Cold Case File: Murder in the Mountains

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

From England comes this "Crime Solvers" series for mystery addicts and fans of true crime shows. In eleven spreads, with photographs and maps, each book explores a specific case, describing the crime, the gathering of evidence, the hunt for perpetrators, and their consequent trials and sentencing. This volume details the puzzling case of a young woman's 1974 disappearance on a camping trip in Montana's Rocky Mountains. Though police suspected murder by a drifter (the last person to see her), for eighteen years, Michele Wallace's body could not be found. Each spread follows local crime solvers at work, with sidebars on various techniques used: in this case, search grids, hair analysis with DNA testing, and consulting with forensic anthropologists, botanists, and dentists. In 1992, with the help of NecroSearch, an organization that specializes in finding bodies, police were finally able to locate Michele's body and bring the suspect to justice. A "Case Closed" section shows a flow chart of events, while a final chapter, "Crime Solving Up Close," provides more information on cold cases, how forensic anthropologists analyze and identify bones, and the use of ground-penetrating radar. The series, with its no-nonsense style and abundance of color and black-and-white photos, should prove absorbing for young detectives, though parents and teachers may decide this tragic story is too disturbing for younger readers. The series consultant is a lecturer in forensic science at England's Staffordshire University. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft