When Objects Talk: Solving a Crime With Science (Discovery)

Looks at criminal investigation and the use of forensic science to gather clues and apprehend criminals.

Grades 5-8--Using a fictional murder case as the thread on which to string "beads" of forensic practices, the authors present a broad range of scientific techniques used by law-enforcement agencies around the world. From fingerprints to DNA, from basic autopsy to the cutting edge of facial reconstruction, the readable, informative text gives students an understanding of the scientific methods and how they are used to help police, lawyers, judges, and juries bring criminals to justice. Color photos (some informative, others merely decorative) keep pace with the text, the goriest being a skull in the early stages of facial reconstruction. There is an extensive glossary, a list of further readings (mostly adult titles), two Web sites (one devoted to careers in forensics), an index, and a very useful who's who in the criminal-justice system. Interesting and informative, this is superior to Vivien Bowers's Crime Science (Owl, 1997) or Peter Mellett's Solving a Crime (Heinemann Library, 1999). Team it with Donna M. Jackson's brilliant The Bone Detectives (Little, Brown, 1996) and her fascinating The Wildlife Detectives (Houghton, 2000) to demonstrate how the forensic methodology so clearly described by Friedlander and Phillips solved real crimes.

Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

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