Forensics For Dummies

Front Cover
John Wiley & Sons, Jun 12, 2019 - Law - 400 pages

Understand the real-life science behind crime scene investigation

Forensics For Dummies takes you inside the world of crime scene investigation to give you the low down on this exciting field. Written by a doctor and former Law & Order consultant, this guide will have you solving crimes along with your favorite TV shows in no time. From fingerprints and fibers to blood and ballistics, you'll walk through the processes that yield significant information from the smallest clues. You'll learn how Hollywood gets it wrong, and how real-world forensics experts work every day in fields as diverse as biology, psychology, anthropology, medicine, information technology, and more. If you're interested in a forensics career, you'll find out how to break inand the education you'll need to do the type of forensics work that interests you the most. Written for the true forensics fan, this book doesn't shy away from the details; you'll learn what goes on at the morgue as you determine cause of death, and you'll climb into the mind of a killer as you learn how forensic psychologists narrow down the suspect list.

Crime shows are entertaining, but the reality is that most forensics cases aren't wrapped up in an hour. This book shows you how it's really done, and the amazing technology and brilliant people that do it every day.

  • Learn who does what, when they do it, and how it's done
  • Discover the many fields involved in crime scene investigation
  • Understand what really happens inside a forensics lab
  • Examine famous forensics cases more intriguing than any TV show

Forensic scientists work in a variety of environments and in many different capacities. If you think television makes it look interesting, just wait until you learn what it's really like! Forensics For Dummies takes you on a tour of the real-world science behind solving the case.

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, youre probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Forensics For Dummies (9781119181651). The book you see here shouldnt be considered a new or updated product. But if youre in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. Were always writing about new topics!
 

Contents

Introduction 1
3
Getting to Know the Forensics Team
19
Checking out the duties of a coroner or medical examiner
25
Collecting and Protecting the Evidence
33
Delving into the Criminal Mind
53
Analyzing the Evidence
77
Painting A Gruesome Picture Bloodstain Analysis
93
Leaving Impressive Impressions Shoes Tires and Tools
109
Gasping for Air Asphyxia
213
Utilizing the Crime Lab
229
Looking Deep Inside DNA Analysis
245
Testing for Drugs and Poisons The Toxicology Lab
263
Picking Apart Trace Evidence
287
Bang Bang Analyzing Firearms Evidence
307
Questioning the Validity of Documents
321
The Part of Tens
335

Burning Down the House Is It Arson?
125
Examining the Body
139
Identifying Unknown Victims
157
Estimating the Time of Death
177
Ouch That Hurts Traumatic Injuries and Deaths
191
Ten Ways Hollywood GetS It Wrong
351
Index
365
Forensics For Dummies
366
Copyright

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About the author (2019)

D.P. Lyle, MD, is the award-winning author of many nonfiction books and works of fiction. He is the co-host of Crime and Science Radio, and has worked as a forensics consultant with the writers of popular television shows such as> Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Monk, Judging Amy, House, and Pretty Little Liars. Find him online at www.dplylemd.com.

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