Category Archives: Drug Poisoning

The Deadliest Drugs in the United States

Posted on May 8, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I often blog about drugs used as poisons, and I guess that’s why someone asked me the other day, “Which drugs are the deadliest in America?” The question required clarification before answering it. Did he mean the fastest killers, or … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Deadliest Drugs in America, Deadliest Drugs in US, Death From Prescription Painkillers, Drug Abuse, Drug Poisoning, Epidemic of Narcotic Overdoses, Food-Drug Interactions, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Narcotic Deaths, Prescription Narcotic Overdoses, Prescription Painkiller Overdose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Ricin – Another Weapon of Terror

Posted on May 1, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s often said that fact is stranger than fiction, so I pose this seemingly ridiculous question to you– What do a martial arts instructor, an Elvis impersonator and the deadly chemical agent ricin have in common? The answer has been … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Death by Ricin Poisoning, Drug Poisoning, Murder by Ricin, Ricin, Ricin as a Deadly Poison, Ricin as a Weapon of Terror, Ricin in Letters, Ricin in the Mail, Ricin in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

THALLIUM – The Poisoner’s Poison!

Posted on April 24, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s not often that I come across a method to kill a character in one of my novels with delightful efficiency and flair, but thallium is one of those chemicals. It piqued my interest some time ago and I couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Character development, Drug Poisoning, Drugs Used For Murder, Neurological Poisons, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Radioactive Thallium Poisoning, Thallium Poisoning, Thallium Used to Murder, The Poisoner's Poison | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Visine as a Deadly Poison?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog: “How to Write a Bloodless Death Scene”. The purpose was to stimulate ideas about how to write interesting murder scenarios. I had listed the most obvious ones and a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Drug Poisoning, Our nation's drug supply, What writers are called!, Why People Kill, Writing Dialogue, Writing Labels, wrLapinsky | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

How To Write a Bloodless Death Scene

Posted on March 6, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The storyline for the novel I’m currently writing calls for one of the characters to be murdered. Simple enough! Shoot or stab the person, or use a dozen other ways to kill off the character. But that didn’t fit with … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Drug Poisoning, Drugs Used For Murder, The Art of Writing, The Psychology of Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Medicine Cabinet and Kids – A Deadly Combo

Posted on October 24, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Poison Control Centers across the nation introduced a new initiative this year called “Safe Kids”.  In conjunction with that, Safe Kids Worldwide unveiled a new initiative called “Safe Storage, Safe Dosing, Safe Kids”. Poison Control Centers are focusing on this initiative because … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Drug Misadventures, Drug Overdoses in Children, Drug Poisoning, Drug Poisoning in Children, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

POLONIUM – The New Weapon of Mass Destruction

Posted on September 19, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Recently, I posted a blog on thallium, a classic drug used as a murder weapon both in novels and in real life.  After posting this, someone commented, “What about polonium?”  I thought he was referring to plutonium and having a momentary … Continue reading →

Posted in Drug Poisoning, Polonium and Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

THALLIUM – The Poisoner’s Poison!

Posted on August 29, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Thallium is a bluish-white metal that, in pure form, is odorless and tasteless.  When combined with other substances like chlorine or iodine, it turns colorless-to-white with maybe a slight yellow tinge.  It dissolves easily in water.  In other words, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bioterrorism, Drug Poisoning, Drugs and Bioterrorism, Drugs Used For Murder, Thallium Poisoning, The Poisoner's Poison | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments