Customer Reviews

The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and learned much from it. I think, however, that the author tries to accomplish too much, and thereby leaves the reader with too little. The book is separated alphabetically into types of forensic detection methods (e.g., ballistics, fingerprints, etc.) and separated further within each category into case studies presented in chronological order. Thus, there are a number of case studies under each subject (usually 4-6) describing the chronological development of the forensic detection method at issue. The problem comes when the author tries to squeeze 100 separate case studies into this system. While almost all the case studies are interesting, and many absolutely fascinating, there simply is not enough space for each case study. Often, the author cannot provide enough detail to truly satisfy the reader. Some case studies are placed under one heading although the criminal was really caught primarily through another method (while this does not detract much from the forensic detection method being discussed, it does detract from the overall reading experience). The author would have been better off making the book longer or cutting down on the number of case studies while lengthening the description of each. Nevertheless, I still recommend this book for an introduction to the wide array of criminal forensic detection methods. The case studies are interesting and well written.

The "case studies" in this book read like a Jr. High essay - they lack substance and information and have nothing to keep the attention of the reader.

Each case is laid out in the same format - where the guilty are indicated immediately (often with negative adjectives describing them), it is stated that (fill in the blank) technology was used (without any real scientific explanation of the technology), and then it is stated that the guilty was caught due to the science (which was never described).

If all you want to know about forensic science is case names and dates, you might like this book. If you would actually like to learn about the processes used and how the technology works, you may be more than a little disappointed.

The book was somewhat well-written, and parts were certainly enjoyable, but there is nothing that you can find here that you cannot find in greater detail and with more useful information somewhere else. The case notes were frequently short enough that you would have no real interest in the case, and it read more like a How-To book for someone interested in writing a medico-legal thriller, as long as the person writing that just wanted a lot of really general information without actually knowing enough of what they are talking about. If you really want a good general interest forensics book, check out What The Corpse Revealed by Hugh Miller. In short, the book had a lot of information in it, but none of it was unavailable or more useful here than other sources.

This is the perfect starter book for anyone interested in forensics. It is organized by forensic discipline, then chronologically within each section. The author covers a number of famous cases, but has also included many more that are obscure, but equally fascinating. Each case is described ecomonically, but there is enough detail given to fully describe the case and the forensic techniques used to solve it. The writing is plain, precise, and jargon-free.

This book is also an excellent reference volume. The index and table of contents make it easy to find a specific case and I refer to this book often while reading other true crime or forensics book for names, dates, etc.

Anyone looking for a well-written, informative forensic science book need go no further than this book.

I feel that this book is a good introduction to the history of forensic detection and really gave me an appreciation the amazing things that various agencies & investigators can accomplish with little clues and/or little physical evidence.

I liked how the book was organized by sub-sections of disciplines (ie. Identifications of remains, ballistics, etc.)and how each case was broken out separately -- it allowed me to pick up the book whenever I could instead of having to read the whole thing in order to understand the overall point.

Being naturally curious and inquisitive, I found myself longing for more facts about some of the cases -- this is my only criticism of this book.

This book was really, really great. It's such that you can read it over and over. I really like it because if one story doesn't particularly interest you (barely any in here!), it'll be over in a few pages and you can get onto the next one. It's awesome. I LOVE forensics, and it's often way cooler to study when IT REALLY HAPPENED- in your world, perhaps even in your lifetime. If you like forensics and collections of short stories, then this is the PERFECT book for you. Buy it; you won't be sorry!!

This is an ideal book for a student of forensic science or law, who may need help to find out various cases for their studies. It gives a guide to many different cases throughout the last century, with enough detail for the student to be able to do further research.

Each new section has a brief review of what the subject matter is eg Ballistics. Colin tells a little of what ballistics is about, including some history, then he writes a little about the subject of firearms and then what can happen when firearms are fired. Other subjects covered are Cause of Death, Disputed Documents, DNA Typing, Explosives and Fire, Fingerprinting, Forensic Anthropology, Odontology, Psychological Profiling, Identification of Remains, Serology, Time of Death, Toxicology, Trace Evidence and Voiceprints.

The appendix in the book is on Forensic Pioneers and Their Cases and here Colin lists 9 forensic scientists giving their year of birth and if dead, their year of death, also a brief outline of their career or some other pertinent detail, with a list of the significant cases which they worked on.

This book is well written and with enough detail to give those who are not involved in this field a very enjoyable read.

This is a fascinating book if you can put up with a murder every few pages, knowing that these murders took place in real life.
The author weaves information about the history of each method of detection in with the details of each crime -- kind of like Crichton's book "Five Patients." The author is occasionally given to a little bit of hyperbole, but it's an excellent read for anyone interested in forensics.
Here's one of the stories: It's about a woman who planted cyanide-laced Excedrin in various stores, to cover up the fact that she used cyanide-laced Excedrin to kill her husband. The twist is that when her husband died, the doctor mistakenly recorded the cause as emphysema, not poison. Because of the mistaken diagnosis of the cause of her husband's death, the widow/ murderer would only have gotten $31,000 insurance, instead of the $176,000 insurance she would have gotten if his death was accidental poisoning. She wanted the extra money badly enough that not only did she call the doctor several times to ask him if he could have been mistaken, but she called the police to ask if her husband's death could be related to a local cyanide/Excedrin death (caused by her planted Excedrin in a drug store causing an innocent death).
Investigating as she requested, not only did the police prove that her husband was poisoned, but the police proved that she was the one who did the poisoning, earning her a 90-year prison sentence.

For anyone interested in the history of forensic science, this is a great introductory guide. Yes, the cases are old, but the point of the book -- as laid out in the introduction -- is specifically to show the history and development of the various branches of forensic science. While it feels a little morbid to be reading it so avidly, the descriptions of the cases are compelling enough to overcome that reaction.

My one quibble would be that the book doesn't include enough on the controversies surrounding some aspects of forensic science. It makes the development read like a triumphal progress, when there have been -- and continue to be -- valid questions about the use, potential for abuse, and the proper handling of science in the courts. Still, it's a great introduction, and if my reading is any example, it will whet your interest for further explorations. Don't expect an in-depth treatment here, but do expect a good quick introduction.

I just recently finished reading this excellent novel about science. I loved this book. If I could reccommend this book to a student in the highschool I would. This book is great for teenagers on up who are interested on learning about forensic sciences.