Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us about Crime - Val McDermid Audiobook

Written by Val McDermid
Read by Sarah Barron
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: HighBridge
Release date: July 7, 2015
Duration: 11:20:43

The dead can tell us all about themselves: where they came from, how they lived, how they died, and, of course, who killed them. Using the messages left by a corpse, a crime scene, or the faintest of human traces, forensic scientists unlock the mysteries of the past and serve justice. In Forensics, international bestselling crime author Val McDermid guides readers through this field, drawing on interviews with top-level professionals, ground-breaking research, and her own experiences on the scene.

Along the way, McDermid discovers how maggots collected from a corpse can help determine one’s time of death; how a DNA trace a millionth the size of a grain of salt can be used to convict a killer; and how a team of young Argentine scientists led by a maverick American anthropologist were able to uncover the victims of a genocide.

Prepare to travel to war zones, fire scenes, and autopsy suites as McDermid comes into contact with both extraordinary bravery and wickedness, tracing the history of forensics from its earliest beginnings to the cutting-edge science of the modern day.

Based on interviews with crime scene investigators, such as a man who gathers maggots off dead bodies and a woman who analyzes blood spatter, McDermid recounts vivid case histories of violent crimes and details how they were solved using pathology, toxicology, anthropology, fingerprinting, facial reconstruction, and other forensic disciplines. Chapters on DNA technology and digital forensics highlight recent mind-stretching advancements in forensics, while other chapters discredit the theories set forth in the popular CSI television shows. The book is a mix of science and true crime accounts. The majority of the Scottish author’s sources are from the U.K., as are the case histories—including the infamous Stardust disco fire in England’s Derbyshire and the case of Colin Pitchfork, the first person in the U.K. to be convicted of double murder on the basis of DNA evidence. Fans of McDermid’s fiction will gain a greater understanding of where her ideas come from.

Veteran crime writer Val McDermid takes a turn at nonfiction, exploring the aims and techniques underlying crime investigation and the field of forensic science, the basis for her bestselling novels. Narrator Sarah Barron’s Scottish accent reflects the author’s background but may be difficult to understand for the unaccustomed ear. Otherwise, Barron’s narration is comfortably paced. Thorough in scope–with sections that run the gamut from entomology to blood spatter, DNA testing, digital forensics, and more–this is an informative work for both enthusiasts of criminal investigation novels as well as those interested solely in the science. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2015,