Review by Booklist Review
A former British police officer who now produces crime entertainment in the form of novels and TV series, McCrery surveys cases that were signal advances in the history of criminal detection techniques. Prefacing his subject by noting the difficulty, prior to the late 1800s, of correctly identifying murder suspects, McCrery launches into the first system devised to apprehend malefactors, that of French detective Alphonse Bertillon. While effective, Bertillon's method was superseded by fingerprinting. Its superiority evidenced in cases from a century ago, fingerprinting's quality of identifying unique individuals, like that of DNA today, guides McCrery's narratives of murder investigations. Ballistic evidence offers comparable probative power for discovering murder weapons, as McCrery shows in his technical explanation and his account of a 1928 conviction of a British cop-killer. Covering additional objects of forensic analysis, such as blood, hair and fiber, and poisons, McCrery completes his presentation of the major tools used in modern criminal forensics. While true criminal forensics accounts are legion, a knowledgeable book like McCrery's will spark interest and circulation.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Former police officer turned crime novelist and BBC screenwriter McCrery (Tooth and Claw) delves into the bloody origins of modern forensic science, looking back at key figures and important historical cases to track the origins of major developments in criminology. He examines each major technique in turn, from fingerprinting and anthropometric measurements to blood typing, DNA analysis, ballistics, and trace evidence, placing each development in context with the cases where they were first used successfully and the people responsible for their discoveries and implementation. When McCrery describes the long-ago cases and their key figures, it's in a straightforward, accessible manner. However, when he discusses on the more technical aspects of his subject matter, such as ballistics and the evolution of bullets or the way blood types interact, he tends to get bogged down. For those looking for insight into the early days of forensics, this is a fascinating and informative work, a great entry point. Of special note is the chapter on DNA testing, where the author plays a role in identifying the remains of the Romanovs, the former Russian royal family. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The history of one of the foundational elements ofentertainment media todayforensic evidenceand how it is that we make sense ofit.Former police officer and crime novelist McCrery (Toothand Claw, 2009, etc.) worked for many years as a researcher andscreenwriter for the BBC. In this history of forensic science, he dons allthree hats at once. In the author's note, McCrery explains that it was duringhis time as an officer that his interest in the field was established. "I wasgreatly impressed," he writes, "that they could glean so much information fromsuch a small amount of evidence." What follows is a treatise on what the authorconsiders to be the most important steps in forensic science. For example, "itis impossible to overstate the importance of DNA technology in the field ofcriminal investigation." Rather than organize the book chronologically, McCrerystructures it by sections focused on different aspects of forensic work:Identity, Ballistics, Blood, Trace Evidence, The Body, Poisons and DNA. In eachsection, the author presents meticulous research into the history of thesubject. The "Blood" chapter teems with information about antigens, typing oldblood and the many tests used throughout the centuries to determine if a stainwas blood and then whether it was human or animal. The author also offerscolorful anecdotes of investigations gone awry due to a lack of the correctscientific knowledge and murders that were eventually solved after forensicscience methods developed enough. However, while the wealth of information isboth interesting and important, it is often dry as well. Where McCrery reallyshines is in his storytelling, which is no surprise given his background as asuccessful crime novelist.While certain technical portions may be difficult for somereaders, true-crime enthusiasts will find the payoff worth the effort. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
