Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
A startling look at how breakthroughs in DNA testing are having a tumultuous impact on criminal investigations. From O. J. Simpson's "trial of the century" to the recent disappearance of Chandra Levy and the reopening of the Edward De Salvo case, the collection and use of DNA in criminal investigations has become a controversial and often confusing burden of proof. Blood Evidence explains the principles and science behind DNA testing and shows how it has both helped solve some of the most puzzling criminal cases in recent history and been used to discredit eyewitness accounts and physical evidence found at the crime scene. Written specifically for a lay audience, Blood Evidence is the first trade book to explore the complexities of DNA testing and the effect it has had on justice systems worldwide.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Lots of case reviews, no photos or illustrations
Customer Rating:
I bought Blood Evidence based on a review in Science News magazine. I've not finished it yet, but I have concluded that this is a book for the professional crime fighter more than the general public interested in scientific investigation using DNA evidence.
Blood Evidence is a lengthy, detailed, all-text work with many stories of cases solved with scientific investigation, and also the stories of the development of those scientific investigation tools and techniques. The science discussed centers on DNA evidence, but other forms of scientific crime investigation, for example finger prints, get some treatment. There's no shortage of the usual suspects... O.J.s here, there, everywhere, Nazis hiding in South America get unearthed, the Lindbergh baby, etc. The book has an extensive reference section and a comprehensive index.
The book has not one photo, illustration, chart, or drawing. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this book is equivalent of many, many pictures, and that is its weakness. In numerous areas, pictures would have conveyed far more information more quickly and accurately, making the book a better read.
Take Blood Evidence for a test drive at the library before you spend your hard-earned cash. Many readers just won't have the stamina or willingness to take notes to get through this 338 page, single spaced treatise.
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