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THE FATHER OF FORENSICS
by Colin Evans
Berkley, August 2005
336 pages
$14.00
ISBN: 0425210073


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Subtitled 'The Groundbreaking Cases of Sir Bernard Spilsbury and the Beginnings of Modern CSI,' THE FATHER OF FORENSICS details the rise of forensic science in England during the turn of the previous century. Spilsbury was one of the first doctors to use extensive notes, to explain his findings and the science behind them clearly to a jury of laymen, and to invent evidence-gathering kits for use at murder scenes. He also had the advantage of being a part of many high-profile cases, such as the Crippen murder and the 'Brides in the Bath.'

Evans has exactly the right style for telling the story. His descriptions of the crime scenes are detailed and exact; they provide all the information necessary to describe both science and horror without sliding into a tabloid breathlessness about guts and gore. His portrayal of Spilsbury is even-handed; praising his virtues without hiding his flaws.

Despite the title, this is not a vapid fan letter to a personal hero; it is a thoughtful illustration of the rise of a science and changes in technology using one influential man as an example. Furthermore, Evans always provides credit where due to the other scientists of the day who were overshadowed: “In truth, like most toxicology cases, this was another instance where most of the credit should have gone to the chemical analyst involved – in this case John Webster – but Spilsbury’s was the big marquee name, the one guaranteed to boost newspaper circulation.”

Best of all, Evans has a dry wit that keeps THE FATHER OF FORENSICS from sounding like a textbook. “Edwardian London might have been the largest city on earth, with a population of seven million, but its citizens were remarkably law abiding, killing each other at a rate some ten times lower than their New York counterparts,” for example. Or, bluntly, “If Fox had hung an illuminated sign around his neck that flashed ‘I’M GONNA KILL MOM FOR CASH!’ he could scarcely have attracted more attention.”

But the jokes don’t detract from a wealth of information about the cases Spilsbury handled, which Evans covers from discovery of the crime scene through the trial. I learned all sorts of things I’d never heard before, such as that one of the Brides in the Bath bought the fatal tub for her husband.

Entertainingly readable and scrupulously factual, this book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in historical crime or forensics.

Reviewed by Linnea Dodson, September 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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