Every Contact Leaves a Trace: Crime Scene Experts Talk About Their Work from Discovery Through Verdict (Hardcover)

by Connie Fletcher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Fletcher adopts the same approach to the world of CSI that she previously used with success in What Cops Know. Excerpts from more than 80 interviews with experts at various stages of the criminal justice process, including some well-known names, such as Dr. Henry Lee and Blue Blood's Ed Conlon, acquaint the uninitiated reader with the vast differences between television and reality. Ultra–high tech isn't always necessary for crime solving, Fletcher shows; qualified forensic scientists can make a big difference in the search for justice even in small communities with limited resources. Many of those she spoke with express chagrin that the popular fiction TV series has given the public a false impression of the resources available to the average police force and the pace at which the analyses of DNA or trace evidence occur. One especially well-crafted section contrasts the efforts to identify 9/11 victims with a small Midwestern town's search for the killer of a young girl. Some of the entries are a little skimpy, but readers will be drawn in to the longer excerpts and the basics of how crime scene evidence is examined. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In her fifth book, Fletcher returns to territory she first wrote about in What Cops Know (1991), an intimate oral history that shines the spotlight on the work of the men and women of the Chicago Police Department. Law-enforcement personnel are an integral part of this book, too, but while widening her purview from Chicago to the entire U.S., Fletcher has narrowed her focus to the management of trace evidence--from crime scene to lab to courtroom. A brief introduction heads each of the topically organized chapters, which comprise smoothly edited comments, ranging from a paragraph to a page, contributed by police, DNA analysts, crime-scene reconstructionists, and other forensic specialists. Filled with gruesome, tragic, fascinating, and sometimes even strangely funny details, the speakers' testimonies seek to blunt the horrors they observe every day. The responsibilities and the challenges of the work come clear, as does the supreme irony that scientific advances during the last decade, the proof that "every contact leaves a trace," have made catching criminals both easier and more difficult. Contributors are identified at the back of the book. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312340370
• ISBN-13: 978-0312340377
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #888,269 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting potpourri of bits about forensics, November 29, 2006

By	Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This is a collection of excerpts from interviews with more than 80 police officers, homicide investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys and, most importantly, criminal forensics technicians and scientists.

There is no "story" here, no unifying theme or grand scheme. It's just bits and pieces about the underlying premise that every contact at a crime scene leaves a trace of itself. Broken into nine chapters, the book covers crime scene processing, crime scene interpretation, trace evidence, evidence from bodies, DNA, what goes on in the crime lab, the reality of cold cases and the rigors of tesifying at trials.

In a way, the treatment is almost too light, not really providing detailed information about the various forensic disciplines examined. However, that may be a blessing since many of the disciplines are very, very complex.

Instead, Fletcher allows the real-life players to talk about their work, how it fits into the criminal justice process and their own feelings about being confronted with death and mayhem. Some of the interviewees were apparently not very articulate and the excerpts could have benefited from some editing.

On the whole, Fletcher provides a solid overview of forensics in the real world and demolishes without trying the myths perpetuated by CSI and other television concoctions.

Jerry

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read, November 13, 2006

By	L. Smith (Kerrville, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was an interesting book. It was a fascinating look into a world most of us never see. Should be required reading for criminals so they realize that the police will not give up and every crime has evidence left behind.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the Real Deal not Fiction, August 1, 2007

By	Michael Allan Mallory (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

If you want to know what REAL criminalists do and how they behave at a crime scene then this is the book for you. To hear what actual forensic technicians have to say about their craft in their own voices is Connie Fletcher's strength.

What makes this book so valuable is the number of experts she interviewed and the range of skills represented. Real criminalistics ain't like CSI and several of the professionals in this book want you to know it!