Category Archives: New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel

Foods Can Kill

I often write about poisons and toxins that kill, but what better way to kill someone than with a substance that’s lethal but not so easy to detect. Such scenes make for good fiction reading, but a devastating reality is … Continue reading

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Whey is Way Cool These Days!

Whey, the tart liquid by-product when making cheese and yogurt, is often sold as a protein source in many nutritional supplements used for bodybuilding and in meal replacement products. It’s also used to enrich baked goods and to produce bread … Continue reading

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SAMARIUM – The Good and The Bad

In the past I’ve blogged about lethal radioactive chemicals (here and here) as possible murder weapons to use in your murder mysteries and thrillers. There is another rather dramatic radioactive agent—a beneficial medication at that—which could take center stage in … Continue reading

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Got Milk or Brucellosis?

I’ve often blogged about biological weapons—both those used in the past and those with potential for use in your new thriller plots. The world’s population has certainly been victim to biological warfare in the past. In 184 BC, Hannibal’s warriors … Continue reading

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Conspiracy Theory Heart Attacks

In previous blogs (here and here) I’ve discussed how to construct a murder plot using a drug or medical device that could mimic a heart attack that would be virtually undetectable as a murder—the so-called perfect murder weapon! But there … Continue reading

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TOXIDROMES: Solving The Poison Puzzle

The murders that occur in my novels and short stories often involve a lethal medicine or a poison. To create a believable plot, I make sure to do my homework to get the toxic effects of those substances correct. That’s … Continue reading

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Aconite – A Two-Edged Sword!

Many botanical compounds have important medical uses, and some of modern medicine’s most important drugs were derived initially from plant sources. However, some of these botanical compounds have a very narrow dosage range between a therapeutic effect and toxicity. This … Continue reading

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Mad As A Hatter!

More than 200 years ago, hat making was a profitable business, but it could also be a deadly one! The furs used to make felt hats were dipped in a preservative made with mercury nitrate solutions. The soaking also helped … Continue reading

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Perchloric Acid – A Versatile Murder Weapon!

Unique lethal compounds fascinate me and, as a medical thriller writer, I’m constantly on the search for new methods of murder. Today, I’d like to discuss a most interesting chemical—perchloric acid. It has deadly potential in a number of ways … Continue reading

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Transdermal Poisoning

One day last week I was talking to a doctor of physical therapy and he asked a most interesting question that I had to think about before attempting an answer. He said that he had a patient who could not … Continue reading

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