The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals

by Hannah B. Harvey

Modern history is filled with terrible crimes, baffling hoaxes, and seedy scandals. The infamous Jack the Ripper slayings. The alleged survival of Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of the murdered Tsar. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s public fall from grace. The Chicago Tylenol poisonings and the copycat crimes that followed.These events have the power to captivate us with their mystery and shock us with views into the darkest parts of the human psyche. As a society, we seek resolution of these crimes and scandals, to bring their perpetrators to justice and hopefully prevent such events from occurring again.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, True Crime, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery

Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

No stone unturned in this comprehensive treatise on forensics. It's very interesting, lots of cases to illustrate different aspects of forensics. The author has an excellent way of imparting detailed scientific knowledge and makes you feel you really learned a lot.

It's really a series of lectures, good for half hour commutes. Since I live on a tiny island and going from nearly the top of the mountain down to sea level where my shop is takes only 8 mins, each lecture went on for days. Sometimes when a book is very good, as this one was, that's an advantage.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

These 24 Lectures are light on science; far more popularized & sensationalized than I was hoping for. I was familiar with most of her examples through other books, often in far better detail. She mentions some of the authors of these by name it often comes across as name dropping (my friend, so&so...) & then she omits others. For instance, while she mentions The University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, AKA "The Body Farm" or "Death's Acre", she never mentions Bill Bass the creator of the facility & one of the early & leading forensic anthropologists. It made me wonder if there was some professional jealousy there.

1 - The Infamous Jack the Ripper -
2 - Analyzing the Black Dahlia Murder -
3 - Dissecting Hollywood Deaths -
I was not thrilled by these 3 lectures. I could have learned more faster reading a Wikipedia article & almost quit listening. If I don't comment on a lecture below, it's because it falls into this category.

4 - Decomposition and Confusing Interpretations - This kept me listening. She did a decent job discussing some of the issues, but it was covered better in Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales.

5 - Lizzie Borden and the Menendez Brothers -
6 - The Tylenol Murders -
7 - Copycats and Hoaxes -
8 - Frauds and Forgeries -
9 - Blood Doping and Other Sports Scandals -
10 - Bad Boys of U.S. Politics -
11 - Criminals of the Wild, Wild West -
12 - Investigating Incredible Bank Heists -

13 - How Reliable is Eyewitness Testimony? - concentrated on one recent case, but that provided a very good example for many of the subtle issues with this, especially in our legal system.

14 - The Truth behind False Confessions -
15 - Crooked Cops and Bad Convictions -
16 - Guilty until Proven Innocent -
The above were biased. Certainly there have been abuses, but she is outraged that police are allowed to lie to suspects during questioning even as she points out how the legal limits were broken. She never points out how well this technique works in eliciting information & her declaration that she is sure most police do a fine job just comes off as mealy-mouthed. She mentions issues with fingerprints, but never got into the specifics. From one book, I was led to understand that comparisons are often subjective & the law isn't clear on what constitutes a 'match'. Just like in eyewitness accounts, even experts can be fooled into seeing what isn't there. She fails to mention this completely.

17 - Political Assassinations
18 - Mysteries of the Romanov Family - was covered far better in Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist. As she mentions, Maples was one of the investigators.

19 - Forensics of Genocide - Again, covered far better by Maples.

20 - The Nazis and the Witch of Buchenwald -
21 - The Spies Have It -
22 - Motive and Kidnapping -
23 - Identification Matters -
24 - The Past, Present, and Future of Forensics - she finally gets into a bit more of the science here, but it's still very light.

I would have liked these a LOT better if she had concentrated more on the science of forensics & how it has progressed within the lectures, but she skips all over in time for sensations. Over & over she mentions how a method wasn't available or had been refined, but is now. That's nice, but exactly what makes or made it available? What studies have been done on the accuracy &/or contamination of micro DNA samples? Just how have computers helped with IAFIS? Has it caused issues? She finally answers this last a little in the last lecture, but still doesn't delve into the detail.

Worse, she never discusses or even mentions the economics of such methods in her examples. It's great that a test can figure out the DNA now from a few cells, but how expensive is that both in time & money? How often is it done? She's in the business, so I expected such answers from her.

Has the system just been overwhelmed by new methods until they've become a way for the defense to cast reasonable doubt? All I really know is that several year old rape kits still haven't been processed in quite a few jurisdictions & are often tainted by the time anyone gets around to them.

