Hidden Evidence: Forty true crimes and how forensic science...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 240 pages
• Published by: Firefly Books September 2, 2000
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1552094839
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1552094839
• Book Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 1.8 pounds

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 photographs (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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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 forty 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 looks at 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

Reader Reviews
"Hidden Evidence" is a trade paperback that relies more on photographs than text, and some of the pictures are pretty gory. The is the first forensic science book I've read where there was actually a photograph of the aftermath of one of the 'Jack the Ripper' murders. David Owen has still assembled an interesting book. Some of the forty crimes that he uses as examples are well-known, e.g. Wayne Williams, the Atlanta child killer. Others will probably be unknown to the reader (Americans, at least). For instance, there are several gruesome goings-on Down Under that the author touches on, including the sixty-three-year-old auntie who liked to put thallium in her relatives' tea. Although "Hidden Evidence" held my interest, I wish the author had gone into more detail about the forensic techniques that he describes and also more detail about some of the crimes. He skips from case to case so quickly that there is little room for suspense or a clear description of the amount of work it took to solve some of these crimes. I think the British have the edge over us Americans when it comes to writing true crime/forensic science books. One of my favorites is "Forty Years of Murder" by Professor Keith Simpson, who was the British Home Office pathologist for forty years. Another favorite is the biography of Bernard Spillsbury, who was Simpson's chief crime-solving rival. Comment | | (Report this)