Forensic Science of CSI (Paperback)

by Katherine M. Ramsland (Author) "A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, from assault to burglary to murder, and it comprises the area from which..." (more)
Key Phrases: forensic sculpture, crime scene reconstruction, blood spatter patterns, Las Vegas, Too Tough, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The CBS television show, "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation," has captured audiences - and ratings - with its unflinchingly realistic details of forensic science, tools, and technology. This fascinating new book - written by an acclaimed biographer with a master's degree in forensic psychology - goes behind the crime-solving techniques dramatized on the TV show to examine the reality of these cutting-edge procedures.

From DNA typing and ballistics, to bitemark and blood pattern analysis, here are detailed accounts of the actual techniques used in today's crime investigations. Prominent experts in the field offer rare glimpses into cases ranging from missing persons to murder.

For fans of the television show, as well as true crime buffs and science readers - this is the real thing.

"With the mind of a true investigator, Katherine Ramsland demystifies the world of forensics with authentic and vivid detail." (John Douglas)

"Fascinating...this book is a must for anyone who wonders how the real crime-solvers do it." (Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Patient.)

About the Author
Katherine Ramsland has a master's degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has published thirteen books, including biographies of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, and has been translated into six languages. Her reference book on Anne Rice's work, The Vampire Companion, was a national bestseller. Next year Writer's Digest Press will publish Mental Judgment: A Guide for Writers to Forensic Psychology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425183599
• ISBN-13: 978-0425183595
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #210,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Some reading between the lines for the TV series CSI.", August 3, 2002

By	Russell A. Rohde MD "Owl" (West Covina, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The Forensic Science of C.S.I." by Katherine Ramsland, ISBN 0-425-18359-9 (ppb), Berkly Blvd. Books 2001 - is a 242 page exposition by established writer (15 books plus masters in forensics) cleverly utilizing the characters, plots and forensics presented in the popular TV series "C.S.I."

It is helpful (but not essential) to have followed "CSI" on TV as Ramsland's reference to the TV shows' titles and characters is merely a ploy in her easy-to-read presentation of basic modern forensics. Indeed, she skillfully introduces and outlines, in a series of 11 chapters, the crime scene and the elements of crime scene reconstruction including criminal logic, deceptions, and forensic puzzles & methodology in up-to-date evidence collection. Indeed, the last chapter "Evidence Response" is especially well presented.

Aside from the oft encountered confusion in definition of "trace evidence", the book is excellent from the standpoint of crime scene coverage, categorization of forensic methodologies, and readability. It has an excellent glossary (13 p.), consequential references (4 p.), and helpful index (11 p.). The book is informative, well organized, priced fairly and is thusly recommended.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad at all, March 7, 2002

By A Customer

If you are a serious fan of CSI or if you are fascinated by forensic science then this book might belong in your collection. The author actually has a degree in the subject so she really knows what she's talking about. The good points about the book are: You get a quick overview of how crimes are really solved. It's not by the flashy cop like in the movies it's by the CSI person in the lab. The author liberally sprinkles examples real life crimes and how use or misuse of evidence affected the outcome. For instance she shows how the JonBenet Ramsey crime scene was ruined and why the coroner will never be able to get an approximate time of death. She also mentions the O.J. Simpson case. Poor handling of physical evidence turned the tide there. The only objections I have to the book are the design problems. The brittle paper feels horrible... your visible fingerprints will be left on it... frankly for the cost of this book I think the publisher could've made a better looking product.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Instructive but flawed due to lack of illustrations, October 6, 2005

By	Manfred Zeichmann (Austria) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The hit TV series CSI has spawned interest in forensic science in the public. This book shows you how forensic works in reality, from fingerprint and DNA to blood spatter pattern analyis.
It is not an episode guide to the TV show with some explanations tagged on, as another reviewer wrote. The book uses the CSI show merely as an angle to introduce the general reader into this interesting topic. You will surely find much of interest here, even if you have never seen an CSI episode. Author Katherine RAMSLAND also clearly points out where the series does not get it right:
* forensic investigations take much more time in reality (whereas in the TV show uses some artistic licence due to narrative necessities)
* crime scene investigators don't interrogate suspects
* proceedures and tests, which look rather easy in the show, are difficult and time consuming.
I liked the methodological approach of the book: It starts with the definition of a crime scene, details the investigation from the inital response of law enforcement personel to the processing of the scene all the way to what happens during the autopsy and in the crime lab. It gives you a good insight into what crime scene investigators do (the kits, equipment and tools they use, what legal and scientific proceedures they have to adher to, how evidence is collected, preserved, investigated
and stored, what happens at the lab and so forth) without being overly technical.
As mentioned above, the angle author Katherine RAMSLAND uses is the CSI TV show. So there are often references to the show, what tests GRISSOM and his team used and they are explained in detail without being overly technical. The book is interspersed with references to real crimes (I was surprised to see how many CSI episodes were apparently inspired by true crimes!) and how forensic science helped to solve them.
The author also points out the psychological side in chapters on profiling and the use of psychological autopsy.
My main complaint with the book is the absence of any kind of illustrations. It is much more instructive when discussing the e.g. various kinds of fingerprints and blood spatter patterns and to actually see some pictures of samples, let alone the equipment in a crime lab. I mean, who knows what a gas chromatograph looks like? Also some kind of diagramms or illustrations would have been helpful with some of the scientific tests. The complete lack of pictures makes the book occassionally a bit dry at times.