Agatha Christie, the queen of crime chemistry

Poirot image

Source: RSC

Kathryn Harkup looks at how Agatha Christie used chemistry in her detective novels

Christie is not unique among crime fiction writers in using poisons in her plots, but what marks her out from the rest is how often and accurately she used them. Her knowledge of chemistry and poisons began when she volunteered to work in a hospital during the first world war.