07/18/25

How Agatha Christie Used Chemistry To Kill (In Books)

Split, Croatia - January 15, 2023: Stack of murder mystery books by famous author Agatha Christie. Bookshelf in the background. Selective focus.
Credit: Shutterstock

Did you know that murder mystery writer Agatha Christie had a background in chemistry? In about half of her stories, the murder is committed using poison—something she was very, very familiar with. She had even trained in apothecaries to mix prescriptions by hand before she became a novelist. Chemist-turned-author Kathryn Harkup wrote about them in her new book, V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death. Harkup talks with Host Flora Lichtman about the science of poisons, why they’re so popular in whodunnits, and how to get away with murder (in fiction writing, of course).


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Segment Guests

Kathryn Harkup

Kathryn Harkup is a former chemist and author of V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death.

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Meet the Producers and Host

About Rasha Aridi

Rasha Aridi is a producer for Science Friday and the inaugural Outrider/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellow. She loves stories about weird critters, science adventures, and the intersection of science and history.

About Flora Lichtman

Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.

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