking about the frequent grammatical errors and outright mistakes: Valentine seems to be confused with which century is which, claiming phrenology "fell out of favour in the early nineteenth century," when she clearly means the 1900s.
Additionally, the book is full of irrelevant tangents, seems badly organised within each chapter, and it makes Valentine's writing style jar with me. For example, in the chapter on trace evidence, Valentine writes, "if you're anything like me and have dyed your hair unusual colours, you're a trace examiner's dream. (Conversely, I'm my husband's nightmare! He hates pulling clumps of red, or peach, or orange hair out of the plughole in the shower, and it's not as though I can pretend they're not mine.)" This sort of fluff is everywhere, and makes me wonder if Valentine even had an editor. I really wish she'd had an attentive one, because I feel she's been badly let down by the publisher: this is a gorgeous book, and the writer has a ton of interesting knowledge to share, and she's clearly done mountains of research, yet the lack of editorial guidance and trimming mars the writing severely. I'm not sure that Covid can be entirely blamed for this.
I'm hopeful that as I continue to read, the style will improve. I'd like to finish this because I'm so interested in the subject matter but, while I'm hopeful, I'm also prepared to grit my teeth through further errors and disorganised passages to get to the good stuff.
Edit on finishing: in terms of the style, it did improve slightly, but the inaccuracies were still there and were inexcusable. For example, Valentine writes that during WW2, Christie wrote Curtain and Sleeping Murder (which is strangely absent from the list of mysteries at the end of the book) to be published posthumously because she wanted her readers to have Poirot and Miss Marple closure! Nope - Christie wrote them since it seemed possible if not likely that she would be killed by a German bomb (she didn't leave her house when air raid sirens went off) and she wanted her family to have more books to financially benefit them in the event of her death.
Valentine also writes that in the 1915 'Brides in the Bath' case, famous pathologist Dr Bernard Spilsbury demonstrated the murder method IN COURT, leading to a policewoman almost dying. In reality, it was the police inspector on the case who tried out several methods (some based on Spilsbury's suggestions) to see how the murderer had drowned his victims, and while Det Inspector Neil did almost kill a female diver in the process of finding the probable method, he did not do so in a courtroom!
On the one hand, Sphere/Little Brown seem to blame for not doing their due diligence with regard to fact-checking. But on the other, when a writer relies so much on barely remembered incidences, it's hard to trust much that she writes. A lot of her work is dependent on Kathryn Harkup's 'A is for Arsenic', Martin Edwards' 'The Golden Age of Murder', and the podcast 'Shedunnit'. I recommend all of those over this book, which is a shame, because it had the potential to be very good indeed.
June 10, 2022
Can’t lie, I skimmed the fuck out of this. I really wanted it to be more interesting than it was, but oh boy, she read like an academic dissertation! Brought back fond memories of the frantic overnight I pulled trying to finish my own thesis on Virginia Woolf, feminism, and phenomenology. In short: I was triggered.
January 29, 2022
Good things first: it's obvious the author is very passionate about both Agatha Christie's work and her own job as a mortician, and that excitement comes through in the book. Unfortunately, I really didn't like the writing. Having previously read both Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crimevand A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie, I was expecting a book in a similar vein - a thoroughly researched piece that covers both the history and the newest discoveries in their respective fields, written in a way that is accessible to lay readers but doesn't dumb down the science. This book instead strikes a chatty, informal tone full of italics and exclamation marks that didn't really inspire confidence, and wasn't helped by the fact that the historical examples were pretty much just a rehash of the most famous UK criminal cases anyone with a modicum of interest in the subject will be familiar with. There were some interesting tidbits about forensics that were new to me - especially the piece on firearms turned out to be surprisingly interesting - but they felt like the're few and far between.
On top of that, the text could really need some extra editing - some of the sentences are clunky and odd, the prose leans towards flowery at times (that chapter introduction where the author describes how Christie's heart was 'healed by her second husband like a piece of ancient pottery' was frankly too much) and while I don't mind a personal touch, some of the anecdotes felt a bit pointless (I'm sorry but I'm just really not interested in what the author's husband thinks of her colourful hair in bathtub sinks). Worst of all, I found myself skipping sections that use Christie's books as examples for the forensic discoveries in question - if I had read the book, the descriptions and excerpts were bland, and if I hadn't read them the text told far too much, even if the author scrupulously avoids spoiling the murderer (and there are only so many times the reader can be told 'I won't tell you how it ends - you have to find out for yourself! before it gets annoying).
In sum, this is a very accessible book I would recommend to people completely new to the history of forensics and probably also to Christie - I'm still not certain if it's meant for people who are very familiar with her work or not at all, as it mostly just reads like the author fangirling over the pieces of forensic science she found during her own readthrough. Which, fair enough, it's just not necessarily a very exciting read for the rest of us.
Also this is a small thing but the author keeps referring to Christie as 'Agatha' throughout the book - I thought we were over doing this to female authors by 2022? I can't imagine a similar book about Doyle that would refer to him as 'Arthur' (indeed he's mentioned several times here - as Conan Doyle).
