The poisoner's handbook : murder and the birth of forensic medicine in Jazz Age New York / Deborah Blum. 319 p.

Oh dear. I'm so behind in my blogging that I've already forgotten most of the details from what I know was an excellent book. Blum tells the story of a pivotal period in the history of forensic medicine through an in-depth look at the work of 2 scientists working in the New York Medical Examiner's office in the period around Prohibition. She combines nuts-and-bolts detail about the development of lab techniques for detecting toxins with true crime stories from the era. I learned some fascinating things about Prohibition. The maze of laws kept people from getting their hands on ordinary beer and spirits and left them with the option of drinking truly poisonous (and disgusting) concoctions made and sold by criminals. I'm not doing this book justice here; nevertheless, I strongly recommend it.