The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum

Completely forgetting why my friend thought of this book during a conversation, and then remembering we talked about it because we were talking about distilling alcohol and how you can't drink the first or last bits because methanol and then no breathing

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Aaaaaand we're talking about the Spanish flu and wearing masks...Whelp it has been 100 years.

336 Pages

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a solid, interesting YA fantasy novel about a murderer who is given a second chance at life as the commissioner's taster, ensuring the man doesn't get poisoned. Yelena has to consume poisons, initially, to learn how they taste, smell, and react, which is not even remotely fun (for her).

Beneath that part of the storyline flows a small thread of magic, which is attention-getting, though I think that's why I can't give this book 5 stars. The normal world building is decent, but the magical world building definitely leaves a lot to be desired. Also, I wish, for the length of the book, that just a bit more had actually happened in it.

I believe I'll give book 2 a try, but I considered not continuing on, as I still feel disconnected from this story and world. It's like I either can't or just don't want to emotionally invest in it, which is why I didn't give it 4 stars. I followed along, but this book never really grabbed me by the throat and squeezed. As a result, I took a bit of interest in it but was never fully engaged. So after considering that last statement, I actually don't think I'll move on to book 2 after all.

Book 260 read in 2018

Pages: 409

Overwatch by Marc Guggenheim

Posted for Paul Mathews

A lawyer's investigation leads to poisonings, kidnapping, torture, and murder in the CIA.

Audio:  9 hrs. 44 min.
Print:  304 pages