The Poisoner's Handbook

This fun (no, really!) book explores the early days of forensic medicine against the glittering, grimy backdrop of New York in the 20s. Science writer Deborah Blum combines chemistry and true crime in a way that ends up being mystery-novel intriguing. Listening to the audiobook, with narrator Coleen Marlo's warm, conspiratorial tone, is like having someone tell you a particularly gruesome and utterly entertaining bedtime story.