Hidden Evidence: 40 True Crimes and how Forensic Science Helped Solve Them
- Book Review,
by David Owen
From Publishers Weekly
Once it took a thief to catch a thief; these days it more often takes forensic scientistsAthe experts who scrutinize fibers and fabrics, tire tracks and shoe prints, cell scrapings and bloodstains. Journalist and engineer Owen's first book shows how these scientists work and what they discover. Forensic geologists trace pebbles and soil; engineers examine aircraft panels and wreckage to find the cause of a crash. Forensic pathologists investigate corpses for their time and manner of death; chemists test hair and blood for DNA. Owen organizes his book by type of evidence, which sometimes corresponds to manner of death: drowning, hanging, poison, guns, and the identification of bodies each get chapters. Each case shows how the scientists work. Some concern famous victims (Czar Nicholas II) or notorious criminals (Josef Mengele); some date from the 19th century, while others show off advanced technology. Fingerprints are the oldest way to prove a person's presence at a crime scene. Another early tool, the comparison microscope, presented two magnified images side by side, making it easy to check if, for example, two bullets came from the same gun. Forensic scientists don't just catch criminals, we learn; they also save lives by preventing accidents. When a U.S.S. Iowa turret blew up in 1989, killing 47 sailors, the navy labeled the disaster sabotage; explosives experts discovered the real cause, a flaw in the guns' loading procedures, thus preventing repeats of the tragedy. More than 420 photos (many in color) enhance the text, and retired L.A. coroner Thomas Noguchi and mystery writer Kathy Reichs vouch for the book in two short introductions. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Owen, a science writer, looks at how forensic science has developed and how techniques have evolved from methods of investigation used in ancient China to computerized DNA analysis. The discussion presents the earlier and fairly dubious practices of cataloging physical traits of the criminal class and how such practices evolved into more scientific methods of sketching suspects. Owen highlights 40 actual crimes, including explanations of how evidence was investigated, in such cases as the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and the O. J. Simpson murder trial. The author looks at how blood, skin tissue, and fiber sampling have evolved. In the arena of criminal frauds and forgeries, Owen examines detective methods used to determine the authenticity of the alleged diaries of Adolf Hitler and Jack the Ripper. He details the procedures used by police and investigators at the crime scene and forensic lab and looks at promising developments in forensic science. This is fascinating reading for a range of readers from forensic scientists to professional and amateur sleuths, but the graphic illustrations are not for the squeamish. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Book News, Inc.
Writing for a general audience, Owen (a journalist) looks at 40 infamous crimes and the investigations that followed, outlining the history and current application of forensics in law enforcement. He offers detail on the scientific procedures used in the various cases--from gathering elusive clues to examining weapons and bodies, to DNA testing. Cases include the Lindbergh kidnapping, the crash of PanAm 103, the trial of O.J. Simpson, and the Oklahoma city bombing. The book is attractively designed, every page illustrated with color photographs.Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR
Forecast, August 2000
A thought-provoking look at the role of forensic science in criminal investigations.
Lee Bacchus, The Vancouver Province, September 3, 2000
Morbidly compelling ... an engaging, if sometimes creepy, read.
Robert Armstrong, Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 3, 2000
Deaths by drowning, asphyxiation, burning, poison, gunshots, blunt instruments and stabbing are treated in fascinating, if sometimes gruesome, detail.
Sarah Flowers, Voice of Youth Advocates, February 2001
Intriguing subject, and truly gruesome pictures ... most teens will be fascinated by its combination of scientific fact and voyeurism.
Elwyn Loomis, Science Books and Films, February 2001
This is a monumental work.
Book Description
"Hidden Evidence" takes you to the scenes of 40 infamous crimes and into the heart of the forensic investigations. These are the true crime shockers that have grabbed headlines and aroused public passions. David Owen explains the scientific procedures that helped crack every one of these cases -- from the gathering of elusive physical clues to the examination of weapons and bodies, to the use of sophisticated scientific analysis. Threaded throughout the book is the history of forensic science and the technologies that support it, including: fingerprinting, autopsies, handwriting analysis, ballistics, hair sampling, blood typing, DNA testing, dental records, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, compound and electron microscopes, and toxicology. The high-profile cases David Owen used to illustrate forensic developments are from as early as 1775, when Paul Revere used dentures to identify a slain soldier, to the latest developments in the Oklahoma bombing. Most will be familiar to readers, such as: The Lindbergh Kidnapping, Pan Am Flight 103, The Kennedy Investigation, The Hitler Diaries, Wayne Williams, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey MacDonald, Dr. Josef Mengele, Robert Maxwell's suicide, Tsar Nicholas II, and The World Trade Center bombing. David Owen presents the facts, steering clear of speculation. Comprehensive in scope, thoroughly researched and expertly compiled, "Hidden Evidence" is, in the words of former Los Angeles County Coroner Thomas T. Noguchi,"a fascinating book ... [and] an excellent mini-encyclopedia of widely discussed, high-profile cases."
About the Author
David Owen, a graduate in engineering, moved from the aerospace industry into scientific writing and journalism. His works include publications on military deception and air accident investigations plus radio and television documentaries on electronic intelligence and computer crime. Thomas T. Noguchi, M.D. was Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, where he was involved in the investigations of the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Sharon Tate and Janis Joplin. He is Professor Emeritus of Forensic Pathology at the University of Southern California. Kathy Reichs is author of the best-selling murder mysteries "Dj Dead" and "Death du Jour." She is forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaries et de Mdecine lgale, Qubec. She is also on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
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