Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist [Hardcover]

Rod Englert (Author), Kathy Passero (Author), Ann Rule (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

Blood Secrets reveals how forensic experts read the story of a murder told in the traces of blood left behind, providing crucial evidence that has helped convict criminals who might have otherwise walked free.

When Rod Englert began his career in law enforcement, virtually no police force in the world knew how to correctly examine blood spatter. He spent years studying and testing how blood behaves, pioneering a vital new tool that is now a part of any criminal investigation. In Blood Secrets he demonstrates how detectives and forensic experts use blood-spatter analysis to solve real cases.

 

How can the police tell what type of murder weapon was used when the body is missing and all that's left is a trace of gore? How can they tell if a victim was moved, or which person in a room fired the fatal shot? Englert lays out what he's learned on a variety of intriguing cases, from puzzling murders in tiny, remote towns to the highest-profile celebrity trials--including O. J. Simpson, Robert Blake, and many others.

 

Filled with fascinating details of forensic science and real-life CSI stories, Blood Secrets shows the techniques and tools used to decipher blood spatter's code.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Proving that one person's bloody mess is another's treasure trove of clues, blood spatter analyst Englert takes readers on a fascinating journey into the study of crimson drops. Englert's first encounter with blood—and the stories it can tell—came when, as a young cop, he mistakenly assumed a bloody corpse had been the victim of an ax attack; in reality the victim had succumbed to a particularly nasty case of bleeding ulcers. He educated himself about the behavior of blood by recreating crime scenes in his Oregon barn using cow's blood and attending every available seminar on the subject. Englert presents case studies for each principle he discusses, from the varying velocities of blood spatter to the trajectory of a killer's bullet. It's easy to see why he's a favorite expert witness of prosecutors around the country, even in celebrity cases like O.J. Simpson's and Robert Blake's. With the help of reporter Passero, Englert deftly balances real-life examples and detailed scientific analysis, giving readers a richer understanding of this developing avenue of forensic science. 11 b&w photos. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

This book is rather less colorful and intriguing than the ghastly Jackson Pollock look-alikes with which blood-spatter analyst Englert works. Still, it’s highly instructive about his methods, which are the opposite of a perp’s, hence more like Pollock-boosting critic Clement Greenberg’s than the painter’s. Painter and perp are each telling stories through apparently random spattering; critic and analyst are each trying to read them. An early chapter relates how Englert’s acquisition of a cattle-raising operation inspired his interest in blood patterns. With Passero’s aid, he writes lovingly of the intricate splatter patterns resulting from slaughtering, which, once he noted them, he studied. Readers may be challenged by this particular bit of scene-setting, but plowing through it stands one in good stead when discussion turns to the case histories of famous bloody cases. Pretty good as entertainment, this book also has backgrounding value for true-crime and crime-fiction fans in its revelatory detail about the particular component of criminal investigation on which it focuses. --Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312564007
• ISBN-13: 978-0312564001
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Cop's Career -, June 22, 2010

By 

Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist (Hardcover)

"Blood Secrets" follows author Englert's police career, summarizing some of his cases and how he became a consultant on blood evidence. Readers also get a good overview on interpreting blood evidence. It's OK reading, but not particularly illuminating or spellbinding.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than blood spatter analysis, May 10, 2010

By 

J. Martens (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist (Hardcover)

Blood Secrets is not only about blood spatter analysis and crime scenes, it is about the extraordinary life of Mr. Englert. It is this style of storytelling that keeps the reader engaged and interested in every turn of the 268 page hardcover. Along with his co-author Kathy Passero, Englert walks readers through what drew him to law enforcement as a kid, the mistake he made as a rookie cop that led him to blood spatter analysis and the celebrity cases that he has been involved in.

Not only was Englert involved in modern America's best known crime case, the O.J. Simpson trial, he was also worked on celebrity cases such as Robert Blake, Bob Crane, and Selena Quintanilla-Perez. This portion of the book presents details that you have never heard from the media.

It isn't just the celebrity cases that really make this book. It wasn't even the details of the other fascinating cases that Englert has worked on. It was the little things like the tale of being arrested as a kid that ultimately lead to his career in law enforcement, and the story of a Portland area high school student that helped solved a key puzzle in a celebrity trial and cementing her interest in detective work. Those personal details take Blood Secrets from being a text book like technical true crime script and elevate it up to a popular memoir about an interesting life and career.

There is one slow section of the book while the author describes the details and intricacies of blood spatter evidence. Unless you are in law enforcement or have a deep interest in crime scene analysis, you may struggle in these pages. This detail, however, is necessary and I applaud Englert for including it. Not only does this knowledge help the reader understand the details of crimes Englert describes in later chapters, it shows would-be CSI's that detective work isn't always high tech sexy as TV shows would like us to believe.

I strongly recommend this book to many different types of readers.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read for true crime fanatics, May 2, 2010

By 

Micah (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist (Kindle Edition)

Off the bat, I was unduly impressed by Ann Rule's Foreward to the book. Even without her high praises, the book stands on its own.
The case studies were fascinating, and it was extremely informational without being preachy.
The only times the book dragged a bit was when he talked about his work trips. I was more interested in the crime element of the book versus the autobiographical aspect.
I was really surprised about his findings in the OJ Simpson case. I don't understand why they never introduced that evidence at the trial. It seems like with the author's findings, there's no way any jury would have voted to not convict.
Anyways, if you are a true crime fanatic like me, you'll find this book a captivating read!