Overall, this would be a good introductory course. While I hardly feel like an expert, it didn't get into specifics enough for me.

[Barbara K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this to read a few days ago because in a whimsical but misguided moment I thought the title could be interpreted as describing one of the US presidential candidates.

The most I can summon up for this is a 2.5. I was familiar with much, though not all, of the content, and I found the author/narrator’s presentation lacking. It might have been better if she hadn’t found ways to mention in every chapter that she has had 30 years experience as a forensic anthropologist.

Now, the big question: to round up or down? As peevish as I’m feeling this week, on balance I think it’s probably got enough going for it to merit a 3.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found another gem! I really enjoyed this audiobook, which is presented by a very engaging narrator. It was much more than I expected.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: Modern history is filled with terrible crimes, baffling hoaxes, and seedy scandals. The infamous Jack the Ripper slayings. The alleged survival of Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of the murdered Tsar. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s public fall from grace. The Chicago Tylenol poisonings and the copycat crimes that followed.

These events have the power to captivate us with their mystery and shock us with views into the darkest parts of the human psyche. As a society, we seek resolution of these crimes and scandals, to bring their perpetrators to justice and hopefully prevent such events from occurring again.

Step into the world of forensic science and study the most fascinating historical crimes and mysteries from the last two centuries in Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals. Delivered by acclaimed Professor Elizabeth A. Murray of Mount St. Joseph University, a forensic anthropologist with nearly 30 years of experience in the field, these 24 lectures are a remarkable blend of storytelling and science—a whirlwind tour that takes you from the gas-lit streets of Victorian London to the mountains of Puerto Rico to small-town America. As you journey around the world and into the past, you’ll re-examine modern history’s great crimes and scandals using the tools and insights of forensic science. In doing so, you’ll learn how cutting-edge advancements in science and technology are applied to investigations and how to evaluate evidence and think like a forensic scientist.


Lecture 1: Jack the Ripper (1888)



Lecture 2: Analyzing The Black Dahlia Murder (1947)



Lecture 3: Dissecting Hollywood corpses: apparently three men who played superman went on to suffer unusual deaths.

George Reeves died at age 45 from a single gunshot, which remains a polarizing topic; the official finding was suicide, but some believe that he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting (1959)

The baby Kal-El: Quigley died at the age of fourteen after inhaling solvents (1991) Superman Curse is established.

Crane had been bludgeoned to death with a weapon that was never identified, though investigators believed it to be a camera tripod. An electrical cord had been tied around his neck.

Bruce Lee as sidekick (pun intended)'Kato' to the Green Hornet. Lee's iconic status and untimely demise (1973) fed many wild rumors and theories. These included murder involving the Triads and a supposed curse on him and his family. Bruce Lee Vs Chuck Norris (Way of the Dragon) Climactic Fight to Death

Brandon Lee died of a gunshot wound on March 31, 1993 at the filming studio in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the age of 28, after an accidental shooting on set of The Crow.

Lecture 4: Decomposition and Confusing Interpretations

Lecture 5: Lizzie Borden and the Menendez Brothers

Abby and Andrew Borden were murdered at their home on the morning of Thursday, August 4, 1892.

 Lizzie Borden took an axe
 And gave her mother forty whacks.
 When she saw what she had done,
 She gave her father forty-one.

On August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik were 21 and 18 years old, respectively.

Lecture 6: Chicago Tylenol murders (1982): a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering.





Lecture 7: Copycats and Hoaxes

Piltdown Man: a paleoanthropological hoax in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human. (1912)

John Stonehouse faked his own death (1974)

Lecture 8: Frauds and Forgeries

Elmyr de Hory - in 1976, de Hory committed suicide before facing extradition to France to face fraud charges.

Irving admitted that his book was a hoax. Time magazine dubbed him “Con Man of the Year.”

Lecture 9: Blood Doping and Other Sports Scandals. [What a topical subject.]

