Forensic Science

 

Recommended Books on Forensics
 

The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes by Colin Evans Anyone can summarize a collection of cases, but not everyone can make them read well. With a flair for compressed narrative worthy of a good short story writer, Colin Evans entertains and instructs the reader with 100 cases that exemplify the use of 15 different forensic techniques (ballistics, fingerprinting). Some (like the Lindbergh case) are famous, others are barely known, yet each has some unique twist that sets it apart. Many "firsts" are included, such as the first murder conviction without a body, the first use of psychological profiling, and the first use of DNA typing. Evans also brings out the distinct (often flamboyant) personalities of the pioneering experts of forensics and some of their more notable courtroom theatrics. Each case is labeled by name of criminal, forensic technique, date, location, and significant feature(s), making this a useful reference as well as a fun book to read. Amazon.com

Crime Science : Methods of Forensic Detection by Joe Nickell, John F. Fischer 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.  Hardcover - 300 pages (December ) Univ Pr of Kentucky; ISBN: 0813120918

Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers
by Michael M. Baden, Marion Roach
Hardcover - 288 pages
Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0684867583

Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists
by John Houde
Hardcover - 206 pages 1 Ed edition (September 1, )
Calico Press; ISBN: 096582862X
 

The Forensic Science of C.S.I by Katherine M. Ramsland The CBS television show, "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation," has captured audiences - and ratings - with its unflinchingly realistic details of forensic science, tools, and technology. This fascinating new book - written by an acclaimed biographer with a master's degree in forensic psychology - goes behind the crime-solving techniques dramatized on the TV show to examine the reality of these cutting-edge procedures.  From DNA typing and ballistics, to bitemark and blood pattern analysis, here are detailed accounts of the actual techniques used in today's crime investigations. Prominent experts in the field offer rare glimpses into cases ranging from missing persons to murder. The Publisher. Paperback: 304 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.73 x 9.08 x 6.28 Boulevard (Trd Pap); ISBN: 0425183599; (September 4, )

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach Book Description: An oddly compelling, often hilarious forensic exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.  For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.  In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. 13 b/w illustrations.  Hardcover from W.W. Norton & Company

Other Books on Forensics

Bodies of Evidence
by Brian Innes

Blaze : The Forensics of Fire
by Nicholas Faith
(Hardcover)
 

Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA by Tim Junkin Hardcover from Shannon Ravenel Books

The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
by John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker

Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation (With CD-ROM)
by John R. Vacca, Michael Erbschloe
Paperback from Charles River Media

Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death
by Jessica Snyder Sachs
(Hardcover)

Crime Classification Manual
by John E. Douglas, et al
(Paperback)

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (College Version), Eighth Edition
by Richard Saferstein
Hardcover from Prentice Hall

Dark Dreams : Sexual Violence, Homicide and the Criminal Mind
by Roy Hazelwood, Stephen G. Michaud
(Hardcover)

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab/the Body Farm/Where the Dead Do Tell Tales
by William M. Bass, Jon Jefferson, Bill Bass
Listed under Forensic Anthropology

Digital Evidence and Computer Crime : Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet
by Eoghan Casey
Academic Pr
Paperback - 450 pages CD-Rom edition

The Dollhouse Murders: A Forensic Expert Investigates 6 Little Crimes
by Thomas Mauriello, Ann Darby, Photographs by John Consoli
Book Description: The doll is dead. Did Ken do it? Six stories of miniature crimes illustrated in gorgeous color reveal real CSI techniques. 

Thomas Mauriello, preeminent expert on crime scene investigation, has been teaching modern CSI techniques for 26 years--how to "peel" a crime scene on a tiny scale including pulling back the bed sheets, turning over the victim, examining the body, etc. Now he uses his tried and tested crime scene dioramas to bring the science of modern crime investigation to everyone. Each of his six miniature crime scene dioramas contains clues to preliminarily determine cause of death--accident, suicide or homicide. A large photo of the dollhouse scene including murder weapons, victims, obvious clues and red herrings introduces each crime. 

The text, written by bestelling author and award-winning journalist Ann Darby, takes the reader through what the detective learns when he arrives at the scene to the key questions and clues and then finally to the investigator's explanation of what really happened. After the first wide-angle photo, five follow-up photos focus on key clues spreading out through the remaining chapter. A total of 36 full-color photos from a professional photographer provide stunning visual compliment to the six investigative narratives. 
Hardcover from Pi Press

Entomology and the Law: Flies as Forensic Indicators
by Bernard Greenberg, John Charles Kunich
Hardcover from Cambridge University Press

Famous Crimes Revisited : From Sacco-Vanzetti to OJ Simpson
by Henry C. Lee, et al
(Hardcover)

Forensic Anthropology Training Manual
by Karen Ramey Burns
Listed under Forensic Anthropology
 

Forensic Art and Illustration by Karen T. Taylor (Editor) Hardcover: 576 pages CRC Press; ISBN: 0849381185; (September 15, )

The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation
by Ngaire E. Genge
Paperback from Ballantine Books

Forensic DNA Typing: Biology and Technology Behind STR Markers
by John M. Butler
Hardcover from Academic Press

Forgeries, Fingerprints, and Forensics : Crime (Science at Work : Crime)
by Janice Parker
(Library Binding)

Gunshot Wounds: Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques, Second Edition
by Vincent J. M. Di Maio
Hardcover from CRC Press

Handbook of Computer Crime Investigation: Forensic Tools & Technology
by Eoghan Casey
Paperback from Academic Press

Handbook of Fingerprint Recognition
by Davide Maltoni, Dario Maio, Anil K. Jain, Salil Prabhakar
Hardcover from Springer Verlag Pub (Computer Bks)

Hidden Evidence: Forty true crimes and how  forensic science helped to solve them
by David Owen, Thomas T. Noguchi, Kathy Reichs (Preface)
Paperback - 240 pages (September 2, )
Firefly Books; ISBN: 1552094839

Interpretation of Bloodstain Evidence at Crime Scenes, Second Edition
by Stuart H. James, Forida Eckert, William G. Eckert
Hardcover from CRC Press

Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques, Third Edition
by Vernon J. Geberth
Hardcover from CRC Press

 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach Book Description: An oddly compelling, often hilarious forensic exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers - some willingly, some unwittingly - have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.  In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. 13 b/w illustrations. Hardcover from W.W. Norton & Company

The Strange Death of Heinrich Himmler : A Forensic Investigation
by Hugh Thomas
Listed under Nazi SS

Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation
by Barry A.J. Fisher
(Hardcover)

Time of Death, Decomposition and Identification: An Atlas
by Jay Dix, Michael Graham
Paperback from CRC Press

What the Corpse Revealed : Murder and the Science of Forensic Detection
by Hugh Miller
Presented here in dramatic detail are sixteen riveting, real-life criminal cases taken from the files of forensic scientists all over the world. In What the Corpse Revealed, bestselling author and forensic expert Hugh Miller collects these incredible true-crime stories that confounded traditional police detection. Including only those cases solved on the basis of scientific investigation, Miller takes us through each one from the viewpoint of the key actors, and in detailed procedural stages... Amazon.com
Paperback: 320 pages
St Martins Mass Market Paper; ISBN: 0312975732; (December )

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science
by Richard Saferstein
Prentice Hall
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