Customer Reviews

A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes

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Goff's informal writing style makes this a readable book for the entomological novice or the crime solving professional. Every mystery novelist should read this book. The natural course of recycling is a wonderful process--I was reminded of the fleeting course of human life compared to the creatures who have lived on the planet for over 300 million years.

A fascinating book-- well-written, horrifically detailed and creepy. It occupies a place of honor on my bookshelf between Hans Zimmer's Rats, Lice and History and MacNeill's Plagues and Peoples.

This book is required reading for mystery writers, because it contains unlimited new material for creating better mysteries. Mystery readers will enjoy it too, as they sense new elements of potential complexity for future novels in the genre. Sherlock Holmes loved to read monographs, just like this one.

I do suggest that those who are easily upset by the details of death avoid this book. Although the pictures are not graphic (except as drawings about various insects), the descriptions of the murder victims and what the insects do to them are quite graphic. There was a good reason, after all, why many of the original English murder mysteries had the murder and the investigation of the body occur outside the main line of the story.

If you like forensic detection (such as occurs in the Cornwell and Elkins mysteries), this will be right up your alley.

Forensic entomologists observe what insects are present (and their state of development) to determine time of death and the time when the body was put into its current location. They can also sometimes tell something about where the body has been before.

There are a lot of variables, such as temperature, humidity, where the body is, whether it is covered or not, and so forth. Dr. Goff describes his many experiments with animal carcasses to find out how these factors affect the results.

The book is half science, and half cases that Dr. Goff and others have worked on where these principles have been applied.

In the future, the insects may even be sources of DNA data to help identify the guilty party.

You will also get a sense of how this evolving science came into being, what it is like to serve as a consulting expert in the field, and the strains of being an expert witness in trials.

With the help of these insects, though, justice will be done more often. That is something we should all be glad about, as well as the fact that there are scientists willing to take on these grisly, smelly chores for our society. Well done, Dr. Goff!

This book is an excellent example of the benefits of overcoming the Ugly Duckling stall: Avoiding the unattractive by assuming that it is worthless. After you finish reading this excellent book, I suggest you also consider where unattractive activities can yield valuable clues for improving your organization. For example, what does the waste look like that you throw away? Have you looked at it lately? If not, you may be surprised. You will get ideas for how to avoid the waste by knowing what to work on, and you will also know what the potential savings are. Where else can you look that everyone sees, but no one concentrates on?

This book succeeds at all levels. He has hard science a layperson can follow. He has history as he was in on the process of forensic entymology becoming a recognized field. He has case histories. He has thoughts on being a forensic entymologist. ("I know a life can be radically changed, even ended by my testimony.") And he has funny parts (really) that you can buttonhole your family to read to them aloud. Goff seems an honorable and compassionate man. I want to read his thoughts. I've read any number of books on forensic science for the lay reader so it isn't often anymore that I learn so much new. I had not read one on bugs before and recommend this one with enthusiasm.

I initially picked up the book after an interview Dr. Goff gave on NPR's Fresh Air piqued my interest. The book is at once a macabre and fascinating read. Dr. Goff succeeds in being detached while relating some very sordid, horrifying accounts in a very easy to read fashion. My only mistake was reading this book while eating at a Japanese restaurant. Rest assured, like me, after reading this book, you will never look at flies, or food, the same way again (even now, I often wonder where flies I see about have previously been before).

Part true crime, part science fact, this book sheds light on an interesting, growing, and increasingly important area of criminology. Similar in fashion to the techniques depicted in the book, The Silence of the Lambs, this book gives an in-depth treatment of the way insects have been used not only to determine the time of death, but also solve crimes.

I found the history of the field of forensic entomology, which easily goes back some one hundred years, to be quite fascinating. Dr. Goff also relates to the reader some of the ways fly larvae can potentially be used for the benefit of the living, such as the medicinal uses of wound cleaning and anti-coagulant properties of larvae.

Moreover, I was also touched by the compassion Dr. Goff has for the victims, both living and dead, of violent crime. To do the kind of work he does requires a certain amount of cold detachment (otherwise many could not do it), yet Dr. Goff never forgets that the victims were once human beings. As such, though he has understandably been the subject of more than a few TV dramas, he himself does not try to sensationalize his work. In addition to relating the horrific and sordid, he also gives the reader a hefty dose of the mundane, tedious, and frustrating, as he relates the red tape involved in doing his experiments and the often annoying complications of being involved in all facets of a murder investigation.

This is a fascinating read. Dr. Goff has so captivated me that I am thinking of enrolling in the forensic entomology class offered at UC Davis in the spring, if my stomach can stand it!

Reading this book makes one realize how we are part of the circle of life. Our bodies are part of a cycle and this book graphically describes the process of decomposition. This book provides details on how a forensic entomologist can document the time of death, based upon several factors on the scene, to include the decomposition of the body, bugs that are nearby and other environmental factors.

