Tag Archives: Murder Mayhem and Medicine

Killers from the Sea – Part 2

Posted on October 17, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog we talked about the pufferfish and it’s lethal tetrodotoxin as a murder weapon.  Today I’d like to discuss a couple of other interesting sea toxins that could be used as instruments of murder to kill off characters in your … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Ciguatera, Ciguatera Poisoning, Saxitoxin, Saxitoxin Poisoning, Weapons From the Sea | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Killers from the Sea – Part 1

Posted on October 10, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog, I discussed Water Poisons, specifically Cyanobacteria and Red Tide.  Today I want to dive deeper (pun intended) into the subject of sea toxins and discuss one of my favorites: Fugu. Specifically, Fugu is the Japanese pufferfish and … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Fugu Poisoning, Pufferfish Poisoning, Tetrodotoxin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Water Poisons

Posted on October 3, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

“Water, water every where, and nor any drop to drink.”  This quote from The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge came to mind the other day while watching news feeds regarding a spectacular increase in TOXIC … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Neurological Poisons, Toxic Bloom Poisoning, Water Poisons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Hyphens and Dashes

Posted on September 26, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Hyphens and dashes are two distinctly different punctuation marks and a proper understanding of each will avoid embarrassing mistakes in your writing.  Will anyone get MURDERED as a result of using the wrong one in the wrong place?  No, but their proper … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Hyphens, Hyphens and Dashes, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Punctuation Marks, Use of Dashes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 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

DRUGS and BIOTERRORISM

Posted on August 15, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Terrorism is defined as the use of force or violence against people and property.  That action is labeled BIOTERRORISM when the violence involves the intentional release of biological agents (such as, bacteria, viruses or toxins). Bacteria and viruses are microorganisms that live … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-Defense, Biological Warfare, Bioterrorism, Drugs and Bioterrorism, Drugs Used For Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

NEUROSCIENCE – A New Frontier

Posted on July 25, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The term neuroscience has been given significant press in the last few days because of the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings.  I was fascinated with the reference for two reasons: first, it was the field of study of James Holmes, the alleged … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado Shootings, Movie Massacre, Neuroscience | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Why Do People Kill?

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

It’s a simple question, but people have been asking it for centuries.  In my search for answers, I came across expert opinions that amounted to conflicting information.  In this enlightened age of science and technology, there are numerous methods to … Continue reading →

Posted in Why People Kill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Definition of Murder

Posted on July 12, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This post initiates a new series that I’m calling Prescription for Murder.  Each week I’ll reflect on some aspect of the criminal act known as MURDER.  In most any reference, its defined as an unlawful killing with malice.  The words … Continue reading →

Posted in The Definition of Murder, The Psychology of Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments