Crime Scene Investigation

by Cyril H. Wecht

One of the nation's leading forensic pathologists introduces a collection of real-life murder cases and shows how forensic experts draw on the latest techniques and advances to examine the evidence and find the culprits, in an illustrated overview of a wide range of investigative procedures. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2004

Reviews

[Claude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book. It was a real insite to just how investigations actually happen, not just what they show on TV. Plus, loved all the 'day in my life' and 'case files' parts.

[Dan Stern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crime Scene Investigation is not a how to manual on how to conduct your own investigation. However, this book does give an excellent overview of how a crime scene investigation is done from beginning to end.

The book is divided into eight chapters, each chapter covering a distinct portion of the investigation. The chapters cover the crime scene, the inquiry team, the forensic team, the autopsy, weapons of the killer, psychology of crime, the arrest, and the trial. Each chapter goes into amazing detail on what occurs during that portion of the investigation. For example, in the first chapter on the crime scene, the book describes what happens once a dead body is found, who is called to investigate, what roles each person plays in the investigation, how facts such as the location of where the crime took place is established, and basic techniques used by investigators to gather information and evidence.

The book contains a number of excellent color photographs. The photographs are respectful, but some are gruesome enough where you probably do not want to be reading this book around little children. There are a number of short case studies (called case files in the book) that describe an actual case that utilizes the information the reader is currently reading about. Also in each chapter is one or two short one page biography describing a typical workday for a person involved in a crime investigation. The subject of interest in these short biographies range from criminal defense lawyer, forensic photographers, a crime reporter, criminal profiler, and people of various scientific disciplines that play a role in the investigation, including some areas I had never heard of.

Overall, the book was a fascinating wealth of information. At times the book read felt like it got bogged down in technical aspects that many people probably would not find interesting. If you are interested what goes on behind the scenes at a crime, then this is definitely worth reading.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay book to skim thru and read little bits here and there. It is put out by Reader's Digest so it's written at a 3rd grade level or something bound to annoy you. It is an interesting subject but nothing to sink your teeth into.

[Nešo Shonery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odlična knjiga u kojoj je u najkraćim crtama i uz mnogo fotografija i primera iz života objašnjeno kako izgleda istraga od zločina pa do kazne. Ima obilje informacija, svideće se zaljubljenicima u tu temu.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very good source if you are interested in True Crime and how the law investigates criminals. The authors were very knowledgable, but it was sometimes difficult to understand the exact role of a member of law. For example: I was not sure exactly what the difference between a forensic pathologist and a medical examiner/coroner was. As I am interested in being one or the other of these as my profession, it was a necessary point that I was concerned about. It is a very good source, however, and I liked it very much.

[Jenn C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction to the stages of criminal investigations, with plenty of examples and case studies. Avid watches of the plethora of crime shows (both dramas and documentaries) will know some of the information presented, but some will be new. It's a little dated though (published in 2004), so the scientific techniques/advanced are probably different, but I'm sure the theory remains the same.

[Kat Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great learning book...It was not a textbook but it was great to read to get some new notes on the subject! I miss learning! Great addition to my Booktubeathon!

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent summary of all the different players in solving a rime.