Murder 2 - The Second Casebook of Forensic Detection

by Colin Evans

A murdered scientist points her finger from the grave at her brutal killer. A Stone Age homicide comes to light after 5,300 years. A serial killer who slays women on two continents is finally brought to justice by a single hair that yields just nine billionths of a gram of human DNA. All these miracles of detection were made possible only by the crime lab, our leading weapon in the war on crime. If you are fascinated by both the history of forensics and the very latest developments in crime scene investigation, autopsies, and other aspects of the science, Murder Two is the book for you. This comprehensive casebook of forensic detection presents nearly one hundred classic, high-profile cases in which police detectives and crime labs worked together to solve baffling and horrifying crimes through the shrewd, painstaking use of science. Spanning four continents and almost two hundred years, these cases feature the forensic quirks, wrinkles, and breakthroughs that led to major advances in crime detection. Author Colin Evans demonstrates how, from the first fumbling attempts to identify poisons and bullets through the modern miracle of GPS satellite technology, forensic experts have waged a multifaceted battle against crime. He reveals how real-world investigators have used ballistics, toxicology, brain fingerprinting, anthropology, blood spatter analysis, DNA typing, and, of course, conventional fingerprinting to solve crimes. Accounts are provided of the scientific developments that gave birth to each of these procedures, fueling quantum leaps in the accuracy and precision of their findings. Many of these developments were pioneered by scientists, inventors, and detectives, whose insights and sheer determination revolutionized the fight against crime. Included here are fully cross-referenced profiles and case details of twenty-five major figures in forensic science, including laboratory superstars Edward O. Heinrich and Milton Helpern.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Science, History, Anthologies, Research, Crime

312 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Colin Evans is the author of 17 books dealing with forensics and true crime. His fascination with the murkier side of human nature began while he was still in school. Hours spent in library archives researching contemporary newspaper accounts about "Jack the Ripper" (no, he doesn't have any clues to the killer's identity, and he seriously doubts that anyone else does, either) got him started and it's really never stopped since then.

He was living in America when his first book was published in 1993, and since that time he's gone on to become one of the foremost writers dealing with the history and development of forensic science.

Reviews

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compendium of articles written around the topic of criminal forensics. The author has chosen three topics; crimes in which forensics helped to solve the crime, early and outstanding people in the field of criminal forensics and lastly, explanations of the various techniques such as fingerprinting and DNA analysis. He chose to mix all three of the categories and organized the book alphabetically which is a bit strange.

I found the cases most interesting. There were cases I had heard of as I read a lot of true crime, but there were many many more that were new to me. There were several that I wished to learn even more about and have noted down to research later.

Colin Evans developed an interest in criminal cases as a young man. He spent hours researching various cases and to this point, has written seventeen books in the fields of true crime and forensic methods. While I wished for more detail about many of the cases, overall, this was an astonishing collection of cases, people and methods. This book is recommended for nonfiction and true crime readers.

[Chris Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents notable advances in forensic science, explanations of current techniques (e.g. "voiceprinting"), and brief synopses of crimes with the forensic techniques used to solve them. They're all presented in 2-3 page entries, making it very easy to read this book in small chunks of time. If you've seen the old TV show "Forensic Files" you may recognize a lot of the crimes.

Recommended for those interested in forensic science, true crime, or "CSI".

[Kathleen Edgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice, concise reference book to jumpstart your forensic curiosity. Forensic pioneers, technology, murderers and present day forensic experts round out the knowledge hidden within the pages.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another engaging romp through the world of forensic science. Packed with new cases, and some familiar ones from his previous books, Evans presents a range of cases, both historical and current, as well as profiles of famous forensic pathologists and descriptions of various forensic techniques, procedures, and technologies. Of all the cases in this volume, my favorite historical cases are: the Booth Deringer, the Iceman, the Mormon Will (allegedly written by Howard Hughes), the Persian Mummy, and the Vinland Map. As for the non-historical ones, I enjoyed: Brian Calzacorto (twins on trial for murder), George Gwaltney (cop who raped and murdered), John Haigh (clever attempt to dissolve human remains), Theodore Kaczynski (unibomber convicted using linguistic analysis), Elmer McCurdy ("The Bandit Who Wouldn't Give Up", a mummified corpse that frequented the sideshow circuit), David Middleton (extreme sexual torture), the Phonemasters (early black hat hackers and data thieves), Darlie Routier (killed her children and tried to stage it as a burglary gone wrong), John Schneberger (physician rapist who tried to pass DNA tests by surgically implanting a plastic vein with another person's blood in it), Paula Sims (killed both her baby girls to regain her husband's affection and tried to stage each murder as a kidnapping), Udham Singh (mass assassination attempt that failed due to old equipment), and Jack Unterweger (reformed criminal who became a famous writer who after parole went on an international prostitute killing spree). Overall, a dense but interesting book of cases to supplement his previous work, The Casebook of Forensic Detection.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the same person as A Casebook of Forensic Detection and A Question of Evidence, Murder Two is an expansion on forensic firsts and interesting cases. It's done in an encylopedic fashion, alphabetically by last name, athough the author has chosen to sort cases by the killer's name instead of the victim, which doesn't sit completely easily with me? It's also a bit hard to follow the arc of forensic progress in this alphabetical fashion, though I suppose if you've read A Casebook of Forensic Detection you sort of have a good idea already. Eh, it's entertaining but I don't think it achieves the educational goal it set out. Still, a good read for true crime fans.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encyclopedia of crime scene forensic fetes and forensic scientists. As the second in a series (following A Question of Evidence: The Casebook of Great Forensic Controversies, from Napoleon to O.J.), many of the cases are lesser known, but no less fascinating for the detective work involved in solving them.

Also included are capsule definitions of forensic terms and biographies of famous forensic scientists. And what does it say about the book or the reader that the detectors are far less interesting than the detected?

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with information on the development of various forensic tools over the years. These include arson, ballistics, brain fingerprinting, chromatography, fingerprinting, knife wounds, serology, time of death, and numerous others. There are cases of how the development of these tools help assist in solving the crimes. I was amazed at how long ago some of these forensic tools were first developed.

[So Hang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is divided into few main topics. After the basic introduction to each topic, the author told the interesting and successful stories about crimes solved by forensic science. This is definitely something you can keep on the book shelf and read it again and again.

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some lesser known murder cases and how they were solved, and some of the forensic scientists and their discoveries. The sort of book you can get engrossed in or put down and pick up.