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

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Almost every murder has literally millions of witnesses, but their only testimony is a maddening buzz. Speaking for the insects is forensic entomologist M. Lee Goff, who relates some of the secrets of his young profession in A Fly for the Prosecution. Equal parts scientific and true-crime journalism, the book reports unflinchingly on the development of this field as an important adjunct to traditional means of investigation. Based on our constantly improving knowledge of the reproduction and growth of carrion flies and beetles, an informed examiner can determine the time and location of death with great precision, often lending the final evidence needed to close a case. Goff has been at the forefront of forensic entomology and has worked closely with Hawaiian law enforcement for many years, yielding a rich assortment of crime stories to illustrate his research. Readers need a strong stomach to take the macabre details of some of the murders; fortunately for those at the borderline, all the excellent illustrations depict insects rather than their meals. Goff also explores how we came to the knowledge we have today, including the meticulous field research of the 19th century and the modern decomposition studies with pigs in a wide variety of environments and conditions. You might never need the knowledge, but reading A Fly for the Prosecution will at least satisfy your curiosity by telling you what the blowfly saw. --Rob Lightner

From Library Journal

This is a lively and informative firsthand account of forensic entomology in the United States. Goff (entomology, Univ. of Hawaii, Manoa) is a consultant to the Medical Examiner of Honolulu. He is especially well qualified to write this book because of his active involvement in many criminal investigations and his leadership in a profession that has come into its own within the past two decades. Much of the book deals with the use of entomology in investigations, especially in estimating the postmortem interval--the time elapsed between death and discovery of the body. The interval can now be estimated with considerable accuracy by identifying the insects present on the corpse, their stages of development, and their relationships with other insects. This book is not for the squeamish owing to the descriptions of corpses at the scene of death, in the morgue, and in various states of decay, including insect infestation. But Goff also writes about coping with murder scenes, testifying in court, and publicizing his profession. This book should appeal to a wide audience owing to its readability and novel subject matter. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
-William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press; 1 edition (May 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674002202
• ISBN-13: 978-0674002203
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #943,123 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Intriguing, May 16, 2000

By	Bruce A. Noll (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Creepy, May 11, 2000

By	A. A. Parker (Hau'ula, HI USA) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes Would Love This Book!, September 25, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

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?