Customer Reviews

Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

mar this entertaining and well-written book, and they could easily be fixed by the time that the final version is released.

This book attempts to strike a healthy balance between informative and entertaining, perhaps attempting to hit that happy land that the Discovery channel does. Call it edutainment, if you will.

There is a lot of chemistry in here for those who are not interested. Stand warned. For those who have taken a few university courses, like intro chemistry and a basic one-semester organic chemistry course, there will not be anything new or difficult. For those without this experience, it will not be too significant to mar your appreciation for the rest of the book, so long as you are at least nominally interested.

The detective end is not quite as well-developed as the chemistry aspect, likely because the author is trained as a chemist and merely an amateur sleuth, or someone who likes crime stories. This detail in hand, it becomes much more obvious why the stories about the poisoners tend to be less florid and colorful than the chemical descriptions and the histories of the various compounds.

If you are okay with that, you will enjoy this book. If you are not really interested in chemistry, you picked the wrong book to read. This is really a targeted book, as you may guess from the fact that it is published by the Royal Society of Chemists (likely a British analog of the American Chemical Society).

One other remark about the book. Some information is strangely absent. For example, there is a mention of more details about cyanide manufacture in the glossary, but when I checked, it was absent. Other information is strangely present, as if the author has failed to foresee the possibility that some people may try to use this as a handbook of poisoning. Obviously, there is no information here that would not be easily acquired elsewhere. However, that doesn't mean that it should be presented so frankly and with so few warnings. Just a remark.

A fun read though. On the whole, it was quite good. It accomplished much of what it was intending, and a little better balance between the crime and science aspects, and I would have given it a fifth star.

Well done. B-

Harkius

This book is a collection of articles explaining the chemistry of various poisons used for murder. Emsley is an analytical chemist working in the UK who has been called on to assist with a number of investigations in which poisoning has been suspected. In this book, he examines ten compounds or elements that have been used for murder (ricin, hyoscine, atropine, diamorhine, adrenaline, chloroform, carbon monoxide, cyanide, paraquat, and polonium), explaining the chemistry of their toxicity, and reviewing how murders involving the substances were solved. He has divided the book into two parts, naturally occurring toxins and synthetic toxins. The book is intended for general audiences, so chemical terms are explained in an extensive glossary at the back of the book, and sources are provided in a list of "Further Reading," rather than interrupting the text with footnotes.

I found the book quite well written and straightforward to read. This is no murder mystery book, but rather very much a book about the chemistry of murder and forensics. For a chemistry book, though, Emsley does go into great detail about the lives and motives of the criminals who used the toxins that he describes. Although intended for general readers, parts of the text require at least a passing knowledge of general chemistry. Whereas Emsley has highlighted what he considers technical terms in the text and defined them in the glossary, he assumes that readers will at least have the background to understand terms like "covalently linked" and "ionically linked", as in "These drugs [Tagamet, Isoptin, and Celexa] are non-toxic due to the cyanide radical being covalently rather than ionically linked." Other such basic general chemistry terms and concepts are assumed rather than explained in the text or the glossary. Chemists, chemistry students, and others interested in forensic chemistry will find this book quite informative, as well as interesting.

This book is part science, part murder story. It discusses several famous murders, starting from the perspective of the poisons used to perpetrate them. It covers the chemical properties of the poison, and the plants or manufacturing process by which it is found or made. Then it covers a brief history of those involved in the famous murder cases. As such, it provides a historical set of practical use cases.

Since I am interested in science and history, this book provided a good combination of the two. For some, reading about poisoning deaths might be morbid, and for those who like murder mysteries, reading about science might be boring, but for me the combination was strong.

I was a little concerned that some of the research about the murders might not have been complete, in that his discussion of the Crippen murder painted a one sided picture, whereas the much lengthier book Thunderstruck brings in many more details and makes the murder more understandable in context and the motivations of the murderer more complex.

