There were certain things about the book I liked. I enjoyed the author’s conversational tone, humor, and clear explanations of the science. I also liked the personal anecdotes. The discussions of how Christie’s writing changed over time with respect to forensics were good. It was also interesting how the book avoided giving spoilers in case the reader had not yet read the respective Christie story. The single biggest obstacle I found was that while I am familiar with some of Agatha Christie’s stories, I am not a huge fan of the genre so I feel like I didn’t have the tools to really enjoy the book. I was counting on this book being more science and less Christie. However, given the quality and style of the writing, this book should be a big hit with fans of Agatha Christie and I think it would make a great gift. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the digital review copy.

It’s been much too long since my forensic science class. I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan. I love mysteries. There were so many reasons to select this book from Netgalley, and I’m glad to have read it AND I liked it as much as I figured I would.
Some people have jobs, and some people have vocations. Carla Valentine is of the latter fortunate variety of individuals who gets to do what she loves for a living – she is a forensic pathology technician. She’s also a huge Agatha Christie fan. In this book, she combines her two passions for a comprehensive and engaging look into the titular science of murder.
It’s fascinating, really. Some kids read mysteries or dissect frogs in school and don’t think twice about it, some get grossed out by it and some…well, some become forensic scientists and authors like Carla Valentine.
Agatha Christie didn’t have forensic training. In fact, that entire field was fairly new in her time, evolving steadily throughout the past century. What she did have was a working knowledge of poisons, a curious and bright (and twisted) mind, and an appetite for murders, fictional and otherwise. This appetite resulted in a strikingly prolific career leading her to become the world’s number one bestselling author. Nothing outside of the Bible and Shakespeare has outsold Christie.
And while modern day bestselling label more often than not implies a bland pandering sellout, especially in genre fiction, with Christie you actually got a quality tale every time. This required the author to stay on top of the latest crimes and crime solving methods of her time. The more the science evolved, the more Christie used it in her fiction. Meaning you can trace the evolution of forensic science throughout the five decades of Christie’s work.
That’s pretty much exactly what the author of this book does, chapter by chapter, as she clearly and engagingly talks about various aspects of the science of murder from both perspectives – her own professional one and Christie’s fictional one.
And Carla Valentine is something of a superfan too, her knowledge of Christie’s oeuvre is encyclopedic and her passion for those mysteries comes across loud and clear. So reading this book is kind of like having a fun and informative, albeit necessarily one-sided, conversation with a fellow fan who’s actually knowledgeable on the nuts and bolts of it all.
Christie didn’t always get it right, but she made every effort to do so and steadily improved as her career progressed. Attention to detail was paid. In the way her characters were dispatched, in the way their murders were solved. Sometimes Christie followed the science, sometimes she led the pack, including being the first person to use the words scene of the crime and the first to mention having an investigator having a crime scene kit.
And that’s just one of the fascinating tidbits of information you’ll learn from reading this book. All in all, lots of fun. Entertaining and educational in equal measure, including a handy guide to all of Christie’s fictional murder methods. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Carla Valentine's "The Science of Murder" is a delightful study of how the great mystery writer Agatha Christie used the forensics of the day to inform her stories. Valentine's writing style is one of conversation lecture. One feels as if you're sitting next to a fire, listening to her as she regales you with stories of Christie. Valentine weaves stories of true crime in and how that influenced Christie's writing. She deftly brings the evolution of forensics to life in those stories. This was a delightful read. Thanks to Sourebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. #TheScienceofMurder #Sourcebooks #NetGalley