Customer Reviews

Hidden Evidence: Forty True Crimes and How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm always a little leary of saying a book like this is fun. I don't want people to think that forensics is anything but a serious science, and one that is unfortunately used way too often in this world. I've always wondered why I am fascinated by this particular field, and it worries me less it says something bad about me. However, I can say that of all the professions especially in the sciences, forensics is the one that comes nearest to being able to solve puzzles and mysteries and still manage to get paid for it! When I see a book like Owen's I find it is hard to put the book down. Like other reviewers, I wish the author had put more information in the book about the techniques and the crimes. I did not recognize some of the crimes, so when the author refers back to them it is difficult to understand where the technique was used. The photography and graphics were phenomenol. For someone like me, who is deaf, graphic presentation is as important as the written presentation of the science. I feel like the author got all these pictures (and that was a lot of work doing this research, because I have not seen many of the pictures before)and did a rush job on the writing part. The book is still very good, and I think this is a valid book to refer to for people who are deciding whether or not to go into the particular field as a career. It is basic, but it provides enough information and 'gore' to see if a person can stand dealing with the awful situations in which forensic scientists are called upon to view. I know in medical school I was a little leary of if I was going to be sick when we had to go down to the morgue, for fear I'd get sick or not be able to do my work. I found out that it didn't bother me (except for children)and it did bother my interpreters (went through 3 in less then a month!) It is imperative for people who are even considering this field to look at a book like this to see how squeamish they are in dealing with this stuff. I know too many people who tried to become doctors or nurses who had to quit because they could not deal with death and illness on a daily basis. How much more important is it for someone who will be exposed to violent death to decide whether this field is actually for them? This book would be a good career guide for this field. They no longer just use a coroner, but specialists in anthropology, entomology, firearms, photography, psychology, etc. and the need for these trained people is going to increase because of population increases. For the most part this was a good book, but be aware that the author does not give as much information about a lot of the crimes as many people want. This book is mainly about the science behind the police and prosecutors, and not about the crimes themselves. If the reader is interested in the crimes themselves, they will have to go elsewhere to find the information. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

"Hidden Evidence" is a trade paperback that relies more on photographs than text, and some of the pictures are pretty gory. The is the first forensic science book I've read where there was actually a photograph of the aftermath of one of the 'Jack the Ripper' murders. David Owen has still assembled an interesting book. Some of the forty crimes that he uses as examples are well-known, e.g. Wayne Williams, the Atlanta child killer. Others will probably be unknown to the reader (Americans, at least). For instance, there are several gruesome goings-on Down Under that the author touches on, including the sixty-three-year-old auntie who liked to put thallium in her relatives' tea.

Although "Hidden Evidence" held my interest, I wish the author had gone into more detail about the forensic techniques that he describes and also more detail about some of the crimes. He skips from case to case so quickly that there is little room for suspense or a clear description of the amount of work it took to solve some of these crimes. I think the British have the edge over us Americans when it comes to writing true crime/forensic science books. One of my favorites is "Forty Years of Murder" by Professor Keith Simpson, who was the British Home Office pathologist for forty years. Another favorite is the biography of Bernard Spillsbury, who was Simpson's chief crime-solving rival.

This is a picture book for adults about forensics. The photos and illustrations are amazing, varied, and, often, gruesome and graphic. The text seems like an afterthought; nothing more than the basic information is given, and each case study covers the facts and very little else. This book is not for someone like myself who studies forensics, but rather for someone who is hooked on CSI, doesn't know anything about the topic, and wants to read more about it. This book is a much better general forensics overview and has more detailed information [and more information generally] the The Forensic Science of C.S.I.

Hidden Evidence also explains the major types of forensic science [ballistics, DNA, trace evidence, etc] and uses case studies to document each field. Overall, this book is a good starting point for anyone interested in forensic science.

David Owen's Hidden Evidence focuses on forensic science's role in solving forty real crime cases provides a history of the evolution of forensic science and the sleuthing techniques involved in solving modern times. Fans of true crime stories will find Hidden Evidence selects and analyzes forty true crimes, providing insights on how forensic science helped solve them.

A fascinating and well written book, with just the right number of graphic images. While I disagree with some of the conclusions drawn (for instance Jeffery MacDonald -- the infamous pajama top that specialists differ on interpreting), for the most part I found the book to be accurate and exceptionally well written. I believe the book will be of interest to those with a "new" interest in forensics, as well as to afficionados.

Forensic science began with the 17th century invention of the microscope, became even wider spread as a police crime solving tool with the 18th century invention of photography, was expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries to include everything from fingerprinting to DNA sampling. Hidden Evidence: Forty True Crimes And How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them showcases the history of this unique crime solving resource from 1775 and Paul Revere's use of the dentures he made to identify the body of Dr. Joseph Warren after the doctor had been fatally wounded at Bunker Hill, to 1923 when forensic scientist Edward Heinrich tracked down train robbers who had murdered an entire train crew in cold blood through a set of overalls. David Owen surveys the characteristics of all types of deaths from drowning and hanging to strangling and suffocating, the collection and use of various kinds of physical evident, numerous weapons, and more. Hidden Evidence is informative, engaging, highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the role forensic science has made for itself in crime detection and law enforcement from its inception to the present day.

The book does a good job at very briefly going over the fundamentals of forensic science. Emphasis on the "briefly". Some issues / concepts such as DNA analysis get a bit more coverage. The 40 crimes referenced in the books description are "poof" finished before you know it, often two pages of mostly photos. To the authors credit the photo quality and layout are first-class. Also, only a few of the photos are really disturbing in nature. A brief bibliography is included. You'll want to check it out to get the additional detail needed for this subject.

This book could also be called The Big Picture Book of Forensic Science or The First Book of Forensic Science. It seems like a picture book for adults, and the photo-to-text ratio is the main problem I had while reading this book.

The text seems to be an afterthought and there is no depth to it--just a bare recital of the facts of a particular case, forensic discipline, or procedure. The photos and illustrations more than compensate for the text, although many of them are gruesome [including the now-famous photo of Jack the Ripper's last victim, one of the most stunning crime scene photos of all time]. I've read about forensics for many years and this book was, to me, lame, but its just the basics text and great photos and illustrations make it an ideal book for someone who has no previous knowledge of forensics. It is a great introduction to the field.

I agree with other reviewers stating that it is an enjoyable and easy read. Having recently completed high school science i was dissapointed at the lack of depth the book showed. Even the case studies are a brief summary of facts and opinion. I'm not saying the book is bad, just that it's ideal if you don't know much (or anything) about forensic science.

Despite the basic information i still enjoyed it.

This book is a 2003 nominee for the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for high school students. I would definitely choose this one for any student who had an interest in forensic science. Hidden Evidence is not just a fact-filled textbook-type of book. Owen explains the process behind many types of murder investigations, from arson to drowning to poison. The details are well explained and easy enough to understand even for those who are not familiar with forensic terminology. The book contains forty true crime cases and how forensics helped (or didn't help)solve them. It contains many graphic photos of actual crime scenes, but is definitely not for the squeamish. This is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoyes reading about true-crime and forensic science.