Regardless of this potential flaw, the book is quite worthwhile, and has certainly lead to some interesting cocktail conversations, albeit perhaps ones in which one might take a second look at what is in the cocktail.

I very much enjoyed this book, but as the author predicted, my enjoyment really didn't have much to do with Chemistry. I really wasn't that interested in the different molecules of various poisons. What I liked about the book was the history of the various poisons, many of them being known and used for thousands of years, the effects of each of them, the individual murders and attempted murders described in detail in this volume, the following investigations including the chemistry contributions and the trials and punishments of the murders. The single most important fact that I got from this book is that if one is planning to commit murder, don't do it with poison. Chemistry has been able to detect and prove some poisonings for hundreds of years. Very few people have gotten away with killing somebody with poison since Roman times. Today's chemistry can trace even the tiniest traces of poisons.
The various natural poisons discussed in this book that were used for murders had been known for millenniums and while deadly poisons in the wrong quantities, most of the same poisons could also be used as medical cures. The Greeks and Egyptians published books that listed hundreds of uses of these natural poisons. One such ancient Greek had 800 such cures.
One of the deadliest known natural poisons is Ricin, which is made from castor beans. Castor Oil has long been used as medicine. In its deadliest form, tiny amounts of it were used for political assassinations and as a weapon of Mass Destruction. Iraq is known to have used it in their war with Iran and quantities of it were discovered after the Americans Invaded Iraq. In World War I both sides tested it as a chemical weapon. Nazi's used a cup full castor oil as a Concentration Camp punishment.
The second types of poisons discussed in the book were the Man-made Chemicals such as Carbon Monoxide, which is responsible for thousands of accidental deaths as well as suicides. It has been a silent, accidental killer for more than 300 years when "the poisonous nature of the fumes given off from red-hot charcoal was mentioned by Hoffmann in his book, "Considerations of the Fatal Effects of the Vapour from Burning Charcoal, published in 1716."
Emsley discusses the molecular structure of these various poisons and how today's Forensic Toxicologists can easily identify poison victims with even the tiniest amount of tissue and sometimes even after the victim has been cremated. They get plenty of practice in their trade not looking for murderers, but in identifying accidental deaths and athletes using drugs to enhance their performances.
For those people who love the current crop of Forensic Scientists who regularly solve the crime and catch the bad guy television shows, this is a great read. I loved it even though I didn't really care for all the chemistry. However, the other two-thirds of the book were riveting. For those geeks with a much stronger interest in chemistry and science that information will only greatly increase the enjoyment of reading this tome. Once again, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I'd half expected to dislike it. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted as I'm certain many other readers will be.

Chemist and science writer John Elmsley brings chemistry to a general audience in "Molecules of Murder", which examines the crime of murder by poison from the viewpoint of the poison. The book is intended for readers of popular science and true crime, as it first presents the chemical and then infamous crimes in which it was used. Elmsley dedicates a chapter to each of five naturally occurring chemicals and five man-made: ricin, hycosine, atropine, morphine, adrenaline, chloroform, carbon monoxide, cyanide, paraquat, and polonium. The heroes of the stories are the forensic toxicologists, some of them pioneers, who were able to detect foul play in the untimely deaths of the victims.

Each chapter discusses the sources and properties of the poison, its toxicity, history of its criminal and medicinal uses, the effects of poisoning, and methods of detection before moving on to recount the famous case or cases in which it was used. The cases of murder or attempted murder by poison date from the 1880s to the 2000s and include murder for money, espionage, and for no particular reason. The story of Britain's "most prolific serial killer", Harold Shipman, who killed hundreds of his elderly patients with morphine, is there, as it the poisoning of Russian journalist Alexander Litvenenko with polonium just a couple of years ago. Bold-faced terms in the text are explained in more detail in the Glossary in the back of the book.

