The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases

""Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash, or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day, especially the emerging field of forensics.... Utterly compelling.""
-Otto Penzler, member of the Baker Street Irregulars and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop

""E. J. Wagner demonstrates that without the work of Sherlock Holmes and his contemporaries, the CSI teams would be twiddling their collective thumbs. Her accounts of Victorian crimes make Watson's tales pale! Highly recommended for students of the Master Detective.""
--Leslie S. Klinger, Editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

""In this thrilling book, E. J. Wagner has combined her considerable strengths in three disciplines to produce a work as compelling and blood-curdling as the best commercial fiction. This is CSI in foggy old London Town. Chilling, grim fun.""
--John Westermann, author of Exit Wounds and Sweet Deal

""I am recommending this delightful work to all of my fellow forensic scientists.... Bravo, Ms. Wagner!""
--John Houde, author of Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists

""A fabulously interesting read. The book traces the birth of the forensic sciences to the ingenuity of Sherlock Holmes. A wonderful blend of history, mystery, and whodunit.""
--Andre Moenssens, Douglas Stripp Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and coauthor of Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases

Author: E. J. Wagner
Publisher: Trade Paper Press
Published: 03/01/2006
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.50w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780471648796
Award: Edgar Allan Poe Awards - Winner
Award: Anthony Awards - Nominee

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/16/2006 pg. 49
Science Books & Films 07/01/2006 pg. 150
Science Books & Films 11/01/2006 pg. 251
Choice 12/01/2006 pg. 664
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2007 pg. 177
Science Books & Films 05/01/2007 pg. 101

About the Author
E. J. WAGNER is a crime historian, a lecturer, a teller of suspense stories for adults, and the moderator of the annual Forensic Forum at the Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences at Stony Brook University, New York. Her work has been published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, the New York Times, and the Lancet.