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Behind the Yellow Tape: On the Road with Some of America's Hardest Working Crime Scene Investigators
From the authors of Bodies We've Buried-an uncensored look at real-life CSIs. With a foreword by Patricia Cornwell. For years, Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch trained CSIs at the National Forensic Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee. Now they provide a glimpse into the real world of crime scene investigation, and the investigators themselves. Experience, through gripping text and photographs, eight gripping accounts of true crime from across the from the murky waters of the Puget Sound to the crumbling ruins of the Alamo and the grimy streets of the Big Apple, these are the real stories of the people who work behind the yellow tape.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 12, 2011
A mixed bag that left me with mixed feelings. The content that focused on forensic science and case studies was very interesting, if sometimes gruesome and morbid. However, I'm only giving it two stars because of two things that I felt detracted from the book.
First, if I'd been the editor, I'd have had the authors trim the parts where they lapsed into rambling accounts of their unrelated socializing with the CSI professionals they visited while writing this book - a lot of pages were devoted to trivia like what restaurants they went to and what they ate there.
Second, they pay only the most cursory lip service to the concept of suspects being innocent unless proven guilty, and it seems that in their world the police almost never do anything wrong. Suspects are referred to as "scumbags" and there never seems to be any doubt that if the cops think someone is guilty, that person is guilty and doesn't really deserve those little details like legal representation, a fair trial, etc. At one point, they lament the fact that police can no longer get away with beating a confession out of a suspect.
So in the end, they betray their own professional raison d'etre - after (correctly) celebrating the advances in forensic science that make it possible to objectively determine facts that could never be checked before, they still seem to wholeheartedly endorse the intuitive, "go with the gut" attitude that has resulted in so many wrongful prosecutions and convictions.
First, if I'd been the editor, I'd have had the authors trim the parts where they lapsed into rambling accounts of their unrelated socializing with the CSI professionals they visited while writing this book - a lot of pages were devoted to trivia like what restaurants they went to and what they ate there.
Second, they pay only the most cursory lip service to the concept of suspects being innocent unless proven guilty, and it seems that in their world the police almost never do anything wrong. Suspects are referred to as "scumbags" and there never seems to be any doubt that if the cops think someone is guilty, that person is guilty and doesn't really deserve those little details like legal representation, a fair trial, etc. At one point, they lament the fact that police can no longer get away with beating a confession out of a suspect.
So in the end, they betray their own professional raison d'etre - after (correctly) celebrating the advances in forensic science that make it possible to objectively determine facts that could never be checked before, they still seem to wholeheartedly endorse the intuitive, "go with the gut" attitude that has resulted in so many wrongful prosecutions and convictions.
March 27, 2009
Didn't finish. It wasn't bad, but it was more about the CSIs than the crimes, so not really my cup of tea.
July 27, 2011
Do you watch the CSI shows on t.v.? I do and I am a true addict of crime shows. My hubby asks why I watch the gory things. It's not so much the blood and guts I watch it's the process they go through to find the bad guy. So when I saw this book at the library, I couldn't resist. It's a very different CSI from the Hollywood ones I watch. There aren't any electroic gadgets, fancy DNA that works seemingly in seconds, or gun toting police chasing down the bad guys. These CSI's work in the worst conditions. Cold, Heat, Rain and Snow. They have to wait months even years for DNA reports. And they don't chase down the bad guys. This is a very informative book. So if your looking for the "real" CSI's this is the book to read.
July 31, 2014
Clearly written by someone who’s more familiar with report writing than non-fiction, it required significant editing, which even though would cut the length in half it would offer a better reading experience. There are too many unnecessary and lengthy details about cities around the USA that resemble a copy/paste out of a travel guide.
Frequently mentioning CSI TV shows in a negative manner, only to claim in the very end that the interest in forensic studies has increased in the last decade (obviously the shows are to be given some credit for that, no matter how technically wrong they are) was also something that bothered me. The actual forensic parts of the book are interesting, but those are too spread out between restaurants, jokes and discussions that take place at any workplace.
Frequently mentioning CSI TV shows in a negative manner, only to claim in the very end that the interest in forensic studies has increased in the last decade (obviously the shows are to be given some credit for that, no matter how technically wrong they are) was also something that bothered me. The actual forensic parts of the book are interesting, but those are too spread out between restaurants, jokes and discussions that take place at any workplace.
April 28, 2020
Behind the Yellow Tape takes the reader, uh, behind the yellow tape of crime scenes for a look at some of the gritty detail work done in figuring out what happened. As Hallcox and Welch note, little of the work is glamorous, and rarely are the results as dramatic as they seem on TV.