"Molecules of Murder" is fun and easy to read, though I suspect that fans of popular science will have more patience with the chemical details than aficionados of true crime. In noticed some errors in the details, which tend to betray a medical misunderstanding of the chemicals (e.g. codeine has no addictive properties, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride is an antihistamine). John Elmsley is a chemist, so I wouldn't expect him to have extensive knowledge of the clinical use of drugs, but he might have asked a medical practitioner or two to proofread. He also says that Congressman Leo Ryan and others were killed upon arriving at Jonestown, Guyana in 1978. They were actually killed when leaving. Careless errors like that detracted slightly from my enjoyment but are not material to the book's purpose.

The history of death by poisoning has a long and storied past. But many times, the average person (like me) doesn't really understand the "why" behind the chemicals used. In Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases, John Emsley uses a successful format that should appeal to both the scientist and the average reader. And in the end, you'll see why certain chemicals have the reputations that they do.

Contents:
Part 1 - From Medicine to Murder: Ricin and the assassination of Georgi Markov; Hyoscine and the murder of Belle Elmore; Atropine and Mrs. Agutter's gin and tonic; Diamorphine and the Dr. Jekyll of Hyde; Adrenaline and the near-perfect murders of Kristen Gilbert
Part 2 - So simple, so useful, so deadly: Chloroform and the murder of Edwin Bartlett; Life & Death & CO - Carbon monoxide and the homemade gas chamber; Cyanide and the death on the Nile; Paraquat and the poisoned gravy; Polonium and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko

Each chapter covers a particular poison, highlighted by a real-life case where it was used to bring about the untimely death of one or more people. Emsley tries something that is risky and difficult to successfully pull off; that is, to write to two very different audiences without making half the material meaningless to one of them. The crime committed with the poison is the brief opener in each chapter. But before the narrative of the crime goes very far, Emsley switches focus to the science behind the substance. He covers the history of the chemical and how it came to be discovered and used in the medical field. This is much more detailed than one would expect, as he goes into molecule structures and chemical composition. To someone like me, much of that information is over my head. But it's still presented in a way (and at a length) that doesn't induce rapid page skimming and turning. Once the science is covered, then he reverts back to the story of the crime, why the poisoner chose that method, the results of the poisoning, and how it was eventually detected. That's where a reader like myself would get most of the value and information that I could understand well, but I imagine it would also be interesting to the more scientific reader as they see how a useful chemical could be subverted to criminal purposes.

Some of the cases are ones that were highly publicized and well-known, such as the ricin used during the Cold War and injected with a modified umbrella. The radiation poisoning of Litinenko was also an international incident steeped in government intrigue and secret police files. Other cases are not as well known, such as Dr. Harold Shipman's use of diamorphine to kill literally hundreds of his patients. Emsley is an English author, and some of these cases that were less well-known to me may be due to the fact that the crimes didn't take place in the US. If you were reading this in Great Britian, they may well be more familiar to you.

It's hard to attempt a book that tries to be interesting and useful to very different audiences (without feeling like you got less-than-full value). Emsley does a much better job than most with Molecules of Murder, and it's an interesting read that will make you much more cautious when that friendly person who you just met buys you a drink that tastes sort of odd...

Chemist John Emsley is hardly the first to observe that "real life is often stranger than fiction," but this real life forensic chemist's latest book is a fascinating look at the truth behind the cliche -- or the lethal substance behind the murder.

The research is impeccable, and the subject matter will appeal to aficionados of folklore, criminology, forensics, medicine, herbology, chemistry, history of science, and pharmacology.

Some of the stories are familiar: Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB agent who died of radiation poisoning in 2006 after drinking a cup of tea spiked with a killing dose of plutonium; nurse Kristen Gilbert, the "Angel of Death" who killed at least 50 patients in veterans hospitals during the 1990s; the cyanide capsules that were slipped into bottles of Tylenol and placed on store shelves in 1982. Most frightening are the cases where the poisoning is misdiagnosed as a stomach virus or whatnot while the victim is still living -- shaking one's belief in the medical establishment while increasing one's respect for the medical examiners and other crime scene investigators.