Lecture 10: Bad Boys of US Politics

Warren G Harding

Lecture 11: Criminals of the Wild, Wild West

Lecture 12: Investigating Incredible Banks Heists

Lecture 13: How Reliable is Eyewitness Testimony

Lecture 14: The Truth Behind False Confessions

Lecture 15: Crooked Cops and Bad Convictions

Lecture 16: Innocent until Proven Guilty

Lecture 17: Political Assassinations



Lecture 18: The Romonov family mysteries



Lecture 19: Forensics of Genocide

Armenian genocide: Centenary of massacre of 1.5 million by Ottoman Turks

Lecture 20: The Nazis and the Witch of Buchenwald



Lecture 21: The Spies Have It

Lecture 22: Motive and Kidnapping

Lecture 23: Identification Matters

Lecture 24: The Past, Present, and Future of Forensics

There is nothing here I would call scholastic, the delivery is as shallow news stories read from an armchair. Interesting enough as a general history yet I wanted to be taught something. If you are interested in forensic science at work then I can recommend FutureLearn for their forensic courses they put on a couple of times a year. The last one was Val McDermid in connection with Dundee uni and was very good.



My TTCs:

4* History of Science 1700 - 1900
5* A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts
TR Secrets of Sleep
TR Turning Points in Modern History
TR Apocalypse
4* Myth in Human History
3* A History of Russia
TR The Classics
5* London
4* Re-thinking Our Past
4* The Vikings
5* Lost Worlds of South America
3* Rome and the Barbarians
TR Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon
OH History of Science: Antiquity to 1700
TR Albert Einstein: Physicist, Philosopher, Humanitarian
TR Will to Power: The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche
5* From Monet To Van Gogh: A History Of Impressionism
5* History of the English language
TR The Late Middle Ages
3* Great American Music: Boadway Musicals
5* Classics of Russian Literature
5* Lost Worlds of South America
2* The Skeptic's Guide to the Great Books
2* Thomas Aquinas
CR Forensic History

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these twenty-four audio lectures by Professor Elizabeth A. Murray very much. Previously for The Great Courses she has offered "Trails of Evidence: How Forensic Science Works," and that's the series you should get if you want a methodical tour through the field. "Forensic History" is not so clearly organized, and it's not a "Forensics 101" course; it's a series of stories about past and recent cases. With cases from history, Murray focuses first on forensic science at the time and then on how today's science might have cracked these unsolved mysteries. With recent cases, Murray explains how cutting-edge forensic science either solved the cases immediately or later overturned and changed the outcome of the cases.

Murray is a terrific storyteller, and this helped me to overcome the lack of chronological order in her lecture topics and the sometimes scattershot organization of her talks. Some topics proved more interesting than others. I was especially captivated by her discussion of genocide and how forensic anthropologists (and other forensic scientists) today are working on behalf of human rights against great odds and at considerable personal risk.

The lecture topics are as follows:

1 The Infamous Jack the Ripper
2 Analyzing the Black Dahlia Murder
3 Dissecting Hollywood Deaths
4 Decomposition and Confusing Interpretations
5 Lizzie Borden and the Menendez Brothers
6 The Tylenol Murders
7 Copycats and Hoaxes
8 Frauds and Forgeries
9 Blood Doping and Other Sports Scandals
10 Bad Boys of U.S. Politics
11 Criminals of the Wild, Wild West
12 Investigating Incredible Bank Heists
13 How Reliable Is Eyewitness Testimony?
14 The Truth behind False Confessions
15 Crooked Cops and Bad Convictions
16 Guilty until Proven Innocent
17 Political Assassinations
18 Mysteries of the Romanov Family
19 Forensics of Genocide
20 The Nazis and the Witch of Buchenwald
21 The Spies Have It
22 Motive and Kidnapping
23 Identification Matters
24 The Past, Present, and Future of Forensics

These lectures might have been more systematically organized, but they were incredibly interesting, entertaining, and instructive. I learned new information and appreciated Murray's personal experience and insights into the field.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the GREAT LECTURE series, this group of lectures review and look at the history of forensic. The lecturer is well known and considered an expert in her particular field as a forensic anthropologist with 30 years of experience and stories to tell. Professor Beth Murray has crafted 24 amazing lectures that pretty science light.. they are, however, factual and without fictional drama. I did expect more from the book as it promised that the reader would glimpse how "cutting-edge advancements in science and technology are applied to investigations and how to evaluate evidence and think like a forensic scientist."

The first lecture was over Jack the Ripper and others were on Erik and Lyle Menendez and their murder, Lizzie Borden of the acclaimed 40 whacks, fake art, the Tylenol murders and James Lewis, and many others. Murry often includes the gallows humor of the legal system and the reality of the forensic aspect of each case is not really discussed. It is more like a case summary... there is not much about how forensics relates to evidence or convictions. I did expect more, but it was interesting.

