Becoming a Crime Scene Investigator

Masters at Work

by Jacqui Detwiler-George

A revealing guide to a career as a crime scene investigator written by journalist Jacqueline Detwiler-George and based on the real-life experiences of the CSI team at the Baltimore police department—required reading for anyone considering a path to this profession. Becoming a Crime Scene Investigator takes you behind the scenes to find out what it’s really like, and what it really takes, to become a crime scene investigator. Discover what it’s like to process a crime scene by collecting evidence, documenting via photos, dusting for fingerprints, and analyzing blood spatter. Confront the gruesome realities of the job, tour their in-house crime labs, and watch as they process results. Gain wisdom and insight from the director of the forensic laboratory and the chief of the forensic division—and learn how this essential job is performed at the highest level.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 20, 2021

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most interesting thing about this book was the blurb. It was so good, so well-written, so enticing, I got the book. I read about 60 pages and dnf'd it. Reading about a technician in a lab and the history of forensics just didn't do it for me. Maybe it would for you. Maybe I've just read too many forensic investigation books to be wowed by anything less than one with *Revelations* which this one didn't have.

[Emily Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75⭐️ it was a quick and fun read about some of my amazing coworkers! No other place compares to Baltimore City 😉

[Sally Kilpatrick]

This is a baby book, a gift book, if you will. It only has 150 pages or so, so don't expect a really in-depth analysis here. That said, it was very interesting and very readable. Most of the CSI details are explained on Forensic Files, but the profiles of the various people who work in CSI was interesting.

[Steven Belanger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short, interesting book that inexplicably hit a dull spot about 60% of the way in before righting itself. Much better than Becoming A Private Investigator, which wasn’t at all about becoming a private investigator. Thank goodness, this one is indeed about becoming a crime scene investigator.

It mostly follows crime scene investigators of various stripes in and around the Baltimore offices, focusing mostly on two women, and what they studied and where they worked before they got to where they are, seemingly by chance. You get the gist, without the author going into too much depth.

The author, Detwiler-George, is a former reporter who went freelance. She writes in a very straightforward but amusing and light tone for most of the book. She for some reason loses this tone about 60% in. The tone is dry and straight-up, and the book becomes a tad boring for a little bit. But she writes the ship and retains the lightheartedness, even when she’s not writing about lighthearted things, which is of course when you need it most. (She has an amusing Twitter feed, too.)

There are many different types of crime scene investigators, and they are as stressful as they appear. They pay well, and they’re obviously rewarding, since you help out away the bad guys. But you have to see all the victims, too. The murdered. The abused. The dead children and the battered animals. And the good guys don’t always win. Kudos to those who do this.

The CSI Effect is briefly mentioned, much to the negative. Jurors expect all murders to be solved pronto. They expect that all departments will throw every test and every machine at every case—though that will stagnate progress. They expect perfection and will acquit when things aren’t perfect, or when all resources aren’t exhausted for every murder, necessary or not.

This is a first step about the topic, if you’re interested. It focuses more on the men and women who do the office work, and those who go to the crime scenes, more than it does on the work and on the crime scenes themselves. For the grisly details of real crimes and how they were solved, the reader is welcome to read the memoirs and autobiographies mentioned within this book.

Overall, an interesting, witty, well-written little book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do I have any desire to become a Crime Scene Investigator? I do not.

But this little book was entertaining nonetheless. Being just a hundred pages and change, don't expect a step-by-step guide of the ins and outs of the field. It's a sequence of nicely written interview/research driven narratives, exploring the career arcs of several successful CSI practitioners, and as such, it's a tasty little morsel of a read.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say, it’s very weird reading about yourself but also pretty entertaining reading how other people see you. I think this book did a pretty good job putting forensics into a realistic perspective. I will say that some of the terminology is not correct but that might be too picky. It was lovely having Jacqui ride along with us. We are always welcoming to those who want to learn about what we really do in this field.

[are we there yet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, appreciated that it has some kind of narrative rather than telling you to do x, y, and z and you'll be all set. Some people are more interesting than others.