Each chapter follows the same basic structure: it starts with a brief outline of a criminal case, follows this with a background discussion of the history and folklore of the poison, its biological action and modes of detection, and concludes with what happened in the criminal case and perhaps other such cases. This type of parallelism is a good, solid syntactical technique and works well here.

Dr Emsley's straightforward writing style is refreshing and also totally appropriate to the subject matter. This could have been a tabloid-style foray into the lurid and squeamish, and it is a credit to Dr Emsley that it is not.

On the other hand, the book could certainly have benefited from a competent editor. For example, there is an inconsistent hodgepodge of Briticisms and Americanisms, with body weights variously rendered in kilograms, stones or pounds; prices sometimes in dollars, sometimes in pounds sterling; and the spelling "tonne" used throughout. Doses are rendered as a percentage and/or as parts per million, sometimes in the same paragraph, which can quite irksome. (All of this makes me wonder what he means when he says "trillion," which in the US is equivalent to 10 to the 12th power, but in the UK is 10 to the 18th power -- a huge difference.)

Other editing lapses abound. When writing about belladonna in Chapter Three, Dr Emsley somewhat pointlessly discusses 2005 prices for a poison used to commit a murder in 1994. He should either research the appropriate price or omit it entirely, especially since this is the only place in the book where be bothers to proffer the price of a poison. In Chapter Nine, he refers to the "subject of ... poisoning" when he means the perpetrator; while that grammatical construction may be technically correct, it is nonstandard usage and therefore confusing to the reader. In Chapter 10, an essentially identical sentence, about polonium 210's suitability as a murder weapon, starts two successive, but otherwise totally different, paragraphs.

Nonetheless, I can recommend Molecules of Murder without hesitation to anyone with a sophisticated sense of intellectual inquiry who loves a good detective story.

I have read some of the critques of the book that complain a bit about the chemistry aspects, so I would like to put in my small counterpoint to their critique.
Yes, if you absolutely care less about chemistry, this may not be the right book for you. However, if you are like me and trying to learn organic chemistry and feel bored and overwhelmed by the seeming emphasis on memorization over use, this is definitely a great book!
I am the kind of person who wants to know "Who cares?" This book answers why you should be interested in isomers, because one compound might kill you, while its isomer might only make you a little sick.
I also felt the author was almost prescient in leading off with Ricin, which has been very much in the forefront of the news this year, because of the guy who had it in his hotel in Vegas.
Some of the details about a few of the murders are thin, however, at least in some cases this is a result of the limitations imposed on historical preservation and not a reflection on the author's capabilities. For example, in discussing hyoscine and the murder of Belle Elmore, it is clear that more detail would be useful on what actually happened. However, I also read Thunderstruck by Erik Larson, where Ms. Elmore's murder was used as a vehicle to help the reader understand the importance of the invention of the wireless. The same details I would love to know are missing from both books.
I have to say, I have absolutely enjoyed this book and it has had the wonderful side effect of teaching me a lot about organic chemistry, which has increased my interest and performance in Organic Geochemistry, in which I am enrolled this semester.
This book shows that organic chemistry need not be the terrifying topic it is often labeled as by college students. Rather, it is an interesting and useful tool that has shaped medicine, forensics, and now, even geology (hence organic geochemistry).
Kudos!

"Molecules of Murder" is classed as a popular science book, and I have to say, it is very popular with me. So much so, that I'm searching out other books by Emsley.

Emsley has a warm, chatty style of writing and an approach that makes even chemistry, which can often be very dull, fascinating. And as with so many British writers, he has a understated humor that hits the mark, e.g. "...she poisoned her father with a white powder sent by her lover, Lieutenant William Cranstoun, who assured her it would end her father's objection to their marriage. It did--it killed him."

You have to love a science book written like that. Emsley is popular, and no wonder. I wish some U.S. scientists would realize you don't have to be dull and humorless to write about science. In fact, I believe that the cold, somber style of most science papers written in the U.S. is directly responsible for the decline in science students. I'd rather read a British paper any day, since most of them have a much more accessible, warmer style and wry humor even while covering exactly the same subject with the same accuracy.

