Synopsis
Describes how forensic investigators analyze bloodstains and DNA to help solve crimes.
Reviews
Grade 4-8–The appeal of these volumes is in their invitation to become a scientific investigator and their concise instructions on how to simulate some of the tasks involved. Readers are provided with succinct accounts of cases and learn, through meticulous examples, the precise method used in solving them, such as blood-spatter analysis or varying ways of detecting forgery. The author urges the creation of case books and provides clear and accurate charts, photographs, graphs, and lists as aids in the process. Emphasis on the scientific method gives the books a strong sense of validity. The frequent suggestion of teaming with a partner creates a Holmes-and-Watson feel. Hand-printed bold headings guide readers to discussions of investigative techniques and required equipment. Ron Fridell's Forensic Science (Lerner, 2006), intended for the same audience, is more discussion than invitation, and David Owen's Police Lab: How Forensic Science Tracks Down and Convicts Criminals (Firefly, 2002) is an overview with case histories. Rainis's books are substantive and will circulate because of positive word of mouth from those who use them in their own quasi-CSI experiments.–Sheila Fiscus, Our Lady of Peace School, Erie, PA
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Rather than merely explain how cases are solved, this new book in the Forensic Science Projects series invites readers to complete scientific experiments that emulate the solution to actual murders. Each chapter of the book begins with a recounting of a murder--some recent, some from more than 100 years ago--and then relates how the detectives determined whether the bloodstains at the crime scene were human and how their size, shape, and trajectory provided clues to determine the killer. Following each real-life scenario, the book provides a checklist of materials and a step-by-step experiment to get the same results as the detectives. Throughout the text, the author encourages adult supervision, as when readers create simulated blood samples. The format is easy to follow, the scenarios intriguing, and the experiments complex enough for real science buffs to feel challenged. Appendixes include a glossary, lists of further reading, and a list of science-supply companies. Roger Leslie
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