On top of that, the text could really need some extra editing - some of the sentences are clunky and odd, the prose leans towards flowery at times (that chapter introduction where the author describes how Christie's heart was 'healed by her second husband like a piece of ancient pottery' was frankly too much) and while I don't mind a personal touch, some of the anecdotes felt a bit pointless (I'm sorry but I'm just really not interested in what the author's husband thinks of her colourful hair in bathtub sinks). Worst of all, I found myself skipping sections that use Christie's books as examples for the forensic discoveries in question - if I had read the book, the descriptions and excerpts were bland, and if I hadn't read them the text told far too much, even if the author scrupulously avoids spoiling the murderer (and there are only so many times the reader can be told 'I won't tell you how it ends - you have to find out for yourself! before it gets annoying).
In sum, this is a very accessible book I would recommend to people completely new to the history of forensics and probably also to Christie - I'm still not certain if it's meant for people who are very familiar with her work or not at all, as it mostly just reads like the author fangirling over the pieces of forensic science she found during her own readthrough. Which, fair enough, it's just not necessarily a very exciting read for the rest of us.
Also this is a small thing but the author keeps referring to Christie as 'Agatha' throughout the book - I thought we were over doing this to female authors by 2022? I can't imagine a similar book about Doyle that would refer to him as 'Arthur' (indeed he's mentioned several times here - as Conan Doyle).
September 12, 2022
3.75 ⭐
Bardzo dobra książka. Pełna ciekawych informacji.
Bardzo dobra książka. Pełna ciekawych informacji.
March 24, 2022
There were certain things about the book I liked. I enjoyed the author’s conversational tone, humor, and clear explanations of the science. I also liked the personal anecdotes. The discussions of how Christie’s writing changed over time with respect to forensics were good. It was also interesting how the book avoided giving spoilers in case the reader had not yet read the respective Christie story. The single biggest obstacle I found was that while I am familiar with some of Agatha Christie’s stories, I am not a huge fan of the genre so I feel like I didn’t have the tools to really enjoy the book. I was counting on this book being more science and less Christie. However, given the quality and style of the writing, this book should be a big hit with fans of Agatha Christie and I think it would make a great gift. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the digital review copy.
September 6, 2022
Enthralling and superbly interesting study of the links between Agatha Christie's mysteries and the history of forensic science. As a true crime junkie and mystery reader, this is the perfect blend of both. The author's writing is accessible and witty, her resume impressive and knowledgeable. I especially enjoyed her descriptions of particular sections of Christie's works with real true crimes of the period. For mystery lovers and true crime junkies everywhere.
February 9, 2023
Wonderful, well-referenced book and a great companion book to anyone who reads/owns/enjoys Ms. Christie's many many novels, short stories and plays.
Each chapter is about a certain 'way to die,' or better yet, 'way to kill someone.' Not graphically written, but realistically. For example: a chapter on weapons, which explains how the author's knowledge of firearms changed and grew as she wrote - and as guns, etc., were improved or advanced over time. Another chapter on poisons. And an another on the general development of forensic science. Excellent. You can SEE where the writer's knowledge encompassed what was happening in the world: current events, popular literature, communications and so on.
(This is only three examples; there are many more in the book: trace evidence, blood spatter, autopsy, etc.)
Plus there is an invaluable index in back which tells which weapons figure in which books or short stories. I love stuff like this and am currently reading some of the many Christie books I just didn't know about or couldn't find years ago. (I started reading her in the late 1980's by reading every A. Christie book I could find in the local library. At the time no internet. No central way to find which libraries had which books, etc. So once I read all my library had, I thought that might be all there are. I do know many of the novels had a page which listed them all - but that would be only up to the date that particular book was published.)
At any rate, I'm sorting through them and this book is great to have beside me while I read!
Five stars.
I borrowed the book, later bought it.
Each chapter is about a certain 'way to die,' or better yet, 'way to kill someone.' Not graphically written, but realistically. For example: a chapter on weapons, which explains how the author's knowledge of firearms changed and grew as she wrote - and as guns, etc., were improved or advanced over time. Another chapter on poisons. And an another on the general development of forensic science. Excellent. You can SEE where the writer's knowledge encompassed what was happening in the world: current events, popular literature, communications and so on.
(This is only three examples; there are many more in the book: trace evidence, blood spatter, autopsy, etc.)
Plus there is an invaluable index in back which tells which weapons figure in which books or short stories. I love stuff like this and am currently reading some of the many Christie books I just didn't know about or couldn't find years ago. (I started reading her in the late 1980's by reading every A. Christie book I could find in the local library. At the time no internet. No central way to find which libraries had which books, etc. So once I read all my library had, I thought that might be all there are. I do know many of the novels had a page which listed them all - but that would be only up to the date that particular book was published.)
At any rate, I'm sorting through them and this book is great to have beside me while I read!
Five stars.
I borrowed the book, later bought it.
June 23, 2022
Whether Agatha Christie fan, all-around murder mystery lover, CSI/CSE aficionado, or addicted to True Crime, a book that dives into the science of forensics does pique the interest. As a mortician/pathologist, the Agatha Christie-loving author, Carla Valentine provides a fascinating dive into the forensics behind Christie’s mysteries and examples from real crimes of the past.
Beginning with a quick background introduction, The Science of Murder moves through eight chapters that focus on various areas of forensic study like fingerprints, trace evidence, ballistics, handwriting, impressions, blood splatter, toxicology, and more.
While discussing the technical side of gathering and studying these types of evidence, the author weaves in pertinent details of Christie’s research and books, but delightfully her real life. There are her memberships in murder mystery writer clubs, work on her second husband’s archeological digs, and encounters with true crime and break throughs in forensics. Naturally, the author includes details about modern forensics, but the focus is definitely on these early periods of developing the science.
