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.]
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
