Trace Evidence Analysis: More Cases in Mute Witnesses [Hardcover]

Max M. Houck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0123567610 | ISBN-13: 978-0123567611 | Edition: 1

Trace Evidence Analysis continues and builds upon the tradition of its successful companion title Mute Witnesses (2000). Written by some of the top practicing forensic scientists, each chapter explains in detail the detective and analytic work that goes into solving complex cases. The book contains nine entirely new cases, each self-contained in its own chapter, covering everything from homicides to accident reconstruction. Leading experts from around the world provide detailed accounts of the process of collection, classification, and analysis of microscopic evidence to draw definitive conclusions that solved actual cases.

The cases not only fascinate but provide students and expert forensic scientists alike with an invaluable tool to examine the roles of trace evidence and microscopy in forensic investigation.

· Contains contributions from some of the premier forensic scientists in the field
· Discusses the role of evidence in solving cases and explores the legal and ethical responsibility of the forensic scientist
· Explores real-world application of scientific methods and analytic principles including evidence gathering, instrumentation, sampling methods, analysis, and interpretation
· Includes over 160 full-color figures that illustrate the relevant case evidence

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Facinating casebook that illustrates the use of trace evidence analysis in forensic investigation!

About the Author

Max M. Houck is the Director of the Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University, a program that develops research and professional training for forensic scientists and related professionals. Mr. Houck is a trace evidence expert and forensic anthropologist who was assigned to the Trace Evidence Unit at the FBI Laboratory from 1992 to 2001. While at the FBI, Mr. Houck worked over 800 cases, including several major cases. Before joining WVU, he was assigned to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, to assist with the examination and identification of the victims of the 9-11-01 Pentagon attack. Mr. Houck is the recipient of an FBI Performance Award and the ASTM Forensic Sciences Award in 2000. Mr. Houck is the editor of two volumes of case reviews, Mute Witnesses and Trace Evidence Analysis, both published with Academic Press.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Elsevier Academic Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0123567610
• ISBN-13: 978-0123567611
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,765,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Max M. Houck is an internationally-recognized forensic expert with research interests in forensic science, education, and the forensic enterprise and its industries. He has worked in the private sector, the public sector (at the regional and federal levels), and in academia. Dr. Houck has published in a wide variety of areas in the field, in books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journals. His anthropology and trace evidence casework includes the Branch Davidian Investigation, the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon, the D.B. Cooper case, the US Embassy bombings in Africa, and the West Memphis Three case, among hundreds of others. He served for 6 years as the Chair of the Forensic Science Educational Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). Dr. Houck is a founding Co-Editor of the journalForensic Science Policy and Management, with Dr. Jay Siegel; he has also co-authored a major textbook with Dr. Siegel, Fundamentals of Forensic Science. Dr. Houck lives and works in the Washington, DC area. 

Houck is a graduate of Michigan State University and Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, among other professional organizations.