Valentine’s writing style is most definitely layman-friendly and casual armchair reading. She invites the reader to draw close as she chats and shares her love for both Christie and her career in murder. The writing can wander a bit in a looser way and get wordy, but the style suited my expectations. I wanted to learn more about forensics, but not in a sterile lab setting. I liked getting scientific details paired with literary discussion. For me, who enjoys forensic TV shows and police procedural-style fiction and non-fiction, but also several mystery fiction series, the book had new blended with familiar knowledge. I was intrigued to follow the career of real-life medical pathologist Bernard Spilsbury along with other investigators and read about criminalist/criminologist advancements that came along during Christie’s writing years. It was neat to see how the various facets of forensics came about from gathering all the way to presentation when the case was closed.
Oh, and if you haven’t read Christie books, there are no major spoilers here, but there will be plenty of teasers to drive one nuts wondering just what did happen in that dramatic ending of Murder of Roger Ackroyd or just how famous author, GK Chesterton’s remark about hiding a tree in a forest led to Christie writing The ABC Murders.
Incidentally, there are photos and charts sprinkled throughout and a few indexes in the back that are helpful.
Altogether an enlightening read that quenched a little of my thirst for murder, but mostly left me wanting to dive back into my mysteries in print and visual, fictional and real. Definitely recommend to those who love murder mystery, particularly Agatha Christie’s, and want the behind the scenes and expanded version details.
I rec'd an eARC through NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Beginning with a quick background introduction, The Science of Murder moves through eight chapters that focus on various areas of forensic study like fingerprints, trace evidence, ballistics, handwriting, impressions, blood splatter, toxicology, and more.
While discussing the technical side of gathering and studying these types of evidence, the author weaves in pertinent details of Christie’s research and books, but delightfully her real life. There are her memberships in murder mystery writer clubs, work on her second husband’s archeological digs, and encounters with true crime and break throughs in forensics. Naturally, the author includes details about modern forensics, but the focus is definitely on these early periods of developing the science.
Valentine’s writing style is most definitely layman-friendly and casual armchair reading. She invites the reader to draw close as she chats and shares her love for both Christie and her career in murder. The writing can wander a bit in a looser way and get wordy, but the style suited my expectations. I wanted to learn more about forensics, but not in a sterile lab setting. I liked getting scientific details paired with literary discussion. For me, who enjoys forensic TV shows and police procedural-style fiction and non-fiction, but also several mystery fiction series, the book had new blended with familiar knowledge. I was intrigued to follow the career of real-life medical pathologist Bernard Spilsbury along with other investigators and read about criminalist/criminologist advancements that came along during Christie’s writing years. It was neat to see how the various facets of forensics came about from gathering all the way to presentation when the case was closed.
Oh, and if you haven’t read Christie books, there are no major spoilers here, but there will be plenty of teasers to drive one nuts wondering just what did happen in that dramatic ending of Murder of Roger Ackroyd or just how famous author, GK Chesterton’s remark about hiding a tree in a forest led to Christie writing The ABC Murders.
Incidentally, there are photos and charts sprinkled throughout and a few indexes in the back that are helpful.
Altogether an enlightening read that quenched a little of my thirst for murder, but mostly left me wanting to dive back into my mysteries in print and visual, fictional and real. Definitely recommend to those who love murder mystery, particularly Agatha Christie’s, and want the behind the scenes and expanded version details.
I rec'd an eARC through NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2022
,,Każdy kontakt pozostawia ślad” - o tym wiedzieli doskonale uczeni, ale także Agatha Christie; pasjonatka kryminalistki, autorka przeszło 60 powieści; niekwestionowana Królowa Gatunku i kobieta, która zasłynęła na całym świecie nie tyle za sprawą okazałego dorobku twórczego, co poprzez swój talent do kreowaniu najzmyślniejszych zagadek śledczych. Jej historie to absolutnie - jak powiedzielibyśmy dzisiaj - ‘hitowe’ połączenie genialnych intryg kryminalnych, eleganckich, choć niekiedy mrożących krew w żyłach zbrodni, zaskakujących zwrotów akcji, skrzętnie budowanych scen pełnych napięć i supsensu oraz odrobiny zjawiskowej teatralności. W swoich dziełach Christie daje więc popis na dwóch, wydawałoby się, zupełnie odrębnych płaszczyznach - literackiej oraz naukowej.
💀 To jak niesamowite było to zestawienie, podkreśla Carla Valentine, autorka ,,Morderstwo nie jest takie proste”. W swojej książce Valentine zaznacza niejednokrotnie, że by pisać w taki sposób - jednocześnie fascynujący, ale również niejako edukujący, a już przede wszystkim - nie odbiegający zbytnio od ówczesnych realiów epoki i metod śledczych, należało wykazać się czymś więcej niż rozbuchaną wyobraźnią; przeciwnie. Agatha musiała wpaść na pomysł, który po prostu spełniał pewne warunki: łączył jej kunszt pisarski z rozległą wiedzę na temat dziedziny medyczno - prawnej. Udało się. Nawet więcej; powieści Agathy Christie odniosły ogólnoświatowy sukces głównie za sprawą płynnego przenikania się tych dwóch aspektów.
