bjmagnani
Maybe You Can Judge a Bookcover by its Color
At a recent mystery writer’s conference, a panelist discussed book cover colors and mentioned that green had been considered a color that...
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bjmagnani
Jun 13 min read
The Russians Have a Tender Spot For Poison
The title of this blog is a line from my 2019 novel The Queen of All Poisons, spoken by Chad, Dr. Lily Robinson’s Agency contact. “You...
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bjmagnani
Dec 14, 20232 min read
Not Chocolate!
I love a good cup of hot cocoa or a large square of almond-laden dark chocolate bark this time of year. And I wouldn’t turn down double...
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bjmagnani
Aug 28, 20231 min read
Toxic Crossword #1
Try your hand at identifying these poisons. Good luck! --Dr. Lily Robinson Answers below All rights reserved bjmagnani.com
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bjmagnani
Jul 31, 20233 min read
Maybe it’s Almonds, Maybe it’s Not
In 1982 seven people died in the greater Chicago area after cyanide was substituted in acetaminophen capsules sold in stores. Once the...
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bjmagnani
Jun 29, 20232 min read
Not Singing in the Rain
The umbrella had been modified to inject a small pellet that contained a lethal toxin. In 1978 Gyorgi Markov, a Bulgarian journalist, was...
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bjmagnani
May 25, 20232 min read
Mad Honey
Mad about that cup of tea? Honey pours from the bottle in slow motion—the thick syrup forming a column of sweet goodness that dissolves...
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bjmagnani
Apr 30, 20233 min read
Stained Glass Windows
A picture puzzle in small pieces. During my medical training, my team encountered a case of a child with developmental delays. Not...
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bjmagnani
Mar 22, 20232 min read
March Madness: Maybe it’s the Hat
“Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, how I wonder what you’re at.” So starts the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland...
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bjmagnani
Feb 10, 20232 min read
Love Potions: Spanish Fly or Poisonous Beetle?
Are you sitting dreamily with a vision of a potential lover in your life? Ignite the romance with flowers, chocolate, poetry, or perhaps,...
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bjmagnani
Jan 25, 20232 min read
The Surprising Relationship Between Wintergreen and Aspirin
I remember riding my horse on trails through the New York woods as a child and stopping to break off a twig of the black birch tree,...
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bjmagnani
Dec 5, 20223 min read
Oh No! Kitty and Fido Just Ate That Food!
Kitty’s licking her paws after walking in nutmeg sprinkled on the kitchen counter, and Fido just gobbled the dark chocolate that dropped...
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bjmagnani
Nov 24, 20222 min read
What’s That in Your Pumpkin Pie?
Isn’t it the dose that makes the poison? Paracelsus, the Swiss physician, born in the late 1400s, is credited with saying, “What is there...
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bjmagnani
Oct 25, 20222 min read
A Witches Brew
“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” The Three Witches brewed prophesy for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but what...
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bjmagnani
Sep 22, 20222 min read
Every Number is a Life
91,799. This is the number of people who died in 2020 from a drug overdose. And more than 932,000 people have died since 1999. About 75%...
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bjmagnani
Aug 30, 20222 min read
The Death Cap
One side will make you grow taller, and the other side… Well, actually, no. Either side will kill you. But nonetheless, the mushroom...
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bjmagnani
Jul 27, 20223 min read
‘The Hundred Pacer’—A Walk on the Wild Side
It’s believed that after the victim is bitten, he or she will be able to walk only a hundred paces before perishing. In regions where the...
1,882 views
bjmagnani
Jun 27, 20222 min read
The Assassin's Hand
The Box Jellyfish or Sea Wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is perhaps the world’s most venomous creature. The name is derived from Chiron—the...
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bjmagnani
May 23, 20222 min read
Magic and Misery—Poppies Will Make You Sleep
Many drugs and medicines obtained from nature are medical miracles. The number of plant species on the planet is around 400,000, but only...
356 views
bjmagnani
Apr 21, 20222 min read
In the Shape of a Question Mark
Hidden in the darkest crevices lurks a creature capable of delivering a lethal sting—the scorpion. All scorpions are venomous, but only...
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