Don't Be Afraid of the Dork

Charles Norris was New York City's first "real" Chief Medical Examiner and along with his immensely thorough and dogged star toxicologist Alexander Gettler they helped modernize forensic science during the prohibition era. Blum presents how they not only did unraveled the secrets of many poisons such as carbon monoxide, methyl alcohol and cyanide but they also helped convince the justice system of the forensic science's value in solving mysteries.

Blum is a great storyteller and she manages to make this non-fiction book read like a page-turner. She even manages to make the chemistry not only understandable but interesting. Interesting Chemistry!

I also like a book that not only entertains but educates and I feel liked I learned much: about these men, famous in their field; about the prohbition era and how for a while the gov't was okay deliberately trying to poison people; about forensic science; and of course about poisons - how they work, and how their secrets were revealed. And I now have a much deeper appreciation of the FDA.

Great book and highly recommended!