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Forensics : True Crime Stories from Australian Police Files
A fingerprint identifies a serial poisoner, a strange indentation in a caravan panel proves a hit-run driver's guilt, and a mass DNA screening flushes out a brutal criminal. Vikki Petraitis has interviewed Australian police from Forensics, Fingerprints, Criminal Investigation Units and Homicide to write these stranger-than-fiction truce-crime stories.
They include:
'Poison Ivy', the Melbourne woman so dubbed because of her habit of drugging and robbing lonely, vulnerable men. Police taking part in the lengthy investigation had the added pressure of believing it was only a matter of time before one of her victims died as a result of her tactics.
The De Gruchy case, in which three members of a family were found brutally murdered in their home outside Wollongong. Forensic evidence alone proved the identity of the killer.
Death at Violet Town, a fatal collision in which a hit-run driver killed a 12-year-old boy at Easter. Meticulous forensic detection - and a stroke of luck - resulted in a conviction after a tense six-month hunt.
In all these cases, forensics played a key role in bringing the perpetrators to justice. But unlike many fictional TV forensics shows, the resolution of these real-life detective stories relied as much on the dogged determination of the police involved as on modern technology. They make for riveting reading.
They include:
'Poison Ivy', the Melbourne woman so dubbed because of her habit of drugging and robbing lonely, vulnerable men. Police taking part in the lengthy investigation had the added pressure of believing it was only a matter of time before one of her victims died as a result of her tactics.
The De Gruchy case, in which three members of a family were found brutally murdered in their home outside Wollongong. Forensic evidence alone proved the identity of the killer.
Death at Violet Town, a fatal collision in which a hit-run driver killed a 12-year-old boy at Easter. Meticulous forensic detection - and a stroke of luck - resulted in a conviction after a tense six-month hunt.
In all these cases, forensics played a key role in bringing the perpetrators to justice. But unlike many fictional TV forensics shows, the resolution of these real-life detective stories relied as much on the dogged determination of the police involved as on modern technology. They make for riveting reading.
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First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 6, 2018
3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
October 3, 2019
Definitely worth reading if you are interested in true crime and forensics.
February 28, 2019
An interesting collection of cases of Australian crimes and the forensics and police who worked very hard to close the cases and catch the perpetrators. Written a little dryly, still it caught my attention and I enjoyed it.
December 14, 2020
This carefully details several individual cases and is not of necessity a 'cover to cover' read. A significant amount was new though me and was easy to follow reading.
January 3, 2024
Very interesting book with some compelling stories.
September 3, 2024
This was really interesting. Amazing the dedication to the smallest of details to catch the offender
January 16, 2026
An interesting read.
February 22, 2016
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
This is a non-fiction expose of some of the forensic techniques Australian Crime Scene Investigators use. It has 7 true life crimes, ranging from a hit-run to an ‘accidental’ stabbing.
This was impressive because Petraitis had obviously done her work well (as she has in her other books, which I now want to get my hands on), and she places the emphasis on the human touch. Humans are fallible, and criminal ones even more so. The book also highlighted the impact on police officers’ family lives in the days after a crime.
There was just a single chapter that annoyed me, and that was the one where it was a series of shorter events. I must preferred when I could ride on the back of a longer case, and feel like I was right there in the action and come to my own conclusions.
Something that came through to me was the shortcomings of the Australian justice system. First, it’s that most of these criminals are really dumb, and yet police officers have to try build an ‘airtight’ case around them. A confession of guilt isn’t enough to actually pin the charge on someone! Half the time they can tell the truth and get out of most of their sentence anyway.
My other complaint is that many people are reoffenders – what does it take to put them behind bars permanently when they will just continue to reoffend? Sexual assault, murder, killing just for the hell of it, they can all get out and do it again.
I picked this up for 50c at a garage sale, and it was totally worth it! It took me around 2 hours to read on, and with the exceptions I have mentioned, it was good. 4 stars from me.
This is a non-fiction expose of some of the forensic techniques Australian Crime Scene Investigators use. It has 7 true life crimes, ranging from a hit-run to an ‘accidental’ stabbing.
This was impressive because Petraitis had obviously done her work well (as she has in her other books, which I now want to get my hands on), and she places the emphasis on the human touch. Humans are fallible, and criminal ones even more so. The book also highlighted the impact on police officers’ family lives in the days after a crime.
There was just a single chapter that annoyed me, and that was the one where it was a series of shorter events. I must preferred when I could ride on the back of a longer case, and feel like I was right there in the action and come to my own conclusions.
Something that came through to me was the shortcomings of the Australian justice system. First, it’s that most of these criminals are really dumb, and yet police officers have to try build an ‘airtight’ case around them. A confession of guilt isn’t enough to actually pin the charge on someone! Half the time they can tell the truth and get out of most of their sentence anyway.
My other complaint is that many people are reoffenders – what does it take to put them behind bars permanently when they will just continue to reoffend? Sexual assault, murder, killing just for the hell of it, they can all get out and do it again.
I picked this up for 50c at a garage sale, and it was totally worth it! It took me around 2 hours to read on, and with the exceptions I have mentioned, it was good. 4 stars from me.
October 9, 2015
This was a well written account of some true Australian crimes. I loved the level of information we were given as a reader and the fact that it wasn't all general facts. It actually was told through the eyes of police officers and showed the depth that some of these officers go to in trying to solve these crimes and how attached they can get to a case. Even years later and some of these crimes still have an impact on these people.
May 22, 2022
Great recounts of Australian crime stories
December 20, 2023
Very interesting. The dedication & patience of the various investigating teams is nothing short of amazing.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews