One of the joys of plotting a new book is choosing how you'll kill off the villian.
Sure guns are quicker,
and not half as messy as tainted liquor.
(I just wrote that 'coz I liked the way it rhymed, teehee.)
Recently, I researched poisons for a future novel. As you can imagine, there are a hella lot to choose from. My criteria for the right one was quite specific: the perpetrator, a female, was meeting the victim in a location of the victim's choosing, and had never been there before. She didn't even know that the victim—someone who had wronged her in the past—was going to be there, so her choice was spur-of-the-moment.
My plot twist:
The choice wasn't that of the perpetrator, but of the victim.
I'll let you know when the book is published so that you can see which poison was used, and how it fit into the plot in such a surprising way.
The choice didn't come out of thin air. Like all things murder I write, I use some various murdercraft resources.
One of my favorites on poisons is a podcast:
Mystery writers love it because its fabulous moderator is an MD who knows her stuff: in this case, toxic substances.
It is an interactive podcast, so you're asked to guessed the best way to determine a prognosis. Even if you guess wrong, Dr. JP explains the science behind the both choices, which is a great way to internalize the science involved, even if that wasn't your favorite class in school.
(Sheepishly raising my hand here.)
Speaking of favorite classes in school, which was yours?
You'll be happy to know that books will never be the death of you.
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