The Poisoner
Of all murderers, a poisoner is perhaps the cleverest and most difficult to catch...
But there's something particularly horrible about a man or woman who uses poison, as there's no doubt that theirs is a premeditated crime - and once caught there is little hope of reprieve.
This week, I listened to a Lux Radio Theater show called The Paradine Case, about a happily married London barrister, who takes on the case of a rather charming, but deadly, Italian lady who is accused of poisoning her blind, military hero husband.
It got me to thinking about why a person would consider murder, and why they choose their particular weapon of choice.
Intrigued, I decided to do a search on RUSC (my favorite feature!), to see how many other radio shows there were involving the use of poison - and the results show that it's a rather popular choice!
Whether it's a poison in the air, such as in the Case For Dr Morelle, when two scientists, while experimenting, manage to create a poisonous and noxious gas, where just a whiff of it spells sudden and certain death; to a murder committed with an object as innocent-looking as a fountain pen, such as the Front Page Drama show, The Poison Pen - there seems to be no end to the weird and wonderful imaginations of the writers of radio drama.
In the British series, Guilty Party, you can try to match your wits with a panel of experts, to solve a poisoning case. Using the various clues given in the play, Poison in the Afternoon, you can decide on a line of investigation and cross examination to enable the panel to find the 'Guilty Party'...
And not forgetting the most terrifying of them all - the shows based upon true crime - actual events in history, such as in the Suspense show, Doctor of Poison, the true story of a man historically famous as the most notorious poisoner who ever lived.
Use the Quick Search on RUSC to discover for yourself many, many shows involving unlucky poisoning victims. I'd love to know what you think if you listen to one or two. Do you prefer the fictional tales, or the ones based on real life?
Happy listening my friends,
