Overview
Explore the crime lab with Forensics and discover how detectives use science to solve crimes. From the scene of the crime to a criminal's conviction, discover how the marks of blood, footprints, and fingerprints can lead the police to criminals. Find out how specialists can match trace evidence, such as a single hair found on a victim, to the murderer. Learn how famous crimes were solved and, like a true detective, find out whether it was arson, poison, or murder.
Synopsis
Explore the crime lab with Forensics and discover how detectives use science to solve crimes. From the scene of the crime to a criminal's conviction, discover how the marks of blood, footprints, and fingerprints can lead the police to criminals. Find out how specialists can match trace evidence, such as a single hair found on a victim, to the murderer. Learn how famous crimes were solved and, like a true detective, find out whether it was arson, poison, or murder.
KLIATT
This book consists primarily of illustrations, and they are sophisticated photographs such as those found in National Geographic Magazine. There are three chapters: Signs of the Crime, Who is It?, and Crime Lab. Discussed are crimes such as murder, arson, and forgeries. The text is not lengthy, but there is nothing childish about the vocabulary or ideas presented. With the popularity of crime-lab TV shows, even younger YAs will be familiar with such terms as "pathologist," "toxicologist," DNA analysis," and the like. Anyone intrigued by crime detection will find this book interesting. Reviewer: Claire Rosser
Editorials
From the Publisher
"This book presents the real information behind TV shows like CSI...The aspiring forensic scientist can gain a wealth of information."- Science ScopeChildren's Literature
The glowing, neon blue and orange handprint on the cover is certainly an eye-catching introduction to this subject matter. Inside, the reader finds lots of big, colorful and dramatic photographs with an organized and interesting text. The book is divided into three main chapters with many subdivisions. Each chapter ends with a summary page, which includes a "Go further" segment. This lists web sites, further reading, related career paths and a list of interesting places to visit. The "Sign of the Crime" chapter discusses the crime scene, collecting evidence, photography, telltale marks, finding a body, lifting prints, and the technique of using special chemicals to enhance fingerprints and bloodstains. The "Who is it?" chapter is all about victim and criminal identification. This chapter discusses evidence from blood, DNA analysis, teeth and bones, artist's renderings of suspects, matching fingerprints, identifying the unknown culprit, and proving guilt. The last chapter, "Crime Lab," deals with the autopsy, how the victim died, tracing evidence, finding proof, computers and crime, bombs, fires, drugs, poisons, weapons, fakes and forgeries. The back matter contains an index and a glossary. This book is part of Kingfisher's "Kingfisher Knowledge" series which also includes Animal Giants, Archaeology, Castles and Forts, Communication from Hieroglyphics to Hyperlinks, Dangerous Creatures, Endangered Planet, Genes and DNA, Life in Ancient Rome, Microscopic Life, Mummies, Pirates and Smugglers, Spies, and Stars and Planets. 2005, Kingfisher, Ages 8 to 14.—Sally J. K. Davies