Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781440684722 |
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| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 08/01/2006 |
| Sold by: | Penguin Group |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Pages: | 336 |
| File size: | 409 KB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
The Father of Forensics: The Groundbreaking Cases of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, and the Beginnings of Modern CSI
4.8 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
4 reviews.
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I've always been a fan of forensic science, and Evans has always been one of my favorite writers in this field. I just love the way he keeps it clear and simple, nothing too fancy. Glad to say, this book is no exception. It's a well laid out account of the life and works of the great Home Office pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury. We get to learn how a young doctor from the English Midlands burst onto the scene in 1910, to quickly became the most powerful force in forensic medicine. Over the next four decades Spilsbury's testimony sent dozens of killers to the hangman. He became so famous that people called him the real-life Sherlock Holmes. Besides the famous cases like the Brides in the Bath Killer, Evans gives in-depth coverage to a lot of Spilsbury's cases that were new to me, like the Soho Butcher Louis Voison, who chopped up one girlfriend so he could stay with another, and the pedophile murderer, Frederick Nodder (he was real creepy!) One really good point: this book doesn't attempt to airbrush Spilsbury's faults out of existence. As Evans makes clear, Spilsbury could be obstinate and brutal toward his rivals, but he was also the first great medical detective. If you want to know how CSI got started, this is a great place to start.
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Evans¿ biography of Spilsbury is devoted more to the scientific and titillating than to the personal. His painstaking research on the many cases that made Spilsbury¿s career as a criminal pathologist (later known as forensic scientist) is immaculate. Before him, the state of English forensic science was shambolic; after him, revered around the world. Evans does, however, sometimes get a little too clever and thesaurus-happy with his writing and this becomes distracting at times. But, all in all, this is a very enthralling book.
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This is a chiefly professional history of the life and work of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, one of the great forensic scientists in English history. When he began his career, forensic science was beginning to develop, but was regarded with skepticism in England. A master of self-presentation, as well as a brilliant scientist, Spilsbury's courtroom appearances, combined with the excellent work of himself and his colleagues, convinced the courts and public of the value of forensic science. Colin Evans focuses on some of his most famous cases. One thing that I particularly appreciated was his notes in which he updated the information. In some cases, for examples, things that could not be tested for then can be detected now. In addition, forensic work has once again fallen out of favor owing to contentious expert-witness testimony.A very interesting read for people interested in forensics, and a good explanation of the care and dedication required for such work. Not so very useful as a personal biography of Spilsbury.
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Hey marc! What did you mean by you doing things better?
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