Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this gruesomely fascinating book, former journalist and renowned suspense novelist McDermid (The Skeleton Road) explains the science behind solving crimes. Based on interviews with crime scene investigators, such as a man who gathers maggots off dead bodies and a woman who analyzes blood spatter, McDermid recounts vivid case histories of violent crimes and details how they were solved using pathology, toxicology, anthropology, fingerprinting, facial reconstruction, and other forensic disciplines. Chapters on DNA technology and digital forensics highlight recent mind-stretching advancements in forensics, while other chapters discredit the theories set forth in the popular CSI television shows. The book is a mix of science and true crime accounts. The majority of the Scottish author's sources are from the U.K., as are the case histories-including the infamous Stardust disco fire in England's Derbyshire and the case of Colin Pitchfork, the first person in the U.K. to be convicted of double murder on the basis of DNA evidence. Fans of McDermid's fiction will gain a greater understanding of where her ideas come from. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory & Company (U.K.). (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Using historical examples, author -McDermid (Killing the Shadows) brings to life the various subspecialties within forensic science to show how, and how well, the theories work in practice. The distinct treatment-one chapter on entomology, the next on pathology, and so on-and the juxtaposition within the chapters of histories and case studies produces the experience of reading an introductory forensic science textbook, minus all the colorful photos and elucidative marginalia. While this might leave the academic reader feeling shortchanged, the average reader will be more than satisfied with a no-frills primer. Additionally, McDermid's experience as a crime writer and former journalist allows her to present the facts of the individual illustrative cases in compelling ways. Currency of the material is ensured through the use of recent court cases and consultation with practicing forensic scientists. VERDICT This title will primarily be relevant to readers with a general interest in forensic science/criminalistics, casual academics, true crime aficionados, and fans of McDermid's other works.-Ricardo Laskaris, York Univ. Lib., Toronto © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
From a bestselling mystery author, a curiosity-fueled look at the realities behind crime science. Scotland-based McDermid (The Skeleton Road, 2014, etc.) has published 29 novels, but she approaches the grisly realities of crime scenes and corpses with a neophyte's sense of wonder. In the preface, she notes that "crime fiction proper only began with an evidence-based legal system [that] those pioneering scientists and detectives bequeathed us." True to this notion of a historical debt, the author discusses forensic science's development by identifying the first cases solved by insect analysis, ballistics, and other once-radical tactics. She focuses on topics ranging from toxicology and blood spatter to innovations in DNA replication and forensic anthropology. For each, she provides an approachable scientific overview and a narrative of significant cases, interspersed with commentary from top forensic investigators (one of whom tartly observes about her peers' formidable senses of certainty, "they are not being trained to think that an opinion is an opinion"). McDermid is clearly fascinated by odd, obscure historical detailse.g., the French once called arsenic "inheritance powder"; fingerprinting was used in India and Argentina before it was trusted in England or America. The author establishes that public interest in forensics is nothing new; since the early 20th century, these new types of scientists were made into celebrities by "scores of journalists, hungry for a scientist foils serial killer' headline." McDermid emphasizes the meticulousness of these professionals and claims that they learn from flawed cases, which become notorious among them, and for good reason: "If it suits the [defense] lawyer's narrative, they will undermine first a scientist's testimony and then their good name." The author concludes by arguing that accelerating innovations in forensic science make the apprehension of violent felons ever likelier, noting how DNA technology has solved numerous cold cases, and forensic anthropology has proved equally useful for investigating child pornographers and mass graves in Kosovo. A satisfying insider's excursion into the scientific realities behind CSI-style pop culture. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