💀 Reportaż Carli Valentine traktuje o tym właśnie - o twórczości jednej z najsłynniejszych Brytyjek zapisanych na kartach historii - jednak robi to pod całkiem innym kątem. Valentine, zamiast snuć kolejną ‘arcyciekawą’ biograficzną historię o życiu Pani Christie, skupia się na tym, co tak naprawdę było interesujące w jej kryminalnym dorobku – opowiada o tym jak niezwykłą wiedzą dysponowała Agatha, jak drobiazgowo potrafiła ją wykorzystać i wplatać w swoje historie; jak podążała za najnowszymi nowinkami kryminalistycznymi, jak bardzo inspirowały ją różnorakie dokonania na polu tej dziedziny oraz jak chętnie sięgała po przypadki wzięte wprost z codzienności adaptując je na potrzeby własnych scenariuszy.
W książkach Królowej Gatunku aż roi się od tego typu smaczków - analiza miejsca zbrodni, odciski palców, badania balistyczne i toksykologiczne, profilowanie, autopsja, nawet osmologia (!) - to jedynie parę przykładów, który uważny czytelnik z pewnością wyłapie podczas śledzenia tych pozornie niewinnych fabułek, a każdy fan autorki dojdzie do następujących wniosków: rozwój nauki toczył się równolegle wraz z przygodami Herculesa Poirot i Panny Marple.
💀 ,,Morderstwo nie jest takie proste” to wnikliwa wiwisekcja twórczości Christie. Carla Valentine rozkłada jej aspekty na czynniki pierwsze, bada, analizuje, a potem zestawia w kontrze zarówno z samymi powieściami Brytyjki, jak i z pojęciami medyczno – prawnymi; z ówczesnymi dokonaniami epoki oraz z współczesnym postępem poszczególnych dziedzin. W sposób przystępny, choć bez pomijania najważniejszej terminologii, objaśnia odbiorcy tajniki kryminalistyki posługując się nie tylko odniesieniami do dorobku literackiego Agathy, ale także podając przykłady autentycznych wydarzeń.
💀 Napisana lekkim językiem, z prawdziwą swadą i zacięciem, podlana przyjemnym humorem, w moment przekona do siebie entuzjastów zagadek, true crime oraz oczywiście – wielbicieli ‘zbrodni eleganckiej’ i samej pisarki.
Wyborna rzecz, do pochłonięcia w kilka wieczorów!
❗WAŻNE❗Pomimo analizy dzieł A. Christie ,,Morderstwo…” nie zawiera żadnych spojlerów. Możecie spokojnie czytać reportaż Valentine bez znajomości przytaczanych dzieł.
💀 To jak niesamowite było to zestawienie, podkreśla Carla Valentine, autorka ,,Morderstwo nie jest takie proste”. W swojej książce Valentine zaznacza niejednokrotnie, że by pisać w taki sposób - jednocześnie fascynujący, ale również niejako edukujący, a już przede wszystkim - nie odbiegający zbytnio od ówczesnych realiów epoki i metod śledczych, należało wykazać się czymś więcej niż rozbuchaną wyobraźnią; przeciwnie. Agatha musiała wpaść na pomysł, który po prostu spełniał pewne warunki: łączył jej kunszt pisarski z rozległą wiedzę na temat dziedziny medyczno - prawnej. Udało się. Nawet więcej; powieści Agathy Christie odniosły ogólnoświatowy sukces głównie za sprawą płynnego przenikania się tych dwóch aspektów.
💀 Reportaż Carli Valentine traktuje o tym właśnie - o twórczości jednej z najsłynniejszych Brytyjek zapisanych na kartach historii - jednak robi to pod całkiem innym kątem. Valentine, zamiast snuć kolejną ‘arcyciekawą’ biograficzną historię o życiu Pani Christie, skupia się na tym, co tak naprawdę było interesujące w jej kryminalnym dorobku – opowiada o tym jak niezwykłą wiedzą dysponowała Agatha, jak drobiazgowo potrafiła ją wykorzystać i wplatać w swoje historie; jak podążała za najnowszymi nowinkami kryminalistycznymi, jak bardzo inspirowały ją różnorakie dokonania na polu tej dziedziny oraz jak chętnie sięgała po przypadki wzięte wprost z codzienności adaptując je na potrzeby własnych scenariuszy.
W książkach Królowej Gatunku aż roi się od tego typu smaczków - analiza miejsca zbrodni, odciski palców, badania balistyczne i toksykologiczne, profilowanie, autopsja, nawet osmologia (!) - to jedynie parę przykładów, który uważny czytelnik z pewnością wyłapie podczas śledzenia tych pozornie niewinnych fabułek, a każdy fan autorki dojdzie do następujących wniosków: rozwój nauki toczył się równolegle wraz z przygodami Herculesa Poirot i Panny Marple.
💀 ,,Morderstwo nie jest takie proste” to wnikliwa wiwisekcja twórczości Christie. Carla Valentine rozkłada jej aspekty na czynniki pierwsze, bada, analizuje, a potem zestawia w kontrze zarówno z samymi powieściami Brytyjki, jak i z pojęciami medyczno – prawnymi; z ówczesnymi dokonaniami epoki oraz z współczesnym postępem poszczególnych dziedzin. W sposób przystępny, choć bez pomijania najważniejszej terminologii, objaśnia odbiorcy tajniki kryminalistyki posługując się nie tylko odniesieniami do dorobku literackiego Agathy, ale także podając przykłady autentycznych wydarzeń.
