Stratmann, Linda

Well researched and heavily footnoted, this book offers a riveting history on the employment of poisons and the rise of regulations on them. A problem with the footnoting, however, is that the use of 19th-century language is often difficult to understand. Nevertheless, mystery readers will be intrigued by the murderous methods and their effects on victims. For large public libraries and academic libraries.

Known for her true crime writing (Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion), Stratmann has neatly turned that expertise into a winning series; this follows her mystery debut, The Poisonous Seed. The story unfolds slowly and deliberately and aptly demonstrates the author's awareness of Victorian society's mores. Her wit will reward readers who stay with the elaborate plot.

This prolonged look at the unappealing and combative Douglas does nothing to overturn the traditional view. The book would have benefited from a "life and times" approach, particularly in the area of homosexuality, since few people then really understood what a "somdomite" did. (Q himself had learned much having come of age in the navy.) This book is only for committed Wildeans.