Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers [Hardcover]

Michael Baden (Author), Marion Roach (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0684867583 | ISBN-13: 978-0684867588 | Publication Date: September 11, 2001

In a forty-year career Michael Baden has conducted more than 20,000 autopsies. Considered one of the world's leading forensic pathologists, he was New York City medical examiner from 1960 to 1985 and is now co-director of the New York State Police Medicolegal Investigation Unit. The host of the popular program Autopsy on HBO, Dr. Baden brings riveting stories and expert analysis to Dead Reckoning.

The authors go to the crime scene, take readers to the autopsy table in the morgue and practically place the scalpel in the reader's hand to show how advances in forensic science are solving crimes as never before. They visit cases both famous and ordinary to explain why the first hour at a crime scene is crucial. They reveal for the first time how a key clue to the killer of Nicole Brown Simpson was lost during the transportation of her body to the morgue. In another case, they show how something as obscure as the imprint of a button on a dead man's skin was overlooked until months later when, while reviewing the crime-scene photos, Dr. Baden saw it, causing the case to take an astonishing turn.

Baden and Roach invite readers to be present at the analysis of soil, plant matter, insects, blood spatters, bone, teeth, hair, weather, and other crime-scene evidence to witness how the startling accuracy of science can improve the chances of a just verdict.

Editorial Reviews

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.

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684867583
• ISBN-13: 978-0684867588
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning information, entertainingly delivered!, August 27, 2001

By 

Mary E. Orr (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers (Hardcover)

This is what you get when you mix a brilliant and principled scientist with a passionately curious and witty writer. Dr. Baden and Ms. Roach educate and entertain the reader, yet never let you forget that these are the stories of real people, victims and their families who deserve justice. How science can serve up justice in many new and old cases and why it has failed, or been prevented from doing so in others, makes for some very good story-telling. I was fascinated to learn about "Blood School" in Corning, New York and the eccentric, fun-loving forensic entomologist who teaches the relationship between corpses and bugs on his farm in Indiana. There is new information on the Nicole Brown/Ronald Goldman and the Jon Benet Ramsey murder cases, as well as details about Princess Diana's death, but the writing is never exploitive or sensational, just an honest review of mistakes made and lessons learned. Anyone whose work brings them this close to deep and devastating tragedy on a daily basis could be forgiven if they exhibited a "scientific detachment" or even a degree of dark humor about the work. I was however impressed throughout with what I would describe as Dr. Baden's "scientific attachment" and non-waivering respect in handling and describing the remains of victims. There is welcome dark comic relief mixed into Ms. Roach's descriptions of the aformentioned Blood School, Bug School and the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Reno, Nevada which will let you in on a secret passion of Wayne Newton's that I promise will surprise and amuse. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, was educated by it and comforted by the dedication to justice of the authors and their colleagues in this fascinating profession.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Details, April 19, 2002

By 

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers (Hardcover)

I think I read this book over a weekend. It just kept me glued to the chair; the book was just that interesting. The book talks about what the medical examiner does to determine the cause of death and what evidence he / she can gather from the body. The book is not for the very week at heart, but it is not overly graphic or gross. The author just details so many interesting procedures and processes that you want to learn more. If you are interested in true crime or even the fictionalized versions this is a must read book. Even general reader's will like this book, it is that fast paced and gripping.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down, September 1, 2001

By 

Ben T. Larson "lastliberal" (Leesburg, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers (Hardcover)

I'll admit it. On Tuesday nights, I am glued to Discovery to watch the forensic scientists at work. I am not in law enforcement and am not a scientist, I just love how they do the job of catching criminals. Dr. Baden's book is one of those that you have to keep reading once you get started. It is full of science, but doesn't overwhelm you. It is full of interesting people like Dr. Henry Lee. It is full of criminals and how they were caught or how the innocent were set free using science. I was so impressed, that I immediately ordered four more books on the subject, including one of Dr. Badens. This is a must read!