💀 Napisana lekkim językiem, z prawdziwą swadą i zacięciem, podlana przyjemnym humorem, w moment przekona do siebie entuzjastów zagadek, true crime oraz oczywiście – wielbicieli ‘zbrodni eleganckiej’ i samej pisarki.
Wyborna rzecz, do pochłonięcia w kilka wieczorów!
❗WAŻNE❗Pomimo analizy dzieł A. Christie ,,Morderstwo…” nie zawiera żadnych spojlerów. Możecie spokojnie czytać reportaż Valentine bez znajomości przytaczanych dzieł.
May 18, 2023
Agatha Christie to autorka, która stworzyła chyba ponad 60 kryminałów, a każdy z nich jest wyjątkowy i ma wyjątkowe rozwiązanie sprawy morderstwa. Carla Valentine postanowiła przeanalizować to co opisywała Christie, skonfrontować to ze swoją wiedzą (z zawodu jest technikiem patologii) oraz zestawić z wiedzą jaka była w czasach, gdy królowa kryminałów tworzyła swoje historie.
Bardzo dużo powieści od Agathy Christie mam już za sobą. Szczerze to nigdy nie zastanawiałam się nad tym czy opisywane techniki kryminalistyczne detektywa Poirot, panny Marple czy innych postaci są jakąś nowością czy czymś już utartym. Okazuje się, że Christie była bardzo zaangażowana we wszelkie nowinki, a nową wiedzę przelewała bardzo szybko w fabułę kolejnego kryminału.
"Morderstwo nie jest takie proste" to ogrom pracy i poświęconego czasu. Każda strona jest napakowana informacjami, więc nie ma lania wody. Ta książka trochę mi przypomina pracę magisterską, bo temat przewodni mamy, materiał źródłowy w postaci książek Christie jest często wykorzystywany i porównujemy to z możliwościami technicznymi tamtych czasów.
To była intrygująca książka, która dała mi możliwość poznania Agathy Christie od całkowicie nowej strony i przy okazji zrozumiałam jakie możliwości miał w tamtych czasach niejeden wydział śledczy.
Bardzo dużo powieści od Agathy Christie mam już za sobą. Szczerze to nigdy nie zastanawiałam się nad tym czy opisywane techniki kryminalistyczne detektywa Poirot, panny Marple czy innych postaci są jakąś nowością czy czymś już utartym. Okazuje się, że Christie była bardzo zaangażowana we wszelkie nowinki, a nową wiedzę przelewała bardzo szybko w fabułę kolejnego kryminału.
"Morderstwo nie jest takie proste" to ogrom pracy i poświęconego czasu. Każda strona jest napakowana informacjami, więc nie ma lania wody. Ta książka trochę mi przypomina pracę magisterską, bo temat przewodni mamy, materiał źródłowy w postaci książek Christie jest często wykorzystywany i porównujemy to z możliwościami technicznymi tamtych czasów.
To była intrygująca książka, która dała mi możliwość poznania Agathy Christie od całkowicie nowej strony i przy okazji zrozumiałam jakie możliwości miał w tamtych czasach niejeden wydział śledczy.
May 18, 2022
W to, że Agatha Christie była Królową Kryminału, nie śmie nikt wątpić. Jej książki mimo upływu czasu wciąż doskonale się czyta i potrafią one zaskoczyć, a współcześnie twórcy czerpią z jej pomysłów garściami. Tu można wspomnieć chociażby ostatnią premierę czy „Jedno po drugim” Ruth Ware. A już sama liczba powieści, które wyszły spod jej pióra, sadza ją na piedestale tego gatunku. Bo choć w jej twórczości znajdą się prawdziwe arcydzieła, jak i dużo słabsze pozycje, to Hercules Poirot wciąż irytuje czytelników swoją arogancją, a panna Marple udowadnia, że niejedna sąsiadka jest lepszą obserwatorką niż niektórzy policjanci. Wszyscy wiemy, że Christie była farmaceutką i na truciznach znała się jak mało kto. Jednak niewielu z nas zdaje sobie sprawę, że pisarka była również ekspertką z kryminalistyki. I to właśnie o tym jest reportaż Carli Valentine.
Valentine poprzez głęboką wiwisekcję powieści Agathy Christie (autorka stara się jak może, żeby uniknąć spoilerów, ale sięgacie na własną odpowiedzialność) przeprowadza czytelnika krok po kroku przez najważniejsze elementy kryminalistyki i kryminologii. Od odcisków palców przez pozostawione na miejscu zbrodni włosy aż po balistykę. To nie tylko odkrycie kart, które w swoich rękawach skrywała Królowa Kryminału, to także całkiem niezły podręcznik dla osób, które same pragną napisać kryminał i zastanawiają się, od czego właściwie mają zacząć. Będzie to też idealna pozycja dla tych, którzy lubują się w wyszukiwaniu błędów w innych książkach lub przewidywaniu zakończenia wcześniej, zanim autor samodzielnie odsłoni wszystkie elementy zagadki.