But I digress.

If you are at all interested in science or the application of chemistry to forensics, this book is highly recommended, particularly for anyone with the following interests:

AUDIENCE
Writers
Students of Chemistry/Forensics
Folks interested in or involved in Forensics
Biologists
Law Enforcement (I particularly think folks involved in law enforcement would love this book to get a better handle on, or at least an introduction to, the chemistry of poison in a very accessible way.)

REVIEW DETAILS
I have always loved science and forensics, and who doesn't love the television show, CSI? "Molecules of Murder" actually gives you the science behind the poisons. In the introduction, Emsley presents you with a brief look at the history of chemical analysis and its application in solving murders throughout history.

The good news is that it appears poisoning's "heyday" is pretty much over. It's on the decline as a favorite murder weapon, and that's excellent news if you're in the law enforcement line.

The book is divided up into chapters relating to different poisons, e.g. Chapter 5 "Adrenaline and the Near-Perfect Murders of Kristen Gilbert". The poisons discussed include: Ricin, Hyoscine, Atropine, Diamorphine, Adrenaline, Chloroform, Carbon Monoxide, Cynanide, Paraquat, and Polonium.

In each chapter, there is a brief introduction of a historical (or recent) case of the use of a poison, followed by these sections: toxicology and chemistry; historical uses; production and application; the effects of poisoning; detection and identification; positive factors; examples of poison attacks; and then a specific case where the poison was used in murder.

While that may sound dry and perhaps daunting, it is incredibly accessible because Emsley makes heavy use of anecdotes and examples from history, recent events and even literature. The broad range of examples is part of what makes this book so entertaining. For Rican, he goes into the details of the murder of Soviet dissident George Markov in 1978. The USSR Secret Service agent actually used an umbrella to deliver the poison to Markov and frankly, for the fascinating details, read the book.

These sections of short anecdotes are actually written almost as murder mysteries like Columbo--where you may know who the killer is, but the intrigue comes from how he or she was exposed and the poison identified. Sometimes, there is the distinct feeling of reading a mystery instead of a science book. Frankly, I appreciated this and the quality of Emsley's writing. I was never bored or overwhelmed.

There is a glossary in the back that defines many of the terms used, and he highlights in BOLD the terms included in the glossary. I wish other books would do this formatting trick as it makes it eaiser to know what terms have more details in the glossary. It's a smart way to help out readers.

I learned an enormous amount and was completely enthralled. It felt more like watching a CSI episode than reading a science book, and you can't ask for better than that.

And I totally plan to use it when writing my next murder mystery.

Molecules of Murder bills itself as a popular science book, but the chemical effects of poisons isn't a subject that lends itself to being an easy read. That said, it's not so difficult that the reader will need to have taken a college chemistry class before being able to get through any of the chapters. But if you aren't willing to look up some of the science terms in the glossary, this book may not be for you.

Emsley divides the book into two sections, one on naturally occurring substances, and the other on man-made substances. There are ten chapters in total. The natural poisons include ricin, hyocine (scopalamine), atropine, diamorphine, and adrenalin. The man-made poisons feature chloroform, carbon monoxide, cyanide, paraquat (a herbicide), and polonium.

Each chapter is divided into sub-chapters, and they may be read out of order without spoiling the book. The author provides a list of material for further reading, and a glossary that includes molecular diagrams of the chemicals for readers who want more science fact. However, for neophyte scientists or mystery buffs, there are no explanations of how to read chemical diagrams.

I gave the book only three stars because I think that it is a little less approachable for a general audience than it seems to be at first glance. Emsley's writing seemed a little staccato, and sometimes the facts and figures seemed to overwhelm the story so it read more as a crime report than a story. True crime buffs won't mind, and science buffs will enjoy Emsley's forays into some of the inner workings of the chemicals. Casual readers will probably find the book to be rough going, although not impenetrable.