The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes by Colin Evans

From the Publisher

Updated with new material, this collection vividly depicts the horrendous crimes, colorful detectives, and grueling investigations that shaped the science of forensics. In concise, fascinating detail, Colin Evans shows how far forensic science has come from Sherlock Holmes's magnifying glass. No crime in this book is ordinary, and many of the perpetrators are notorious: Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, John List, Bruno Hauptmann, Jeffrey Macdonald, and Wayne Williams among others. Along with the cases solved, fifteen forensic techniques are covered- including fingerprinting, ballistics, toxicology, DNA analysis, and psychological profiling, methods that have increased the odds that today's technosleuths will get the bad guys, clear the innocent-and bring justice to the victims and their families.

Publishers Weekly

This well-organized compendium by Evans (Killer Doctors in Britain) covers cases from 1751 to 1991, arranged according to the methodology by which they were solved. Fifteen areas are listed alphabetically, ranging from ballistics through DNA typing, fingerprinting, odontology, serology and toxicology to the still-disputed voiceprint analysis. Only a few twice-told tales like the murder of Gay Gibson and Willie Guldensuppe have been included. Otherwise, even the most dedicated devotee of the genre will find much that is new in these brief but exciting accounts of the brilliant and persistent scientific work that brought murderers like John List (through forensic anthropology), Ted Bundy (through odontology) and Jeffrey MacDonald (through trace evidence) to justice. Those still convinced of the innocence of Sacco and Vanzetti or Bruno Richard Hauptmann are in for some surprises. Fifty photos include many of the pathologists and detectives whose exploits are related in the text. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Arranged by topiccause of death, DNA, fingerprinting, toxicology, trace evidence, and so onthese are short summaries (two to three pages) of cases Evans (A Calendar of Crime: An Almanac of Sinister & Criminal Behavior, Longmeadow, 1993) considers landmarks of forensic science. While highly selective, they are representative of the evolution of the discipline and its increasingly prominent role in crime solving. Not all of them were baffling, and some conclusionsthe guilt of Sacco and Vanzetti or of Hauptmann in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping caseare debatable. Emphasis is placed on the certainties of forensics rather than on such complexities as the variant expert testimony at the O.J. Simpson trial (not mentioned here). Written in a popular style as clear as it is brief, this book is suitable for general true-crime collections, although readers wanting to know more about specific cases will regret the absence of a bibliography.Gregor A. Preston, formerly with Univ. of California Lib., Davis, Calif.

Booknews

A mystery novelist's essential resource guide recounting 100 criminal cases solved by forensic investigation, perseverance, and technology. Evans, a crime writer (of course), describes pivotal cases in the areas of ballistics, disputed documents, DNA typing, explosives and fire, fingerprinting, odontology, psychological profiling, remains identification, serology, time of death, toxicology, and voiceprints. Each section introduces the forensic area and its pioneers, supplying background for examples such as how Ted Bundy was identified (teethmarks). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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