Carla Valentine nie skupia się jedynie na zdradzaniu tajemnic kultowej już autorki. Udowadnia jej geniusz i to, że jej książki to nie były jedynie oryginalne pomysły. Christie wykonywała tytaniczną wręcz pracę, by jej powieści – a napisała ich przecież ponad sześćdziesiąt – były dopracowane w najmniejszym szczególe. Zdarzało jej się nawet przewidywać przyszłość – niektóre opisywane przez nią metody i pomysły złoczyńców faktycznie zaistniały w późniejszej przyszłości. Przechodząc książka po książce, drepcząc za kolejnymi detektywami, którzy zagościli na kartach jej powieści, Valentine oddaje hołd Królowej Kryminału.
Szczerze mówiąc, nie spodziewałam się, że ta książka tak bardzo mi się spodoba. Carla Valentine ma niezwykle lekkie pióro i nawet najbardziej skomplikowany temat potrafi przedstawić w bardzo przejrzysty sposób. Według mnie jest to pozycja obowiązkowa dla fanów Agathy Christie i dla fanów literatury przesiąkniętej zbrodnią.
Valentine poprzez głęboką wiwisekcję powieści Agathy Christie (autorka stara się jak może, żeby uniknąć spoilerów, ale sięgacie na własną odpowiedzialność) przeprowadza czytelnika krok po kroku przez najważniejsze elementy kryminalistyki i kryminologii. Od odcisków palców przez pozostawione na miejscu zbrodni włosy aż po balistykę. To nie tylko odkrycie kart, które w swoich rękawach skrywała Królowa Kryminału, to także całkiem niezły podręcznik dla osób, które same pragną napisać kryminał i zastanawiają się, od czego właściwie mają zacząć. Będzie to też idealna pozycja dla tych, którzy lubują się w wyszukiwaniu błędów w innych książkach lub przewidywaniu zakończenia wcześniej, zanim autor samodzielnie odsłoni wszystkie elementy zagadki.
Carla Valentine nie skupia się jedynie na zdradzaniu tajemnic kultowej już autorki. Udowadnia jej geniusz i to, że jej książki to nie były jedynie oryginalne pomysły. Christie wykonywała tytaniczną wręcz pracę, by jej powieści – a napisała ich przecież ponad sześćdziesiąt – były dopracowane w najmniejszym szczególe. Zdarzało jej się nawet przewidywać przyszłość – niektóre opisywane przez nią metody i pomysły złoczyńców faktycznie zaistniały w późniejszej przyszłości. Przechodząc książka po książce, drepcząc za kolejnymi detektywami, którzy zagościli na kartach jej powieści, Valentine oddaje hołd Królowej Kryminału.
Szczerze mówiąc, nie spodziewałam się, że ta książka tak bardzo mi się spodoba. Carla Valentine ma niezwykle lekkie pióro i nawet najbardziej skomplikowany temat potrafi przedstawić w bardzo przejrzysty sposób. Według mnie jest to pozycja obowiązkowa dla fanów Agathy Christie i dla fanów literatury przesiąkniętej zbrodnią.
August 5, 2022
"Every contact leaves a trace...."
I saw that comment several times as the book progressed as those 'contacts' - from fingerprints to trace evidence to documents to blood and toxicology are described. Their uses by Christie in her tales and the history of their development as a source of evidence to prosecute crimes to actual criminal actions where they were used.
It's a fascinating book especially as the author is - quite obviously - a avid fan of Agatha Christie and her writings. Christie's life in a pharmacy which aided her familiarity with toxins, poisons, interactions of pharmaceuticals. Dissecting the means of death through her various investigators - Poirot and Marple and others. How she was basically at the leading edge of knowing the newest police procedures and when they fell out of use.
Valentine covers -
Fingerprints
Trace evidence
Forensic Ballistics (firearms and the difference between revolver and pistol)
Documents and handwriting (helps to have a certified example of the handwriting to compare to as in one instance, the writing of the questioned documents were compared to a diary - both written by the fraudster)
Impressions, weapons and wounds (this covered foot/shoe along with tire impressions)
Blood spatter (not splatter - spatter is caused by droplets being flung through the air and landing on various surfaces while splatter is a liquid - like oil or blood - being splashed or trailed on an object or surface - i.e. a bloody handprint)
Autopsy
Toxicology
And then there is a murder methods table from all of Christie's tales by date. Little icons of hammers and cars, with knives and hatchets and nearly a dozen of them with the infamous poison symbol of skull & crossbones. Disturbingly cute.
Seriously, now I need to go read some Christie murder mysteries just to look at them with this information in the back of my mind. Certainly will provide further insight into the tales and why Agatha Christie is considered a master of the written mystery.
2022-170
I saw that comment several times as the book progressed as those 'contacts' - from fingerprints to trace evidence to documents to blood and toxicology are described. Their uses by Christie in her tales and the history of their development as a source of evidence to prosecute crimes to actual criminal actions where they were used.
It's a fascinating book especially as the author is - quite obviously - a avid fan of Agatha Christie and her writings. Christie's life in a pharmacy which aided her familiarity with toxins, poisons, interactions of pharmaceuticals. Dissecting the means of death through her various investigators - Poirot and Marple and others. How she was basically at the leading edge of knowing the newest police procedures and when they fell out of use.