I gather that the authors are connected to the National Forensic Academy, so they know what they're talking about, although they don't talk about the NFA or their roles (perhaps that's in Bodies We've Buried: Inside the National Forensic Academy, the World's Top CSI Training School?). I wonder whether they better introduce themselves as 'characters' in Bodies We've Buried and thus whether reading that first might have been a better plan (though I don't think I'll go back and read it now). The mix of CSI stories and personal wanderings didn't work terribly well for me here—the bits about the authors going from place to place, and being friends with this person and that, felt by and large like unimportant filler. (Early on, they mentioned travelling to Minnesota and being there for a big blizzard...and the blizzard is mentioned so many times that I thought it would prove to be a plot point, but it's just sort of...there. It's the kind of thing that probably made a good story when the authors went back home to the south, but that didn't serve as much purpose as I might have hoped in the book. I can understand wanting to break up the science stuff (what technical terms I use!), but the proportions felt off to me—not enough fully fleshed-out stories of use of crime scene investigation, and far too much filler-with-CSI-anecdotes told as the authors sit down for a meal with investigators.
Ah well. Some interesting moments, anyway:
Yet contrary to popular belief, Seattle is not nearly the rainiest city in America—it's not even close. As a matter of fact, it usually doesn't even crack the top ten; Mobile, Alabama, takes the number one prize in that category. It is, however, the city that experiences the least amount of sunshine, the cloudiest city in America. This lack of sunshine has contributed to three things Seattle is best known for: serial killers, suicide, and coffee—three very different, yet uniquely related issues. (123)
New York City is the single largest city in the United States and the second-largest in the world (Tokyo is number one) (163). An unimportant quotation; I'm leaving this here just because I'm curious about what source/type of measurement that is—I know there are umpteen ways to measure a city's size (are we talking city limits, or greater metropolitan area? Land area? How much have cities changed since this book was published in 2008?), but what about Delhi, Shanghai, etc.? A mystery to me.
I gather that the authors are connected to the National Forensic Academy, so they know what they're talking about, although they don't talk about the NFA or their roles (perhaps that's in Bodies We've Buried: Inside the National Forensic Academy, the World's Top CSI Training School?). I wonder whether they better introduce themselves as 'characters' in Bodies We've Buried and thus whether reading that first might have been a better plan (though I don't think I'll go back and read it now). The mix of CSI stories and personal wanderings didn't work terribly well for me here—the bits about the authors going from place to place, and being friends with this person and that, felt by and large like unimportant filler. (Early on, they mentioned travelling to Minnesota and being there for a big blizzard...and the blizzard is mentioned so many times that I thought it would prove to be a plot point, but it's just sort of...there. It's the kind of thing that probably made a good story when the authors went back home to the south, but that didn't serve as much purpose as I might have hoped in the book. I can understand wanting to break up the science stuff (what technical terms I use!), but the proportions felt off to me—not enough fully fleshed-out stories of use of crime scene investigation, and far too much filler-with-CSI-anecdotes told as the authors sit down for a meal with investigators.
Ah well. Some interesting moments, anyway:
Yet contrary to popular belief, Seattle is not nearly the rainiest city in America—it's not even close. As a matter of fact, it usually doesn't even crack the top ten; Mobile, Alabama, takes the number one prize in that category. It is, however, the city that experiences the least amount of sunshine, the cloudiest city in America. This lack of sunshine has contributed to three things Seattle is best known for: serial killers, suicide, and coffee—three very different, yet uniquely related issues. (123)
New York City is the single largest city in the United States and the second-largest in the world (Tokyo is number one) (163). An unimportant quotation; I'm leaving this here just because I'm curious about what source/type of measurement that is—I know there are umpteen ways to measure a city's size (are we talking city limits, or greater metropolitan area? Land area? How much have cities changed since this book was published in 2008?), but what about Delhi, Shanghai, etc.? A mystery to me.
April 9, 2019
The book is a collection of cases handled from graduates of the Knoxville, TN forensic academy, written by instructors as they visit them.
There's some good insight into the reality of the CSI world (hint: it's not what you see on TV), and the stories are interesting but the authors were in need of a good editor, particularly when they wander a bit off topic into some of the relationships/socialization with the person they are visiting. Though I suppose the relationship may have been the point (though it often wasn't so interesting).
There's some good insight into the reality of the CSI world (hint: it's not what you see on TV), and the stories are interesting but the authors were in need of a good editor, particularly when they wander a bit off topic into some of the relationships/socialization with the person they are visiting. Though I suppose the relationship may have been the point (though it often wasn't so interesting).
December 16, 2024
I honestly loved the book. I'm a person who can't read fiction books mainly because that seem idiotic too, so I randomly chose this. I loved the drops of humor but I primarily loved how uncensored and morbid the book could be, I feel it tied it together. However I didn't exactly like the random ramblings about the author's interactions with others in their field but I'm just nitpicking. Overall I enjoyed the book and I feel as if it was written fairly good.
April 26, 2024
A collection of forensic tales from all over the country, intended to show how crime-scene forensic work is being used now and could be used in the future. Grim and funny by turns as the narrative takes you from the death scene to the morgue and then to a nice restaurant to swap war stories. A great read if you can stomach it.
September 19, 2019
Fascinating look into real lives of CSIs
May 14, 2012
Behind the Yellow Tape gives us a glimpse into the working life of crime scene investigators (CSI) from all over the country. The authors work hard to dispell myths perpetuated by the numerous CSI spin offs in modern television. Not ever having watched any of Hollywood's depictions of CSI work, I was able to read this book with a neutral perspective.
