I had not been expecting to pick up such an incredibly beautiful book when I went to get my library holds, but this book is STUNNING, featuring so many design elements of arsenic green. Perrin’s work as an illustrator and letterer came to the forefront, and her writing is engaging and conversational. I am going to be very sad to give it back to the library once my renewal is over. It’s a beautiful blend of being a book you can flip through for the section headers and illustrated pages featuring the poisoners (not all poisoners get full page art, but most do) and one that you can read straight through or stop and read any section or chapter whenever you feel like it. Perrin put a lot of work into the introductory chapters to lay out the history of poisoning and our understanding of poisons, and the poisons most likely to make an appearance in the book. Similarly, Perrin lays out her sources by chapter in the back of the book, making it incredibly simple to do a deeper dive into the poisoners who may have caught your attention more than the others.