Mr. Erzinclioglu provided all that we want to know about basic science and art of forensics studies in this not-so-hard-to-read book. he gaves us every information about forensics from many perspective, mainly from biological and psychological point of view. The English professor of forensics taught us step by step how to conduct a forensic investigation and how to think as a psychological profiler. A very decent book for everyone who want to learn many things about forensics study.
I read this book in one of my frequent career path changes. I found it to be very inforamtional, but also very dry. There are some example stories which make the text more interesting, as well as a selection of photos.(Some are pictures of criminals, others pictures of actual crime scenes as well as microscopic views of certain cells) but it would more likely be a secondary college textbook
This is a superb book. I picked it up to familiarize myself with the subject - can only help with the Murder stories. I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a good overview of the subject. It is both easy to understand and in depth, entertaining and filled with interesting examples. Great stuff!
My field of study in college was Criminal Justice, so I enjoyed reading this book. It probably wouldn't be for everyone as it's written in textbook style. But, if you enjoy true crime TV you should give it a try. The author explains not just how pieces of a crime scene expose what we don't know happened, he goes into detail about how the science behind processing evidence works. Most of the cases discussed took place in the UK, meaning for most readers the stories are fresh and there aren't any preconceived notions about their outcome (unless you're from the UK).
I have always been interested, in a moderately morbid way, with criminal forensics, and I very much enjoyed reading this non-fiction book, not least because it was written by someone in Great Britain, which puts another spin on the subject.
After introducing the reader to Locard's Principle, which is that "every contact leaves a trace", Dr. Zak (as he was known by his colleagues at Cambridge; born in Turkey, and a noted entomologist, he died in 2002, aged only 50) devotes individual chapters to The Forensic Mind, Spirit of Place, Time Will Tell, A Question of Identity, Causes, Poison, Destruction, Words and Images, and Little Details, ending the book with a chapter about The Criminal Mind. Along the way he mentions famous cases, and puts forth a few interesting theories (that the Czarevich did not die at Ekaterinburg, and that King Harold was not killed by being shot in the eye with an arrow at the Battle of Hastings).
I very much enjoyed reading this book; while the good doctor is no longer with us, he did write other books, and I will be on the watch for them.