This book is well written and the illustrations are superb. I recommend this book to any investigator, detective or mystery/crime writers.

I am not one to enjoy death and crime scenes; however, I found it hard to put down "A Fly for the Prosecution" because each case drew me in with its interesting puzzles and unique details. The author Lee Goff writes in first person describing over 20 cases in which he explains with further detail exactly how he tries to solve each crime; each model has its own distinctive characteristics about solving the various stages of insect larvae. Once a person dies and is exposed to the outdoors, insects especially flies will lay their eggs on the body so evidence from insects can help establish the time of the murder and where it happened.

Moreover, there are numerous insects that feed off one another creating a diverse pool of insects to classify. The standard procedure it seems is to preserve half of the insects found in their larval stage and grow the other half to determine the type of species it has become. This will greatly improve results in finding the time of death depending on the growth cycle of that particular insect. This author and Professor of Entomology at University of Hawaii has been called upon to decipher the forensic evidence of many crimes collaborating with the FBI. In addition, Mr. Goff explains his observations and data in understandable terms making it easy for the first time reader of biological information.

Something to note is that insects are unique in that they do have common blueprints of development, yet there is always variability in their specific developmental trajectory and behavior. Take for example a crime scene observation where bow flies began activity at night when they are normally not functioning at night. Another big factor effecting evidence is climate of the surroundings where a body might be found: temperature, weather conditions such as snow, rain, humidity, etc. The decomposition of the body attracts maggots and other insects that are analyzed for forensic purposes. Slight changes in temperature can affect the habits of life cycle and increase or decrease any certain stage for the eggs and larvae; since maggots are hard to classify when they are still in their larval stage, they are often reared to determine the type of species.

Certain species of flies are attracted to a post-mortem body instantly whereas other flies need time for the body to decompose before harvesting their eggs. Many times wounds and open areas present great conditions for infestation making it easier for the various flies to feed on the moist skin tissues as their source of food. An extremely fascinating fact uncovered by Goff proved that diverse conditions in which the body is discovered plays a key role in forensic entomology. A body that is found on the ground, in the air, covered up, buried, or other possible ways have a variety of influential factors that impact the timing insects will colonize a body. He investigated the importance of environmental conditions by experimenting with 50-pound pigs because they most closely simulate the environment created by humans. I recognized this instantly before it was mentioned for the reason that I had viewed a CSI television show creating exactly the same procedures using forensic entomology (as also stated by M. Lee Goff himself). Although his main focus was on maggots and other Diptera larvae, he does devote a chapter to other various "bugs" which prey on flies and can be found on bodies.

Burned victims represent an unusual challenge for forensic entomology. Goff describes how burning increases postmortem interval timing of insect colonization and decay. What's more, drugs consumed by the human were seen to be evident in the maggots and maggot casing left behind during the pupal stage. Similar to the pig experiment, rabbits were used for the experimental use of drug reactions in insects (post-death of the animal). In rare cases, insects will begin to harvest while the body is still living though usually they do not infest until after decomposition has begun. The author contemplates almost all possibilities of body location and their entomological effects on it. Goff has a wonderful approach in discussing an unpleasant subject of crimes. This author is very credible and has had quite an experience in the forensic entomology field.

This book raised my curiosity with each new sentence in wanting to know more about how the cases are solved (and sometimes left unresolved unfortunately). I would highly recommend Forensic Entomology to anyone wanting to learn more about this field or even simply just to have a new perspective on insects and their importance on human life. One of many distinguishable features this book offers is that it speaks to you on a personal level unlike what is expected, not bland at all. I highly enjoyed this fantastic book.

A wonderful triumph for M. Lee Goff! Yet another forensic masterpiece that I did not want to end. His comforting, empathetic, thorough coverage of the material was engrossing and tantalizing. I hope he will grace us with another treasure such as this. His success is well worth the "gross-out" factor (others - not moi). Very readable and yet mesmorizing.

Goff is a forensic entomologist, basically someone who figures out how long someone has been dead by the insects on, in, or under the body. The book is a tale both historical and technical about the subject: historical in that it provides many examples of his work over the years, and technical in that he provides a good overview of just what he's looking for-which insects he expects to appear at what time.

His style is clear and frequently understated, as when he relates that some of his colleagues were somewhat put out when it was found that one of his labs did not vent to the outside as it was supposed to.

Anyhow, this is a fascinating if somewhat grisly read about an unusual but surprisingly significant subject. Just don't read it when you're eating!

Although I consider this books a "good read," it did make my skin crawl.

I would recommend it to anyone with a strong constitution and no particular fondness for pigs (you'll understand when you read the book).