The authors write with such vivid clarity that you feel like you're right there with the CSI's. Reading such vivid descriptions made the details of CSI work come alive for the reader. In fact, I even had a fleating thought that I might be good at this line of work. Once someone mentioned the use of trigonometry in one type of analysis, I quickly moved on. Math and I don't get along!
Behind the Yellow Tape is a good book for anyone to read who has an interest in CSI or forensic work. With its down to earth explanations, explanations that are as free from jargon as possible, it is an easy to understand book. When jargon is present, it is explained clearly and simply. A glossary is also included at the end of the book that defines all the forensic terms and acronyms used within the text.
The authors write with such vivid clarity that you feel like you're right there with the CSI's. Reading such vivid descriptions made the details of CSI work come alive for the reader. In fact, I even had a fleating thought that I might be good at this line of work. Once someone mentioned the use of trigonometry in one type of analysis, I quickly moved on. Math and I don't get along!
Behind the Yellow Tape is a good book for anyone to read who has an interest in CSI or forensic work. With its down to earth explanations, explanations that are as free from jargon as possible, it is an easy to understand book. When jargon is present, it is explained clearly and simply. A glossary is also included at the end of the book that defines all the forensic terms and acronyms used within the text.
January 11, 2011
"Behind the Yellow Tape" is a true crime book with crimes from 8 cities or counties mixed in with travelogue details about the authors' visit to the area (what they ate, what the weather was like, etc.). The authors visited various USA states and recount one big true crime case or several shorter cases for each sheriff's office or police department they visited. The true crime stories were interesting, informative, and often suspenseful. I usually skimmed over the travelogue stuff.
The authors tended to promote the CSI school in Knoxville, Tennessee by pointing out how their graduates (who worked the true crimes detailed in this book) used what they learned to solve the crime.
There were some black and white pictures of the people, places, crime scenes (no exposed bodies shown), and evidence. Some of the crime scene descriptions were gory. There was a fair amount of bad language and some crude humor.
The authors tended to promote the CSI school in Knoxville, Tennessee by pointing out how their graduates (who worked the true crimes detailed in this book) used what they learned to solve the crime.
There were some black and white pictures of the people, places, crime scenes (no exposed bodies shown), and evidence. Some of the crime scene descriptions were gory. There was a fair amount of bad language and some crude humor.
August 12, 2011
Really interesting book. It follows CSI's around in different states and describes how they do their job. Techniques they use to retrieve evidence even the smallest specs. How they deal bodies in snow and how and earthy burial excavation is done. You have to very patient to do a job like this!!! The process is extremely slow and can take days. Days spent out in the snow at a site, very cold and hard conditions to work in. It is a very interesting book to read. Nothing like how tv portray it. They have characters collecting poo samples and vomit samples like these real guys do. Glamorous it is not! Great read! Some graphic description of bodies.
April 24, 2013
Perhaps Large Print books attract mediocre writers, this is a book dealing with a couple who join local detectives working certain cases all over the US, perhaps getting reviews of their work, which is well deserved as many hours and days are spent on finding the culprits. and heaven knows with the gun situation in the US, there are and will be many more stories to write about horrific murders, in a country which feels the righ to bear arms is so very important, does no ever look at the results of this crazyness.
I must give the authors credit for telling the stories these detectives all over the US do on a daily basis, otherwise the book is not that interesting
I must give the authors credit for telling the stories these detectives all over the US do on a daily basis, otherwise the book is not that interesting
September 6, 2013
The book followed the authors around the country as they visited various graduates of their forensic academy in their CSI work environments. Overall, the authors definitely gave me some insight into the CSI world and their differences. I enjoyed reading this book, but there were some parts in the book where I felt the authors were going on about non-related subjects. Other times, I wanted to know a bit more about the case and they wouldn't add additional information. Interesting read though.
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June 23, 2009Depending on how you feel about amateurism, you'll either be charmed or bemused by this account of a nationwide roadtrip visiting CSIs in different towns. There's a lot of filler about what a great guy Officer So-and-so is, and what a great cook his wife is, and what great war stories they all shared over a beer or 15. You'd have to be a REALLY devoted CSI fan to find this stuff exciting.
February 14, 2014
I appreciated the frank and detailed manner in which many of the case details were presented, but there was some sensationalizing, plus a lot of weirdly personal comments/opinions that made some of the digressions feel like a cross between a rant and a middle school lunch table.
April 29, 2016
It just told stories about how they caught the bad guys. It was interesting to read about the Texas Rangers. They are crazy! I learned about police departments all the different kinds and how they make due and improvise with what they have.
November 14, 2009
Well-written, with a great depiction of the various people who make crime scene investigation their career.
September 6, 2012
I would have liked a bit more detail on the forensics of the described cases. A bit too much time spent reading about people you met on the training. Little forensic value.
February 23, 2015
Really just a bunch of self-congratulatory anecdotes.
November 24, 2011
Quick read for those who want the true stories behind csi and dexter.
April 18, 2013
Poorly written, too wordy yet still lacks good detail
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews