Bodies of Evidence: How Forensic Science Solves Crimes

by Brian Innes, Lucy Doncaster

Bodies of Evidence is packed with intriguing case histories involving an astonishing variety of forensic evidence.

Criminal investigators have learned how to interpret vital testimony that is written in the language of fingerprints and flakes of skin, gradients of teeth and bone, splashes of blood, flecks of paint, traces of chemicals, a splinter of glass, or a uniquely striated bullet. Bodies of Evidence  includes various cases from around the world, including O.J. Simpson, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, “The Mad Bomber”George Metesky, Tommie Lee Andrews, “The Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez, Jack Unterweger, Lee Harvey Oswald, “The Boston Strangler” Albert DeSalvo, Jeffrey MacDonald, the Lockerbie bombing, “The Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski, and many more. The book also chronicles and evaluates the role of those who have made the most significant contributions in the varied fields of toxicology, serology, fingerprinting, facial reconstruction, forensic ballistics, psychological profiling, and DNA fingerprinting. The text is illustrated throughout with 200 photographs, some of which have rarely been seen before.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2021

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the different people this book talked about that I hadn’t read about before. Much of the forensics history and information I was fairly familiar with. The rest of it was interesting and informative. The stories about the killers were good, including the better known ones. Lots of phots included in this book, some a bit graphic. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not let the title scare you away from reading this book because this was one of the best forensic science books I've read this year! It is a treasure trove of information on topics like serology, toxicology, fingerprinting, facial identification, forensic ballistics, voiceprint evidence, psychological profiling, DNA fingerprinting and many more.

Each chapter (seventeen in total) discusses the forensic methods and how the cases were solved by forensic evidence. I am not familiar with most of these intriguing cases as they were mostly from UK and Scotland. But there were also some more well-known ones like Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker), Theodore Kaczynski, (Unabomber), Ted Bundy, O. J. Simpson, etc. In the psychological profiling part, you will come across FBI profilers like Howard Teten and Robert Ressler, and Dr. James Brussell, the psychiatrist who pioneered criminal profiling.

There were a lot of sidebars scattered throughout the book and I absolutely loved them! Pictures. There are a lot of pictures in this book (some are pretty graphic) and definitely saves me some time to have to search them in the internet! Forensic entomologist and psychological profiling were most probably two of my favourite topics. Albeit the engaging writing, I did struggle a bit in a couple of chapters. There were a bit sciency for me.

Overall, this was one fantastic read and I learned A LOT of new information. I think I am ready to be a forensic investigator now! Just kidding!


Pub. Date: Nov 14th, 2021

***Thank you Amber Books Ltd, authors Brian Innes, Lucy Doncaster and NetGalley for this gifted review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

[H.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a digital ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it’s an excellent choice for anyone interested in crime. It’s technical, but the writing is clear and straight-forward, so an interested reader can follow along. It’s a compelling mix of the history and science of forensics, which I don’t think I’ve encountered before (most subject overviews focus on one or the other). It’s a great starting point for anyone getting into forensic science or true crime, or the avid fan who wants to know more.

This is also an excellent resource for anyone who writes crime or horror fiction. As a (beginning) horror writer, I found some of the descriptions of police procedure and forensic techniques useful for a story I’m working on. I think I’m going to get a physical copy to use as a reference for future writing projects.

Throughout the text, there are excellent photographs, many of them from crime scenes (nothing too graphic) to help illustrate the procedures and techniques discussed. In addition, real cases are discussed in Crime Files interspersed throughout the text, offering examples of how forensics has been used to catch (or failed to catch) violent criminals. For example, the Crime File on Lee Harvey Oswald explained how forensic science was used to analyze the bullet wounds JFK and Governor John Connally sustained, and determine that only two bullets were fired, both from behind, both by Oswald.

For me, a nonfiction book succeeds when it presents new information in an enticing way that helps it stick in the reader’s head. Bodies of Evidence succeeds in doing this, and what I’ve learned will stay with me. For example, did you know that there’s an entire field for examining teeth and dental records to determine someone’s identity? It’s called forensic odontology, and it’s crucial for identifying victims of violent crime and disasters.

In general, this book revealed how far forensic science has come, and how advanced it is today. It left me wondering why more violent crimes aren’t solved (a question the book never really addresses). I can only conclude that there must be a lack of resources or knowledge when it comes to implementing these advances.

I wish the book had a conclusion. Introductions are excellent for giving an overview, but I’ve found that conclusions in non-fiction books are almost as helpful. Additionally, I’d recommend purchasing this book in physical, not digital, form. It was a little awkward to read on a tablet, and it’s clearly designed to be accessed and referenced as a physical book.

Overall, a great read! I recommend it to anyone interested in forensics.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bodies of Evidence: How Forensic Science Solves Crimes by Brian Innes and Lucy Doncaster is a well-illustrated overview of the topic. The explanations go just below surface level without becoming a really detailed science book. I rounded this one up because I think they found just the right mix of interesting explanation, good example cases, and excellent illustrations.

In addition to a couple of courses (MOOCs) and plenty of the popular books on forensics, I've also read through a couple of textbooks (they often went over my head) so part of my interest here was in finding out where this book fell in that spectrum. While thankfully not into the realm of a textbook it does offer enough detail to give some of the science behind each technique. By combining that with short case studies we see how the science is applied in real world situations. What I came away with is the opinion that this makes an excellent single, or at least initial, source for most nonexperts. If you just want one book in your library on the topic for when you want to better understand something, this would make an excellent volume.

The main thing I think would make this better would be a short bibliography, or very short ones at the end of each chapter. In reading the book you get plenty of names and keywords to search for yourself, but still. I don't think an extensive one would have been necessary, maybe a couple major texts for each technique or method plus a few other good overall forensic texts.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in forensics, whether through television and movies, novels, true crime, or even as a potential career choice. As either an overview for the casual reader or a jumping off point for more research, this is a handy volume to have in your library. If you're like me this would also make a good coffee table (or end table) book, and definitely one to leave out at your next book group meeting if you're reading anything with crime in it.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book is super interesting and even helpful, especially if you're looking for basic information on forensic science and its applications to solving crimes. It is nonfiction and covers a wide array of scientific methods used in fields like fingerprinting or the study of insects in relation to murder investigation. I learned quite a bit while reading this book, it provided the basic information that someone new to the topic could easily follow. All the topics in this book included: history of how it was discovered and by whom, the application on when it can be used as well as several interesting murder cases as examples on how these methods where used in finding evidence for a conviction in a cases. Overall, I found it intriguing, educational, and a bit gruesome. Definitely recommend checking this book out if you're looking to expand your knowledge of true crime and investigation. It could also provide useful information to someone looking to study a certain field like ballistics or DNA.
Trigger warnings: graphic pictures, blood, murder, suicide
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for providing me with a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bodies of Evidence was originally printed in 2001, but has since been updated and rereleased. This is an overview of how forensics works, with each chapter giving a brief description and history of an area of forensics alongside photographs and case studies to illustrate.

I really liked the layout of each chapter. There were little profiles and side bits of information in boxes, so you could keep up with main story narrative and then at a point that felt natural to you, you could go back and read the extra info.

If you are already a true crime aficionado, this may not necessarily appeal strongly. However, I did find it an enjoyable read, with some cases that I’d not heard before! This would be excellent for someone who doesn’t know much about the history of forensics and was looking for an overview.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The writing style is simple and conversational; the subject matter is interesting. Most of the science is well-explained except for some of the information on forensic hardware, but I suspect that to do justice to this topic would take a full other book. But the book isn’t all science and the authors do a good job of tying the science into real cases. The photos are also very good. Thank you to Netgalley and Amber Books for the advance reader copy.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I whipped through this book. I think I missed my calling in life as a death investigator. The cover may be a bit misleading. This isn’t a book set in the autopsy room.
This book talks you through the different investigations needed in a death. Along side is case studies from crimes over the years.
Very informative and interesting perfect for any budding Quincey.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative read. I learned a lot of things about forensic examinations. The book covered a wide variety of subjects. All were presented in a clear, easily read manner, which is a treat, because it would be so easy to really overwhelm someone with the science. Each section was interspersed with actual case histories pertaining to the chapter subject. These were very interesting.
All in all, if you are a crime buff who loves shows like CSI, this would be a great read for you.

[Keeley Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bodies of evidence is a great book for an introduction into forensic science, it is well written and details a wide range of techniques used to investigate crime. To enable the reader to understand how each technique can be applied there are many 'crime files' that detail how different famous and normal cases were solved. These crime files are interesting to read and entice you to continue reading.

I received an early copy of bodies of evidence from netgalley for review.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for people with an interest in true crime, or anyone wanting to know more about Forensic Science and it's history.
This book gives detailed information in an easy to read format about techniques used to solve crimes and sometimes even to help identify the victims.
The best bit is that in each chapter, there are true crime examples of where this technique was used and how it helped to solve the murder.
The colour photos aren't grisly, but it's a very informative book

[Sandra Berryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a CSI groupie and 20-year retired medical transcriptionist, I was excited about this book. I was no disappointed. Well-researched with an easy to read and understand format I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not for the faint of heart but truly appreciated by those who are fascinated by forensic science. Thank you NetGalley. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

[Catty Ducky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really super informative about forensics!! It delved so well into many different topics, with pictures and criminal cases to aid with understanding the text. I skimmed this book for a research project, then decided to fully read it. It’s not too difficult of a read, and it’s very factual and interesting. I never felt bored while reading it, and I’m so glad I read it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Amber Books Ltd, Amber Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A detailed guide discussing forensic science. If you want actual facts, science and have an understanding of such this would be of interest to you.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! For lovers of true crime, this is one book that you are going to want to dive into! Revisit some cases that you know, get an idea of the forensic evidence that was found - and so much more!

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of, Bodies of Evidence, by Brian Innes: Lucy Doncaster. This is a very informative book. Case files and examples of evidence. Bruises and how or why the victim died.

[Stephen Journeay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction to forensic science.