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Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance, A Pioneer Forensics Investigator
The intriguing criminal cases of pioneer forensics expert John Vance, “Canada’s Sherlock Holmes.”
During his forty-two-year-career he helped detectives in Vancouver, Victoria, and throughout BC solve hit-and-runs, safe-crackings, and some of the most sensational murder cases of the 20th century. Vance was constantly called to crime scenes and to testify in court because of his skills in serology, toxicology, and autopsy.
When Vance was first called to a crime scene in 1914, forensics was in its infancy. Vancouver was the first police department in Canada to have a scientist on staff and one of the few police departments in North America to use forensics in investigations. Vance's knowledge of poisons helped solved a sensational death case, while his work in blood analysis allowed him to distinguish human from animal blood―and thereby send a murderer to the gallows. His work in firearms examination was leading-edge, and Vance was able to bring his expertise in trace evidence and explosives to solve dozens of robberies, earning him front-page headlines.
Vance's skills and analytic abilities were so effective that in 1934 there were seven attempts on his life, and for a time, he and his family were under constant police guard from criminals afraid to go up against him in court.
Blood, Sweat, and Fear delves into some of the most notorious cases in BC's history while giving a sense of what life was like in Vancouver during the first half of the century. At the same time, it reveals the untold story of the personal struggle of John F.C.B. Vance, a scientist who never lost his moral compass in the midst of corruption that reached to the top of the police force and to City Hall.
During his forty-two-year-career he helped detectives in Vancouver, Victoria, and throughout BC solve hit-and-runs, safe-crackings, and some of the most sensational murder cases of the 20th century. Vance was constantly called to crime scenes and to testify in court because of his skills in serology, toxicology, and autopsy.
When Vance was first called to a crime scene in 1914, forensics was in its infancy. Vancouver was the first police department in Canada to have a scientist on staff and one of the few police departments in North America to use forensics in investigations. Vance's knowledge of poisons helped solved a sensational death case, while his work in blood analysis allowed him to distinguish human from animal blood―and thereby send a murderer to the gallows. His work in firearms examination was leading-edge, and Vance was able to bring his expertise in trace evidence and explosives to solve dozens of robberies, earning him front-page headlines.
Vance's skills and analytic abilities were so effective that in 1934 there were seven attempts on his life, and for a time, he and his family were under constant police guard from criminals afraid to go up against him in court.
Blood, Sweat, and Fear delves into some of the most notorious cases in BC's history while giving a sense of what life was like in Vancouver during the first half of the century. At the same time, it reveals the untold story of the personal struggle of John F.C.B. Vance, a scientist who never lost his moral compass in the midst of corruption that reached to the top of the police force and to City Hall.
218 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2017
6 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Eve Lazarus
13 books57 followersEve Lazarus is an author, reporter and the host and producer of the Cold Case Canada podcast. Her bestselling books include Cold Case BC, Vancouver Exposed, and Murder by Milkshake which was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Best Non-Fiction Crime Book, the City of Vancouver book award, and Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award (BC Book Prizes). Eve's latest book is Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 11, 2019
What an intriguing and fascinating book! I came across this author in Dark Poutine podcast episode #91 where they were announcing the winners for Murder by Milkshake book by this same author. My curiosity piqued and I immediately searched for this author's books in my local library. I am glad that I read this book and I enjoyed it immensely! Great writing, well-researched and I certainly learnt a lot about forensic science in Canada, especially its early history.
This book focuses on the extraordinary work and contributions of Inspector John F.C.B. Vance who not only earned the moniker "Sherlock Holmes of Canada" but pioneered police forensics in Canada. He was Vancouver city analyst but his expertise in trace evidence, firearms examination, toxicology and serology, had helped solved many complex cases. Vance will eventually go on to lead the newly formed Police Bureau of Science. It is through the cases that he worked on we learnt about the history and hurdles of the early days of forensic science in Canada.
Overall, this is one great read! Blood, Sweat and Fear is a must read for true crime/forensics junkies. It is easy to read without being too sciency. It's engaging and you will be surprised by the dark history of Canada which is not taught in schools! Now, I'm going to read Lazarus' next book - Murder by Milkshake.
This book focuses on the extraordinary work and contributions of Inspector John F.C.B. Vance who not only earned the moniker "Sherlock Holmes of Canada" but pioneered police forensics in Canada. He was Vancouver city analyst but his expertise in trace evidence, firearms examination, toxicology and serology, had helped solved many complex cases. Vance will eventually go on to lead the newly formed Police Bureau of Science. It is through the cases that he worked on we learnt about the history and hurdles of the early days of forensic science in Canada.
