Fingerprints and Talking Bones [Hardcover]

Charlotte Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0385322992 | ISBN-13: 978-0385322997

Can a skeleton confess? Can a talking parrot actually lead the police to a suspect?



Throughout the twentieth century, important crimes have been solved with unusual clues that have required detectives to go off the beaten track and sometimes to consult with experts from scientific fields. Charlotte Foltz Jones has drawn together numerous actual accounts that illustrate the fascinatingly diverse and often surprising paths to truth. Bugs, dirt, bite marks, and even pets are all potential crime-solving clues. This page-turning book is perfect for detectives-to-be, young scientists, and all those interested in a peek at the police work that goes on behind the scenes.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kids fascinated by crime stories, science, or detective series books will have fun with this straightforward look at the technology of crime solving. Logically organized, the book includes chapters with titles such as "Get a Clue!," "Skeletons Talking," and "Body Language," each of which deals with just what its title suggests. A resourceful reader could probably base a very nice science report on this book, in fact.

Never gory or gross, and often even funny, especially when explaining things such as the reason police analyze a murder victim's stomach contents, Fingerprints and Talking Bones includes a glossary, cool crime facts, and a bibliography.

[For kids 10 and up.]

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. This fascinating book explains the many ways police and detectives use science and technology to help them solve crimes. Jones describes how things such as fibers from a carpet, shoe prints, fingerprints, and blood type have been used to expose culprits. However, the author goes beyond these familiar detection techniques to include some pretty amazing feats. For example, criminals like the Unabomber have been identified through analysis of the DNA in their saliva taken from envelopes they licked while sending threatening letters. Voice prints, bite marks, and footprints, all of which are as unique as fingerprints, are discussed as clues to help cops crack cases. The many parties that assist in investigations are outlined, such as artists who are trained to draw portraits of suspects from witnesses' descriptions; police dogs; and robots that can walk into dangerous situations and not risk injury. Be forewarned?this is not a book for the squeamish. Maggots in rotting corpses, analysis of a murder victim's stomach contents, and the way blood splatters are introduced as ways forensic evidence is used to point a finger at the guilty party. While the black-and-white illustrations are not graphic in content, they are exaggerated and some even border on the grotesque. They are uneven in quality and do little to enhance the overall presentation. Nonetheless, like Jones's Mistakes That Worked (Doubleday, 1991) and Accidents May Happen (Delacorte, 1996), Fingerprints is bound to be popular, both for reports and for curious readers wanting to know not only "who done it?" but also how.?Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385322992
• ISBN-13: 978-0385322997
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,047,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fingerprints and Talking Bones., May 31, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Fingerprints and Talking Bones (Books for Young Readers) (Paperback)

I did my review on Fingerprints and Talking Bones. It`s how real-life crimes are sloved. From geting the clue to U.S. crime facts this is a very good book. I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. It tells you storys of cases that was sloved related to that clue. For ex. it may say cats and have a story on how a crime was solved with the help of a cat. That is why I give this book 4 stars.