3 stars

Happy Reading!

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this and thought, "I have to get it because it has all my favorite words in the title."

These are short lectures that briefly touch on how science and technology help us understand more about murders, poisonings, frauds, forgeries, genocides, and other crimes and scandals. Some of these are cases that Murray has worked on, while others are famous cases of the past (Lizzie Borden, various bank robberies, etc.).

Because these lectures are for entertainment only, they give limited information rather than exploring any one issue in depth.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating. Highly recommend to all crime buffs out there.

[Graeme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals was somewhat disappointing, and a betrayal of the high quality standards of The Teaching Company, which usually presents excellent lectures by distinguished professors and scholars.

Elizabeth A. Murray is a forensic anthropologist. I mistakenly expected more forensic science, and was disappointed that the cases often simply involved banal retelling of what happened, without much scientific insight. It felt like a protracted bus tour of American crime, with occasional violence or prurience (like the Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles). Ms. Murray's prose is serviceable but inelegant; as tour guide her delivery is flat and midwestern. Too much pedestrian retelling of the facts and too little real scholarship on altogether too many cases.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This course consists of 24 half-hour lectures about interesting forensic cases around the world and throughout the ages. I thought it would be all murder cases, but it’s a huge variety of cases: kidnappings, hoaxes, scandals, heists, forgeries, etc. The whole thing was fascinating; highly recommended



Language: Clean
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Mention of murders and corpses; clinical details given
Harm to Animals: Some deaths mentioned
Harm to Children: Some kidnapped and/or killed
Other (Triggers): Murder, theft, fraud, etc.

[Morgan Gariepy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at forensics through the ages. I enjoyed how she told the story of real cases in order to demonstrate how forensics works.

[Cameron Rhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Great Course on forensics.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were more interesting than others. Parts of the mechanics as to how serial killers accomplished their tasks and got away with it was interesting. Other parts on the history of nefarious leaders who died under suspicious circumstances- also interesting. Even the fallacy of eyewitness accounts and how innocent people get accused and even convicted before DNA helped prove guilt on a more objective level was interesting.

All the political correctness and tsk tsking that provided no insight or information on the murders of various political rebels, leaders or genocides, was not interesting.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Elizabeth A Murray discusses various techniques and issues in forensic science through the medium of cases throughout history.

This was an engaging series of lectures about the history of forensic science. The series consists of twenty-five lectures, over the course of which Murray covers famous cases like Jack the Ripper and the Black Dahlia, as well as topics like false confessions and wrongful convictions, hoaxes and frauds, and the forensics of genocide, to name a few. Murray has an engaging manner and delivers the lectures in a straightforward and easily digested way.

However, listeners expecting to hear more details on the 'science' of forensic science will come away disappointed.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, if frequently harrowing, course in forensics and its history. I listened to the audio book

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially expected to find more in depth material on forensics in this course, but the content is in complete accordance with the title: Forensic History. Great Courses have another course on forensics by the same professor which is more about forensics proper (Trails of Evidence: How Forensic Science Works). Forensic History is full of fascinating stories about real cases which showcase the development of forensic science and demonstrate its different applications. Extremely interesting, delivered in concise and engaging form.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a very detailed description and explanation of these cases then the course isn't for you. If you aren't familiar with a lot of the cases and a briefer explanation, or kind of introduction to them is fine then give it a listen. I wasn't that familiar and really enjoyed it.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Great Course covers a wide range of topics in both historical and modern crime. Murray focuses mostly on reconstructing case histories and explaining how the evidence was gathered, stored, and processed -- or not, since in some cases she talks about evidence being mishandled, contaminated, and/or destroyed. From famous cases such as Jack the Ripper and the murders of Czar Nicholas and family to the attempts to ID John and Jane Does in her (then) current job, she walks the listener through each case with good balance of compassion and professional detachment.

In the video version, there are a fair amount of pictures, some of which might be disturbing to the squeamish. This is, after all, dealing with grisly murders in which the bodies are often mutilated or found long after the person's death. None of it is gratuitous, but it is graphic.

[michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book. I was enthralled the whole time. Not everything that is discussed has a resolution, which is understandable, but also so frustrating because I just want to know! Be warned, there are some very unpleasant cases.

[Alec VO · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice selection of engaging cases with some theory behind them. Really enjoyed the sections on forensic anthropology and it’s contributions to social history.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I switch careers?

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fascinating and creepy all at the same time.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll just add to other reviewers that that the title is not about forensic history per se. It is a random collection of interesting crime stories that touch upon equally random scientific forensic techniques. There is no cohesive progression or order to the stories, so I don't think it really can be called "forensic history." It's mostly a collection of titillating "true crime" stories. Based on the title, I was expecting something more academic (and because it is The Teaching Company), but the random stories were interesting, so I'll give it three stars.

[Cloak88 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and informative.

Forensic History is a collection of 24 30min lectures about the history of forensic sciences and how crimes are solved using them. Most lectures are at a case by case basis or on a single subject. The subjects themselve range from Jack the ripper to fingerprint analysis. The approach is a bit scattershot, but highly entertaining and full of anecdotes.

A perfect collection for those interesting in forensic sciences, crime, or a ton of fun trivia information.

[Carol Chapin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This audio course was mildly interesting. But I’m not sure I learned much of anything. Forensics is an interesting subject, but this used a very broad brush. The subtitle is “Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals”. I think the instructor/author threw in anything and everything she could think of, from Jack the Ripper to Mata Hari to Howard Hughes.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough, but very shallow history. Just skims the surface of the crimes, sometimes not talking about anything forensic at all. Very little science, very little focus on law or punishment. Just little stories about crime.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting, but nothing I haven't heard before.

[teacupsandunicorns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is 2.5 but rounded up :-)
I liked it. I think it is somewhere between okay and good. I enjoyed it. However, this entire lecture series struck me as more of a true crime podcast/YouTube video/ lecture. This is not a bad thing or an insult. I just thought maybe there would be more in depth focus on the science, but the science in my opinion was surface level. Again this is perfectly fine, I just wish I knew that before going in. Some old “classic” cases like Jack the Ripper and some others that anyone with any remote interest in true crime probably already knows, plus some obscure ones.

I enjoyed it, but I wonder if it could have been shorter, or cut down on certain cases so there would be time for more in depth details but fewer cases. Maybe not.

Ultimately I liked it. But after a while, toward the end, I was ready for it to be over because it kind of started to feel…the same? Drawn out? Maybe because I already have read a lot of true crime, but I’m not even sure I can say I learned anything new. The only thing I learned are hearing certain details from certain cases I hadn’t read or come across before, which was interesting!

Also I got annoyed with all the times she mentioned a friend or coworker of hers. I think it would be a fun drinking game. I totally understand she literally does this for her job so of course she knows people in the field. But sometimes I thought “of course you know that person!” Haha. This is a mild annoyance. I’m not sure I even would have cared or noticed if I simply only listened to one lecture a day rather than binging it all in one go as I was traveling for hours and wanted something to listen to; because I had no breaks, I heard patterns much more frequently, perhaps, than if I had spaced it out. Oh wel.

What a long review. I don’t mean to criticize it or the intelligent woman who authored and presented. Ultimately I enjoyed it and I’d probably listen to anything else by her. It just wasn’t QUITE what I thought it was, so there was a tiny bit of confusion and adjustment. I ultimately recommend it for true crime fans.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you interested with forensics science as it really is? In these lectures produced The Teaching Company forensic anthropologist and also Professor of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University Elizabeth A. Murray delivers 24 fascinating lectures on various aspects of forensics science both in terms of what forensics science do and also its history. Every lecture is interesting in its own right!
Topics in these lectures include "Decomposition and confusing interpretation," "Frauds and Forgeries" and "Motive and Kidnapping." I love the series discussion of history including an entire lecture on Jack the Ripper, the Black Dahlia murder and the Romanovs. I also appreciated that this lecture also cover topics on the limitation of forensic science and times when investigators made mistakes. "Crooked Cops and Bad Convictions" was a very emotionally riveting lecture of an actual case example. I also enjoyed the author sharing some of her own personal experience as an expert in the field. The one on genocide was very interesting lecture in of itself but for her to share her own experience investigating a human rights crime scene overseas was very illuminating.
I learned a lot from these lectures. This include the lecturer’s discussion of area that I haven’t really thought about forensics science such as Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal and also the truth behind false confessions. Part-history, part-science and part-psychological (in the sense of talking about criminal’s motivation and outlook) this is an incredibly fascinating series.