Murder Two: The Second Casebook of Forensic Detection

A murdered scientist points her finger from the grave at her brutal killer. A Stone Age homicide comes to light after 5,300 years. A serial killer who slays women on two continents is finally brought to justice by a single hair that yields just nine billionths of a gram of human DNA. All these miracles of detection were made possible only by the crime lab, our leading weapon in the war on crime. If you are fascinated by both the history of forensics and the very latest developments in crime scene investigation, autopsies, and other aspects of the science, Murder Two is the book for you. This comprehensive casebook of forensic detection presents nearly one hundred classic, high-profile cases in which police detectives and crime labs worked together to solve baffling and horrifying crimes through the shrewd, painstaking use of science. Spanning four continents and almost two hundred years, these cases feature the forensic quirks, wrinkles, and breakthroughs that led to major advances in crime detection. Author Colin Evans demonstrates how, from the first fumbling attempts to identify poisons and bullets through the modern miracle of GPS satellite technology, forensic experts have waged a multifaceted battle against crime. He reveals how real-world investigators have used ballistics, toxicology, brain fingerprinting, anthropology, blood spatter analysis, DNA typing, and, of course, conventional fingerprinting to solve crimes. Accounts are provided of the scientific developments that gave birth to each of these procedures, fueling quantum leaps in the accuracy and precision of their findings. Many of these developments were pioneered by scientists, inventors, and detectives, whose insights and sheer determination revolutionized the fight against crime. Included here are fully cross-referenced profiles and case details of twenty-five major figures in forensic science, including laboratory superstars Edward O. Heinrich and Milton Helpern. The next time you're watching CSI or reading a newspaper account of a major murder investigation, keep your copy of Murder Two close at hand. With a quick flip through this easy-access, A-to-Z reference, you'll know that you understand the meaning and importance of all the forensic evidence in question.

Author: Colin Evans
Publisher: Wiley (TP)
Published: 08/01/2004
Pages: 322
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.32lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.40w x 1.08d
ISBN: 9780471215325

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2005 pg. 1041

About the Author
COLIN EVANS is the author of The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes; Great Feuds in History: Ten of the Liveliest Disputes Ever; and A Question of Evidence: The Casebook of Great Forensic Controversies, from Napoleon to O.J. (all from Wiley).