From Publishers Weekly
Baden, a leading forensic pathologist and host of HBO's Autopsy, and Roach (Another Name for Madness) are a dynamic pair, delving into delightfully creepy material that can potentially bring murderers to justice or free an innocent on death row. Baden is a methodical and ethical medical examiner and consummate scientist. Every page reveals another aspect of the forensic sciences, leading the reader into the Cimmerian world of autopsies, murder scenes, blood-splatter analysis, the life cycles of blowflies in carrion, DNA fingerprinting and the methods for identifying unknown victims by their skulls, teeth and bones. The authors also touch upon the obscure yet fruitful fields of forensic botany and climatology. The material is exhaustive, yet the journey is never less than fascinating. For the reader (with a strong stomach) interested in the juncture of crime, law and science, this book is chock-full of practical information about death by unnatural means. The account is replete with a cast of weird, amiable characters, historical insights (where else this year will readers learn that Paul Revere took the first step in forensic odontology?), and reverence for the scientific study of the dead. Baden and Roach invite the outsider into the laboratory with a gripping sense of immediacy, and conversely, they bring the usually hidden forensic sciences into the light of day.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Forensic science is a fascinating and complex subject. Baden and Roach simplify the details but retain the interesting aspects and serve up exciting and illuminating cases culled from Baden's extensive background as former Chief Medical Examiner for New York City. His curriculum vitae includes a stint as the chief forensic pathologist for the Congressional Select Committee on Assassinations investigations into the deaths of JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. Readers follow along during an autopsy, learn about bloodstain pattern analysis, discover the importance of insect analysis performed on corpses, and are introduced to the methods used to reconstruct faces from skeletons. All the information is presented in an easy-to-understand format, with plenty of grizzly detail. The crime-scene gaffs that derailed the O. J. Simpson trial, how DNA evidence has established the innocence of some wrongfully imprisoned prisoners, and the tests that determined the cause of Princess Diana's fatal accident are also addressed. Black-and-white photos add interest. Those who are interested in crime, criminal sciences, or just intrigued by science in general will find it difficult to put down this well-written and authoritative book.
Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