Overall, this is one great read! Blood, Sweat and Fear is a must read for true crime/forensics junkies. It is easy to read without being too sciency. It's engaging and you will be surprised by the dark history of Canada which is not taught in schools! Now, I'm going to read Lazarus' next book - Murder by Milkshake.
January 6, 2018
RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)
I really enjoyed Eve Lazarus' last book, Cold Cases Vancouver so I was excited to try this one. This book has the cases of Inspector Vance who was one of the first Forensic Investigator in Vancouver. I found the cases interesting and the writing engaging. If you like true crime I would recommend this one - but it more scientific rather than sensational.
(Review Not on Blog)
I really enjoyed Eve Lazarus' last book, Cold Cases Vancouver so I was excited to try this one. This book has the cases of Inspector Vance who was one of the first Forensic Investigator in Vancouver. I found the cases interesting and the writing engaging. If you like true crime I would recommend this one - but it more scientific rather than sensational.
September 19, 2019
As an historical curiosity, this was worth picking up! It's a good pop history - Lazarus doesn't take any liberties with the evidence, and it's a fascinating look at Vancouver's early days. I had no real idea how criminal forensic science developed (although there was a point in my life where I watched a lot of CSI) and it was very much news to me how much Vance pioneered. Lazarus also details the corruption and organized crime Vance dealt with, as well as all the death threats and murder attempts.
If you like true crime, and you're interested in the roots of how police do their work, this is a good addition to your library.
If you like true crime, and you're interested in the roots of how police do their work, this is a good addition to your library.
March 21, 2018
Most people are familiar with forensic evidence and the impact it has on cases today. No case goes to trial without strong evidence, and of course, forensic evidence to back up their facts.
The story of Canadian Inspector Vance was engaging from the beginning to the end. He started out as a analyst for food and beverages, but was asked to help on cases when law enforcement was stuck. His analysis of blood evidence, by using science, was groundbreaking in the 1920s. As he began to build a name for himself, he was called into other crime scenes, both in Canada and the United States.
I absolutely loved this book. It was fun to read and learn about some of the cases that until now, I had never heard of. Some cases were mentioned only in passing, while others were expanded and given quite a bit of information.
Through his efforts and his relentless pursuit of the truth, we have one of the first pioneers into the field of Forensics. Based on his notes, and his tireless work, many criminals went to prison. Some though, still escaped justice.
Overall this book kept me engaged. There were times that I stumbled through, as many of the words are missing letters, so deciphering what the word should (or could) be could take a little doing. The author tends to jump a little bit back and forth, so if you are not paying careful attention, you might find yourself flipping back a few pages to figure out where you are and where she is heading with the information provided.
The story of Canadian Inspector Vance was engaging from the beginning to the end. He started out as a analyst for food and beverages, but was asked to help on cases when law enforcement was stuck. His analysis of blood evidence, by using science, was groundbreaking in the 1920s. As he began to build a name for himself, he was called into other crime scenes, both in Canada and the United States.
I absolutely loved this book. It was fun to read and learn about some of the cases that until now, I had never heard of. Some cases were mentioned only in passing, while others were expanded and given quite a bit of information.
Through his efforts and his relentless pursuit of the truth, we have one of the first pioneers into the field of Forensics. Based on his notes, and his tireless work, many criminals went to prison. Some though, still escaped justice.
Overall this book kept me engaged. There were times that I stumbled through, as many of the words are missing letters, so deciphering what the word should (or could) be could take a little doing. The author tends to jump a little bit back and forth, so if you are not paying careful attention, you might find yourself flipping back a few pages to figure out where you are and where she is heading with the information provided.
January 2, 2019
I loved this book and the author was able to write in such a way that the book was easy to read and didn't get bogged down with a lot of details. I know this book was about the innovations that Inspector Vance put forth in creating forensic analysis and that part was super interesting, but the murder's themselves in my hometown were the most interesting part for me and this book held my attention right from the beginning. I love reading about the step by step processes in solving the crimes.
Inspector Vance was instrumental in creating new ways of analyzing crime scenes and was very successful in solving most of the murder's that were written about in this book. He also testified in trials and had a fairly successful rate of conviction based on his testimony and the forensics that he put forth. He was able to escape death multiple times when friends of the accused did not want him to testify and would try and kill him. It was also interesting to hear about the corruption in the city and with the very people who were his superiors and how Inspector Vance kept moving forward with his job.
All in all, I would recommend this book and if you like murder stories and the solving of them through forensic analysis this will definitely be interesting to you.