Valentine covers -
Fingerprints
Trace evidence
Forensic Ballistics (firearms and the difference between revolver and pistol)
Documents and handwriting (helps to have a certified example of the handwriting to compare to as in one instance, the writing of the questioned documents were compared to a diary - both written by the fraudster)
Impressions, weapons and wounds (this covered foot/shoe along with tire impressions)
Blood spatter (not splatter - spatter is caused by droplets being flung through the air and landing on various surfaces while splatter is a liquid - like oil or blood - being splashed or trailed on an object or surface - i.e. a bloody handprint)
Autopsy
Toxicology
And then there is a murder methods table from all of Christie's tales by date. Little icons of hammers and cars, with knives and hatchets and nearly a dozen of them with the infamous poison symbol of skull & crossbones. Disturbingly cute.
Seriously, now I need to go read some Christie murder mysteries just to look at them with this information in the back of my mind. Certainly will provide further insight into the tales and why Agatha Christie is considered a master of the written mystery.
2022-170
January 12, 2023
Mortician and forensics expert Carla Valentine, goes through Agatha Christie's works, analyzing Christie's expertise at forensics. Christie kept up with current forensics knowledge and the rare time she made a mistake, corrected it for future stories.
4.5 rounded down. At times it got a little dry, but overall was a well-researched, well-written book. You can tell that Valentine is an expert in her field and has an admiration for Christie's expertise.
4.5 rounded down. At times it got a little dry, but overall was a well-researched, well-written book. You can tell that Valentine is an expert in her field and has an admiration for Christie's expertise.
February 27, 2024
This is a niche book. It ticks all the boxes for me, but it might not be for someone else. I'm a huge Christie fan, and I have a medical education, so for me, it was enthralling. Written by a criminal pathologist, it goes deep into the medicine. If I have a criticism, she states there aren't spoilers, but she skirts pretty close, so new readers beware.
October 17, 2022
This was really interesting! If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for anything Christie related and crime related, so - much like A is for Arsenic years ago - this was perfect for me. I really liked all the examples from Christie’s books that Valentine used, as well as all the real cases that Christie references in one way or another (Crippen, Thompson-Bywaters - which you know I love -, the brides in the bath, etc.). All of the forensic stuff is just fascinating. Highly recommend!
(Also, learned that Crippen was probably innocent, or at least that the body they thought was his wife, wasn’t!)
(Also, learned that Crippen was probably innocent, or at least that the body they thought was his wife, wasn’t!)
September 24, 2022
Not always easy to understand, but mostly interesting. As there are no spoilers about Christie´s mysteries, there are only small hints to her books. It´s obvious the author is a scientist, and she also includes real murder during Christie´s time to show influence on her work as well as the one by her having been a pharmacist.
October 10, 2023
Very interesting exploration of forensic science linking Agatha Christie novels.
2023 Non Fiction Readers Challenge- Science
2023 Non Fiction Readers Challenge- Science
January 21, 2022
I’m new to writing ‘cosy mysteries’ although I watched many murder mystery dramas on TV (preferring the more detailed series like Lewis, Foyle’s War, Vera... Morse is OK, but the character is somewhat dour). Then there’s the printed world of fiction, and I must admit I do tend to stick to the lighter cosy mysteries, which are more Miss Marple in style than Rebus, Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford or Adam Dalgliesh. My favourite series is Debbie Young’s Sophie Sayers Mysteries. Cosy Mysteries are usually about amateur sleuths who stumble upon unexpected mysteries (a murder) and solve the case before the professionals do. Often, but not always, the cosy does not have detailed gruesomeness – we get a glimpse of the body only. There’s very little police procedure (well, these are amateur sleuths after all) with the plot being character driven, with a touch of romance also involved.
Even with an amateur sleuth the author needs a certain amount of ‘professional’ knowledge to keep the narrative believable, and of course Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime for that very reason: she worked as a nurse during WWI so saw more than her fair share of amputated limbs and ghastly injuries. She then went on to work in the pharmacy – and learned all about poisons. Which stood her in good stead for her many best-selling crime novels.
Murder Isn't Easy makes a superb ‘how to do a whodunit’ reference book for new or established mystery writers. Apart from being extremely interesting in the area of modern day and 'historical' forensics, it delves into Miss Christie’s life and her writing in an entertaining and informative way. The author delves into giving away insider information about all manner of ‘essentials’ where the accuracy of writing crime is concerned – did you know that the term is ‘blood spatter’ not ‘blood splatter’?
The book illustrates Christie’s knowledge, her ability to observe people and create ingenious plots. It was Christie who first used the term ‘scene of crime’ not the police!
But what is particularly useful for the historical fiction writer is that most of this book is concerned with the era between the Great War and WWII – so a must for that period crime writer researching the facts.
It is also jolly interesting, especially if you are an Agatha Christie fan!
My only grumble is that the e-book, as always with mainstream publications, is priced at £9.99 while the hardback is available at £10.42 (although the RRP is higher) - so a few pennies more for printing, paper, shipment... Why do these publishers put such high prices on their e-books?
Highly recommended
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Even with an amateur sleuth the author needs a certain amount of ‘professional’ knowledge to keep the narrative believable, and of course Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime for that very reason: she worked as a nurse during WWI so saw more than her fair share of amputated limbs and ghastly injuries. She then went on to work in the pharmacy – and learned all about poisons. Which stood her in good stead for her many best-selling crime novels.
Murder Isn't Easy makes a superb ‘how to do a whodunit’ reference book for new or established mystery writers. Apart from being extremely interesting in the area of modern day and 'historical' forensics, it delves into Miss Christie’s life and her writing in an entertaining and informative way. The author delves into giving away insider information about all manner of ‘essentials’ where the accuracy of writing crime is concerned – did you know that the term is ‘blood spatter’ not ‘blood splatter’?
The book illustrates Christie’s knowledge, her ability to observe people and create ingenious plots. It was Christie who first used the term ‘scene of crime’ not the police!
But what is particularly useful for the historical fiction writer is that most of this book is concerned with the era between the Great War and WWII – so a must for that period crime writer researching the facts.
It is also jolly interesting, especially if you are an Agatha Christie fan!
My only grumble is that the e-book, as always with mainstream publications, is priced at £9.99 while the hardback is available at £10.42 (although the RRP is higher) - so a few pennies more for printing, paper, shipment... Why do these publishers put such high prices on their e-books?
Highly recommended
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
August 24, 2022
Great Googly Moogly! This was one amazing read!
I love Agatha Christie. I have only ever read one book that I didn't love [it was just meh, but not hideous] and after reading this book, I just want to shove ALLLLL my obligations and other reading aside and just read ALL of Agatha Christie books, starting with Hercule Poirot and ending with Tommy and Tuppence and everything else in-between. I will not of course, but the defiant part of me certainly wants to.
Murder. Mayhem. Poison. Forensics. More M U R D E R!! This book was just amazing. I love all things forensic and learning about how Agatha Christie used her knowledge of it [and poisons] to write her books was absolutely fascinating. This was totally my jam and because there is just SO MUCH in this book, I will absolutely be reading this again and when I do, I will learn something else new. This was just so well-written and you can tell how much the author loves Agatha Christie and all the accoutrements that come with reading her. She is knowledgeable and eager to share that knowledge [almost with glee in some parts] and all that makes for a really great read.
IF you love forensics, murder, and poisons, AND you love Agatha Christie and murder mysteries in general, this is the book for you. I loved every second of this one. I absolutely would read this author again! Well done!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Carla Valentine, and SOURCEBOOKS [non-fiction] for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love Agatha Christie. I have only ever read one book that I didn't love [it was just meh, but not hideous] and after reading this book, I just want to shove ALLLLL my obligations and other reading aside and just read ALL of Agatha Christie books, starting with Hercule Poirot and ending with Tommy and Tuppence and everything else in-between. I will not of course, but the defiant part of me certainly wants to.
Murder. Mayhem. Poison. Forensics. More M U R D E R!! This book was just amazing. I love all things forensic and learning about how Agatha Christie used her knowledge of it [and poisons] to write her books was absolutely fascinating. This was totally my jam and because there is just SO MUCH in this book, I will absolutely be reading this again and when I do, I will learn something else new. This was just so well-written and you can tell how much the author loves Agatha Christie and all the accoutrements that come with reading her. She is knowledgeable and eager to share that knowledge [almost with glee in some parts] and all that makes for a really great read.
IF you love forensics, murder, and poisons, AND you love Agatha Christie and murder mysteries in general, this is the book for you. I loved every second of this one. I absolutely would read this author again! Well done!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Carla Valentine, and SOURCEBOOKS [non-fiction] for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2023
I found a few issues in her explanations of the forensic side of things, specifically in reference to bloodstain pattern analysis. The writing here was very informal and felt more like a fangirl moment for Christie’s books. The author was particularly defensive and launched into several tirades defending Christie’s incorrect usage of different disciplines in her writing. I work in the field and studied all but a very few cases referenced in here so I found it to be a little bland though that’s not really the author’s fault. If you’re interested in the historical aspect (if you haven’t learned it already) and want some context in real world cases I could suggest this book but there are others that do a better job without explicit Christie references so…🤷🏻♀️if you’re a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s go read this
June 6, 2022
I tried but I could not finish this. It is not at all what the description claims. It reads like a middle schooler writing an essay they really do not want to write. The forensics of the crimes aren’t explored because the author doesn’t want to spoil the books, but … It just doesn’t work. I might return to this not on audio so I can skim for the interesting tidbits. Bummer, because I was really excited about it.
December 31, 2023
3.75 stars
June 3, 2022
As an Agatha Christie fan and a pathology technician who works in a mortuary, author Carla Valentine is in the perfect position to explain the science of murder as it would have been understood during Agatha Christie's day. Valentine gets into detail on some of the key forensic evidence that Agatha Christie used in solving her crimes: things like fingerprints, footprints, guns (ballistics), blood, trace evidence, even handwriting analysis and forging documents as well as what Christie is perhaps best known for: poisons. What would Christie have known, what would the average reader of her time known? What famous crimes might have introduced new forensic techniques to both Christie and the general public? How did the difference forensic techniques develop? Valentine explains it all to the reader in a way that is interesting and engaging, understandable yet teaches us something without being overly scientific. Each chapter explores a different type of evidence and Valentine uses examples from Christie's books to illustrate when different investigators (usually Poirot but not always) use the forensic evidence she's currently exploring.
Fans of the golden age of murder mysteries and the grand dame of crime especially will enjoy this book, but anyone interested in learning a bit about how our understanding of crime and forensic evidence has developed (and how a good author develops with it) will want to read this book. Interesting, well written, and engaging.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Fans of the golden age of murder mysteries and the grand dame of crime especially will enjoy this book, but anyone interested in learning a bit about how our understanding of crime and forensic evidence has developed (and how a good author develops with it) will want to read this book. Interesting, well written, and engaging.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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