Identity: Murder, Fraud and the Making of a Garda Forensic Expert

by John Sweetman

When a violent incident in his stationed town led John Sweetman into the Garda Technical Bureau with incriminating evidence, the course of his life changed dramatically. As a young garda struggling with personal demons, he went from being on verge of leaving the force to finding his true calling. John spent the next 25 years as a detective garda working on the frontline of crime scene investigations - as both a fingerprint expert and, in later years, a forensic handwriting and document expert. His natural eye for detail and tenacity led him to becoming involved in many criminal investigations and high-profile cases.From the brutal murder of Marie Dillon in Finglas in 1998 to the gangland killing of Raymond Salinger in 2003, John was involved in the search for forensic evidence at these, and numerous other, crime scenes. He later employed his handwriting expertise in the investigation of fraudulence, threatening letters and counterfeit documents, as well as the investigations into the callous murders of Jasmine McGonagle and student Jastine Valdez and the horrific Hawe familicide in Cavan in 2016.Identity is both a fascinating insight into specialist forensic fields - that peeks behind the curtain of how crimes are solved - and a bravely told story of a misfit detective in a remarkable career.

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Ieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing. I really could not put this book down. Even though the topics that John writes about are heavy and complicated, he has described everything in such a manner that a simple bystander can understand just about everything without having any previous knowledge. It was also very sad at times. I found myself tearing up as he described many crime scenes and investigations. He never goes into too much detail, but just enough for you to realise how horrible and heartbreaking each case was. I am definitely keeping this book on my bookshelf, to be read again at some point.

[Andrew Mcq · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memorable and moving account of 30 years as a forensic detective with the Irish police force.
The authors own story of well-being struggles is well woven into the procedural details. An excellent read, with appeal far beyond true crime fans.

[Niamh Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and interesting read. The stories and descriptions of cases he worked on and of fingerprint/document/hand writing technology were fascinating. This, coupled with his honesty about his struggles with depression and finding his own identity in his career, made it hard for me to put the book down.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most readable and informative insight into a fascinating job from the personal perspective of an author who was involved in some remarkable cases, all the while going through and trying to deal with his own difficulties. Highly recommended

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt the first half was a very procedural but it really strengthened in the second half. You can feel his frustration at the bureaucracy and obsession with international standards. A really interesting book in the end.

[Phai___ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