Overview

Val McDermid is one of the finest crime writers we have, whose novels have captivated millions of listeners worldwide with their riveting narratives of characters who solve complex crimes and confront unimaginable evil. In the course of researching her bestselling novels, McDermid has become familiar with ever branch of forensics, and now she uncovers the history of this science, real-world murders, and the people who must solve them. The dead talk--to the right listener. They can tell us about themselves: where they came from, how they lived, how they died, and, of course, who killed them. Forensic scientists can unlock the mysteries of the past and help serve justice using the messages left by a corpse, a crime scene, or the faintest human traces. Forensics draws on interviews with some of these top-level professionals, groundbreaking research, and Val McDermid's own original interviews and firsthand experience on scene with top forensic scientist. 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. It's a journey that will take McDermid to war zones, fire scenes, and autopsy suites, and bring her into contact with both extraordinary bravery and wickedness, as she traces the history of forensics for its earliest beginnings to the cutting-edge science of the modern day. A former journalist and Northern Bureau Chief of a national UK tabloid, Val McDermid is the bestselling author of The Skeleton Road and twenty-eight previous novels, three story collections, and the nonfiction book A Suitable Job for a Woman, an inside look at female private investigators. She lives in Scotland.

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9781665154314

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Reviews

"""A gripping history of the anatomy of crime...contains a wealth of surprising information...If McDermid is ever stuck for inspiration for her novels she could do worse than turn to her own book of the dead for inspiration."" -- ""Independent (London)"" ""A guide to criminal forensics that is every bit as compelling as the best of the fiction...She combines science with the macabre, from the Great Fire of London to some of the most sensational trials of recent times."" -- ""Irish Times"" ""A highly readable, eye-opening account of the way in which criminals have slowly had their wings clipped and their getaways thwarted over the past hundred and more years."" -- ""Herald (Scotland)"" ""Examines the creativity of forensic experts through the analytic techniques they apply to real-life crime...McDermid has not lost her early journalistic genius for telling a good story plainly and with passion."" -- ""Times Saturday Review (London)"" ""From a bestselling mystery author, a curiosity-fueled look at the realities behind crime science...A satisfying insider's excursion into the scientific realities behind CSI-style pop culture."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""In charting the 'astonishing leaps' that forensic science has made over the past two centuries, McDermid provides a grimly absorbing account of crime and its detection."" -- ""Observer (London)"" ""The crime novelist burrows into the wild history of forensics...to explain practices like using maggots to calculate time of death."" -- ""Entertainment Weekly"" ""This gruesomely fascinating book [is]...a mix of science and true-crime accounts...Fans of McDermid's fiction will gain a greater understanding of where her ideas come from."" -- ""Publishers Weekly "" ""Using historical examples, author McDermid brings to life the various subspecialties within forensic science...[in this] no-frills primer. Additionally, McDermid's experience as a crime writer and former journalist allows her to present the facts of the individual illustrative cases in compelling ways."" -- ""Library Journal"""

A gripping history of the anatomy of crime...contains a wealth of surprising information...If McDermid is ever stuck for inspiration for her novels she could do worse than turn to her own book of the dead for inspiration. -- Independent (London) A guide to criminal forensics that is every bit as compelling as the best of the fiction...She combines science with the macabre, from the Great Fire of London to some of the most sensational trials of recent times. -- Irish Times A highly readable, eye-opening account of the way in which criminals have slowly had their wings clipped and their getaways thwarted over the past hundred and more years. -- Herald (Scotland) Examines the creativity of forensic experts through the analytic techniques they apply to real-life crime...McDermid has not lost her early journalistic genius for telling a good story plainly and with passion. -- Times Saturday Review (London) From a bestselling mystery author, a curiosity-fueled look at the realities behind crime science...A satisfying insider's excursion into the scientific realities behind CSI-style pop culture. -- Kirkus Reviews In charting the 'astonishing leaps' that forensic science has made over the past two centuries, McDermid provides a grimly absorbing account of crime and its detection. -- Observer (London) The crime novelist burrows into the wild history of forensics...to explain practices like using maggots to calculate time of death. -- Entertainment Weekly This gruesomely fascinating book [is]...a mix of science and true-crime accounts...Fans of McDermid's fiction will gain a greater understanding of where her ideas come from. -- Publishers Weekly Using historical examples, author McDermid brings to life the various subspecialties within forensic science...[in this] no-frills primer. Additionally, McDermid's experience as a crime writer and former journalist allows her to present the facts of the individual illustrative cases in compelling ways. -- Library Journal

Author Information

One of Britain's most popular authors of contemporary crime fiction, Val McDermid grew up in a Scottish mining community, read English at Oxford, then returned to Scotland to work as a journalist. She was National Bureau Chief on a national Sunday tabloid before quitting in 1991 to become a full-time novelist. Sarah Barron is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.

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