The Inheritor's Powder

A Cautionary Tale of Poison, Betrayal and Greed

By: Sandra Hempel

Narrated by: John Curran

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

An infamous murder investigation that changed forever the way poisoners were brought to justice.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, an epidemic swept Europe: arsenic poisoning. Available at any corner shop for a few pence, arsenic was so frequently used by potential beneficiaries of wills that it was nicknamed "the inheritor's powder." But it was difficult to prove that a victim had been poisoned, let alone to identify the contaminated food or drink since arsenic was tasteless.

Then came a riveting case. On the morning of Saturday, November 2, 1833, the Bodle household sat down to their morning breakfast. That evening, the local doctor John Butler received an urgent summons: the family and their servants had collapsed and were seriously ill. Three days later, after lingering in agony, wealthy George Bodle died in his bed at his farmhouse in Plumstead, leaving behind several heirs, including a son and grandson - both of whom were not on the best of terms with the family patriarch.

The investigation, which gained international attention, brought together a colorful cast of characters: bickering relatives; a drunken, bumbling policeman; and James Marsh, an unknown but brilliant chemist who, assigned the Bodle case, attempted to create a test that could accurately pinpoint the presence of arsenic. In doing so, however, he would cause as many problems as he solved. Were innocent men and women now going to the gallows? And would George Bodle's killer be found?

Incisive and wryly entertaining, science writer Sandra Hempel brings to life a gripping story of domestic infighting, wayward police behavior, a slice of Victorian history, stories of poisonings, and an unforgettable foray into the origins of forensic science.

©2013 Sandra Hempel (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

A Bit Sprawling

The book was interesting but it felt a bit sprawling. Sometimes the main case of a family dealing with a supposed poisoner was talked about and sometimes it would go in various directions I thought. All dealing with Arsenic but in a choppy way. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the focus was on the case and perhaps more on the history of the key players.
I did have to laugh to myself when, in the fist 10 minutes of the book, it seems to mention 20 people and quite a few with similar names. Almost impossible to keep track of who's who.

Covers a lot of history. Very interesting

As other reviewers have noted, this is much more than a single murder case. I however don’t consider that a negative - I love the history of forensic science and the cases involved. Fascinating stuff and a very interesting mystery

uneven

the narration was very bad, you don't usually find that with a British narrator, but this one was bad.

Good stories, bad construction, uneven reading

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

John Curran does a great job except the too-frequent mispronunciation of words was incredibly distracting. I got the impression he was not really reading what he was performing - some sections that I would think the author put in to be reminders were read as if we were hearing the information for the first time, making it seem repetitive.

How could the performance have been better?

Learn the correct pronunciation of all the words.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration - there was a lot of uneccesary repetition of some details, while other complicated points (the large family with so many names repeated!) were not handled smoothly so it was tough to keep track of the plot.