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The Inheritor's Powder

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The Inheritor's Powder

By: Sandra Hempel
Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
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About this listen

All was quiet in the Bodle home in Plumstead village on the morning of 2 November 1833. In the large ten bedroom farmhouse, the maid Sophia Taylor began preparing breakfast while, at the cottage down the track, Mary Higgins came down to set the fire. But all was not as it seemed that morning....

When the local doctor was summoned several hours later he found four women suffering from severe vomiting and stomach pains whilst the master of the house was delirious with pain. His suspicions raised, the doctor contacted Michael Faraday at his laboratory in Woolwich. So began a chain of events that would grip the entire nation.

For in the 19th century, criminal poisoning was terrifyingly easy, yet almost impossible to prove - a situation that resulted in no end of mischief. 'The fell spirit of the Borgias' was said to be sweeping across the land and as the panic reached fever pitch, so the race to find the definitive test began....

Read by Patience Tomlinson

©2013 Sandra Hempel (P)2013 Isis Publishing True Crime
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A cracking good story and detailed court proceedings. Just too much scientific detail later in the book.

Murder versus Science

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What made the experience of listening to The Inheritor's Powder the most enjoyable?

A book for anyone who enjoyed "The Suspicions of Mr Wicher" - combining very thorough research and careful pacing of the plot that builds a vivid picture of rural society in the 1830s, with its web of relationships in the family and village - of people seemingly obsessed with money and inheritance, and accepting and dealing with death and its, to us, crude physical manifestations in a matter-of-fact way without touchy-feeliness. A caste of the main characters would help, if that is possible with audible's format

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Inheritor's Powder?

The fairly disgusting descriptions of the physical symptoms of arsenic poisoning

Have you listened to any of Patience Tomlinson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not to my knowlege, but it was easy on the ear

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

In a way, but I like to keep audible books for when I am cooking and ironing, and choose books that can be listened to in this way, I would never choose a "literary" novel as it demands more concentration.

a real life crime in another age

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Interesting story of Victorian rat poison used on people. well read-some times. too much info?

chemistry of poisons (mostly arsenic)

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another crime never heard about before plus extensive history of poisons in uk. good narration.

Fab

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Not just an account of a murder and a trial this book also contains plenty of information about the development of forensic toxicology and includes other famous cases relevant to the subject.
Read beautifully and vivaciously by Patience Tomlinson.
I would highly recommend this book to fans of 'The Suspicions of Mr Wicher', 'The Invention of Murder' and 'A is for Arsenic'.

Fascinating

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