Inspector Vance was instrumental in creating new ways of analyzing crime scenes and was very successful in solving most of the murder's that were written about in this book. He also testified in trials and had a fairly successful rate of conviction based on his testimony and the forensics that he put forth. He was able to escape death multiple times when friends of the accused did not want him to testify and would try and kill him. It was also interesting to hear about the corruption in the city and with the very people who were his superiors and how Inspector Vance kept moving forward with his job.
All in all, I would recommend this book and if you like murder stories and the solving of them through forensic analysis this will definitely be interesting to you.
September 6, 2017
Despite the somewhat cringe inducing punny title, this story of the career of pioneering forensic scientist John Vance was very interesting.
Vance who started out an analyst with the Vancouver City Health Department before his work expanded to collecting and analyzing crime scene evidence for the Vancouver police, was one of North America's first forensic scientists. He became something of a celebrity, billed as the Canadian Sherlock Holmes, and survived several attempts on his life by criminals trying to prevent him from testifying in court.
It seems that Vancouver in the 30's, 40's and 50's was a Canadian version of BOARDWALK EMPIRE. (SEAWALL EMPIRE?) with rampant crime, illegal booze,drugs, safe crackers and bank robbers, murderers, corrupt cops and even more corrupt politicians. Who knew?
Lazarus mentions several books about the era that might be worth checking out. (Sorry I took the book back to the library before I made notes.) I already have her book, COLD CASE VANCOUVER, on hold at the library.
Vance who started out an analyst with the Vancouver City Health Department before his work expanded to collecting and analyzing crime scene evidence for the Vancouver police, was one of North America's first forensic scientists. He became something of a celebrity, billed as the Canadian Sherlock Holmes, and survived several attempts on his life by criminals trying to prevent him from testifying in court.
It seems that Vancouver in the 30's, 40's and 50's was a Canadian version of BOARDWALK EMPIRE. (SEAWALL EMPIRE?) with rampant crime, illegal booze,drugs, safe crackers and bank robbers, murderers, corrupt cops and even more corrupt politicians. Who knew?
Lazarus mentions several books about the era that might be worth checking out. (Sorry I took the book back to the library before I made notes.) I already have her book, COLD CASE VANCOUVER, on hold at the library.
January 4, 2026
I had seen an exhibit on Inspector Vance at the Vancouver Police Museum and thought all the work he did on forensics was so interesting so I picked up this book. It was really fun to read about all the different places in Vancouver and to hear about how things had changed. I thought it would be more about Inspector Vance and it did talk about his life but it also went into graphic detail about his cases and at times I had to skim over things. It was just a bit gruesome for me. One case near the end I found particularly disturbing. If you're not bothered by graphic details of murders I would recommend it.
January 8, 2020
I found this quite interesting. It is devoted to the work of John FCB Vance who is something of a real life Detective William Murdoch. He advanced forensic science considerably, inventing new techniques and devices as needed. The book outlines some of the most well-known cases that Vance worked on.
The book also seems to be a bit of a love letter to the city of Vancouver. Lazarus goes to pains to describe the cross streets and buildings where crimes were committed. There are some great photos of old Vancouver and even reproductions of maps that show police chase routes, etc.
The book also seems to be a bit of a love letter to the city of Vancouver. Lazarus goes to pains to describe the cross streets and buildings where crimes were committed. There are some great photos of old Vancouver and even reproductions of maps that show police chase routes, etc.
July 14, 2018
This book follows the career of John F.C.B. Vance, an early forensic criminologist in Vancouver, BC. Lazarus tells us a little about his life but the book is mostly about his work, focusing on several of the most notorious cases he was involved in. In addition to being an interesting story about "Canada's Sherlock Holmes," it's a helpful resource for those interested in Vancouver history and the details of early criminal procedure and forensics.
October 26, 2018
A very interesting set of stories featuring the forensics investigator, Inspector Vance,with the Vancouver Police Department during the first half of the 20th century. Lazarus did a fine job of digging into the cases.
July 17, 2018
Interesting historical perspective of early police investigation of crime in Vancouver
September 20, 2020
This is a fantastic and gripping read!
February 23, 2018
For 42 years, pioneer forensics expert John Vance, “Canada’s Sherlock Holmes.” helped detectives throughout BC to solve various crimes including some sensational murder cases. When Vance was attended a crime scene in 1914, forensics was in its infancy and Vancouver was the first police department in Canada to have a scientist on staff. Vance became a self educated expert in serology, toxicology and autopsy and was frequently called in court. In fact, he was so effective that in 1934 there were seven attempts on his life, and those of his family, from criminals afraid to go up against him in court. A interesting look at a scientist little known in Canadian history whose life makes compelling reading.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews