Why a Booktrail?
Just how and why did Agatha Christie favour poison to kill?
A is for Arsenic
What you need to know before your trail
Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel. Her choice of deadly substances was far from random – the characteristics of each often provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but this is not the case with poisons. How is it that some compounds prove so deadly, and in such tiny amounts?
Travel Guide
Agatha Christies England
Agatha Christies knowledge of poisons was unique and exceptional. She wrote so well and so convincingly that pathologists apparently used some of her stories and findings in their reading.
She had a life long interest in poisons and similar – not in the criminal sense of course! – she worked in Torquay in a hospital during the war and later worked in London as a dispenser. Many of the people she met and the places she worked would influence her stories later on.
The real life case of Dr Crippen who poisoned his wife was said to have influences the story Mrs McGinty’s Dead. He was hanged in 1910 and lived in Camden, London.
There are many places to get close to Agatha Christie’s inspiration around England – the booktrail illustrates where her inspiration and heart lay, poisons or not.
Streetview Maps
A) London - Agatha Christie statue
D) London - Greenway
Booktrail Boarding Pass: A is for Arsenic
Author/Guide: Kathryn Harkup Destination: England Departure Time: 1900s
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