Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection
- Book Review,
by Joe Nickell
From Publishers Weekly
Nickell (Pen, Ink and Evidence) and Fischer provide a comprehensive primer of forensic investigation for the uninitiated. After an introductory chapter details the proper protocol for securing a crime scene, nine chapters focus on different forms of evidence. Although the writing is uninspired, a great deal of basic information is presented. Each chapter ends with a well-known case study in which the techniques discussed played a significant role. The relatively brief case studies are the most interesting portion of the book and demonstrate the range of evidence with which investigators must deal. A conviction was secured in the Lindbergh kidnapping by matching marks on a homemade ladder left at the crime scene with a carpenter's plane in Bruno Hauptmann's garage; a detailed fiber analysis led police to conclude that Wayne Williams was responsible for the deaths of 30 black men in Atlanta. Also discussed are firearms in the Sacco and Vanzetti case, toxicology in the investigation into Marilyn Monroe's suicide, DNA "fingerprinting" in the O.J. Simpson case and anthropological techniques in an examination of the deaths of Russia's last czar and his family. Some technical material, like how a bullet's entry hole might be smaller than the bullet making the hole, is glossed over, but there's enough here to satisfy most inquisitive readers. 65 b&w illustrations. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Nickell (Detecting Forgery, Univ. of Kentucky, 1996) and Fischer, both nationally recognized forensic scientists, have collaborated on step-by-step descriptions of crime-scene investigation. Each chapter focuses on a specific technique (e.g., handwriting analysis, fingerprinting, autopsies, DNA profiling), and famous cases are used to illustrate how the particular technique helped solve the crime. The authors define investigative terminology in lay reader's language and clear up misused terms. Ballistics, for example, a term often associated with bullets and shell cases on popular TV shows, is actually the science of projectiles; one versed in this field is both a physicist and a mathematician. Academic libraries with strong criminology collections should consider purchase.?Michael Sawyer, Northwestern Regional Lib., Elkin, NCCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
USA Today
"Delivers the goods for the educated layperson. Once getting into the book, readers will be hard-pressed to put it down."
Gideon Epstein, Forensic Document Analyst, Immigration and Naturalization Service
“The case studies clearly highlight the subject being discussed and bring to life the application of that particular forensic science.”
Science & Justice 1999
"This book is well-written and should be of considerable value to those training for a career in these areas."
Journal of Forensic Identification
“Extremely well written and easy to read.”
Lee A. Kilty
“An excellent basic book for the criminologist.”
Publishers Weekly
"Nickell and Fischer provide a comprehensive primer of forensic investigation for the uninitiated."
Book Description
The O.J. Simpson trial. The Lindbergh kidnapping. The death of Marilyn Monroe. The assassination of the Romanovs. The Atlanta child murders. All heinous crimes. All investigated (sometimes again and again) with the latest techniques in forensic science. Crime Science is the comprehensive guide to the highly visible field of forensic investigation. Without being overly technical or treating scientific techniques superficially, the guide introduces readers to the work of firearms experts, document examiners, fingerprint technicians, medical examiners, and forensic anthropologists. In a clear and understandable style, nationally respected authors Joe Nickell and John Fischer explain the science behind the criminal investigations that have captured the nation’s attention. The authors provide step-by-step descriptions of classifying a fingerprint or performing an autopsy. They explain how fibers have been used to link victims to their killers, and they describe the science underlying DNA profiling and toxicological analysis. From weapons analysis to handwriting samples to shoe and tire impressions, Crime Science outlines the indispensable tools and techniques that investigators use to make sense of a crime scene and to convict a perpetrator. Each chapter closes with a study of a well-known case, revealing how the principles of forensic science work in practice.
From the Publisher
"Beautifully organized and ingeniously supplemented by real-life criminal case-histories at the end of each chapter, the book provides a detailed--yet simplified--review of the major methods and techniques of forensic science and criminalistics. Anyone and everyone interested in either real crime or crime-fiction or both, will want to read and regularly refer to this comprehensive and informative source by experts in the field."--Robert A. Baker
About the Author
Joe Nickell, author of Pen, Ink, and Evidence, Detecting Forgery, and Camera Clues, is Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York. John F. Fischer, president of Forensic Research and Supply Corporation, has written for such publications as Law Enforcement Technology, worked for many years as a forensic analyst in a Florida crime laboratory, and has lectured at the FBI Academy.
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