Duels and knives may have destroyed your enemies in Georgian England, but for some, they were too obvious. If you wanted to murder someone discreetly in Georgian England, you had to plan. Apprehension led to scandal, disgrace and sometimes, hanging. The shy might slip an adder into the victim’s room. As the only poisonous snake in England, it might do the deed. But adders hibernated in the winters, were difficult to trap and after much preparation, death wasn’t guaranteed. Intent on murder, the weapon of choice was often poison.

Not a gentle affair, victims of poisoning two hundred and fifty years ago died painfully, often over long periods. Murderers could commit the crime and leave judiciously, masking their involvement. They didn’t have to watch death, they could visit it when ready if they chose. It made the entire process more palatable for the meek. Then there were those set on revenge who reveled in the torture they inflicted. And with so many poisons to choose from, murderers were able to design the concoction that best suited them.

Easily obtained at apothecaries, arsenic was odorless and tasteless. Some victims reported a burning sensation, like cayenne pepper, but the chance of getting caught was minimal. Between 1728 and 1768 only four cases of murder involving poisoning were heard at Old Bailey, the central criminal court in England, out of 300 and generally involved a confession. In 1752 that changed when arsenic took center stage with the infamous case of Mary Blandy. Accused of murdering her father, Mary had added arsenic to his food. Desirous to marry her lover, a man who already had one wife, her father refused. The lover sought revenge along with Mary’s 10,000 pound dowry. Both the coroner and physician entered enough evidence about arsenic, Mary was sent to the gallows a short time later. Criminals, wary of suffering a similar fate became creative.

The English were consummate connoisseurs of plants, both domestic and exotic. With a bit of knowledge and the wide variety of plants in greenhouses and throughout the countryside, it wasn’t hard to improvise. For example, tansy, a common bitter herb found throughout England, could be brewed in a tea. Foxglove seeds placed in food would cause death in twenty minutes after digestion, masking as heart failure. Passion flower, the beautiful addition to any greenhouse and used in small qualities as a sedative, had no cure but the grave. Native to India and East Africa, the castor bean was a collector’s favorite because of its lush foliage. Crushed, the red berries mixed with linseed into a press cake would release enough ricin to assure a violent death.

Where plants ended, mushrooms were available – deadly and delicious appeared alike. Nothing needed to be disguised. Added into food masking as an edible cousin, murder could be blamed on an accident, if the truth was ever discovered. The deadly webcap looked like a chanterelle. By the time symptoms occurred days later, it would be too late. Death cap is equally potent dried or fresh. Abundant and convenient, it had many admirers.
Beyond ingestion, touch was another weapon. The pommel of a Queen’s saddle, the chair of a Duke… are legendary examples. Common items, tainted with intent and chemistry meant that anyone could fall victim.

It was not until after 1848 and an outbreak of cholera that ‘medical policeman’ were appointed. Alchemists, monks, apothecaries, physicians and coroners explored the science of toxicology. Tests were invented, training offered and signs identified. CSI grew another step closer to what we know today.

In RENEGADE, my debut novel, I explored the world of plant chemistry. Behind gossamers of mystery and danger in 1762 Constantinople, Jonathon meets Jaline, an exotic woman who works as a horse waterer. Appearances are deceiving. She has many secrets and shares little. She becomes his mistress but he wants more. What neither realizes is, beyond collisions of the heart, they are on the unknowable path towards Soma (not to be confused with the modern drug using the same name). Soma legend stretches back to the ancient Sanskrit writings. Strongest of the hallucinogenics, it was part of religious ceremonies, thought to bring users closer to the divine. Guardians decided the effects were too strong, man should not reach for the gods, so they destroyed the drug, wiping even the name of the plant from history.

RENEGADE by Sarah Parr debuts June 2009 at $3.99 and is published by Kensington. Expect Book two in July 2010. For more information visit your favorite bookseller or www.sarahparr.com.
“Lyrical, sensual, passionate” ~ Shannon Mckenna.