Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
34th out of 500 books
—
191 voters
The Blooding
by
Joseph Wambaugh (Goodreads Author)
Fifteen-year-old Lynda Mann's savagely raped and strangled body is found along a shady footpath near the English village of Narborough.Though a massive 150-man dragnet is launched, the case remains unsolved.Three years later the killer strikes again, raping and strangling teenager Dawn Ashforth only a stone's throw from where Lynda was so brutally murdered.But it will take...more
Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Published
November 1st 1989
by Bantam
(first published February 16th 1989)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
968)
This book offered 2 different insights into murder cases - 1) the evolution of DNA testing and how it came to be used to identify or eliminate suspects and 2) how different murder investigations are outside of the U.S. - there is no way that a mass "blooding" would have been allowed (the ACLU or some other group would have stepped in to stop it).
A body of a fifteen-year-old who was raped and strangled is found along a foot path near the English village of Narborough. This launches a massive effort by law enforcement officials with no results. Three years later it is déjà vu as another teenaged girl’s body, also raped and strangled is found near the same location as the first. But it will take four years, a scientific breakthrough, and an effort by 4000 crime fighters to solve the murders.
The story is riveting, as Wambaugh uses techniqu...more
The story is riveting, as Wambaugh uses techniqu...more
As far as I am concerned, this was Wambaugh's best true crime account. Perhaps because it is based in England, I could relate to the streets of Nottingham more than to the streets of LA, and Wambaugh's writing carries the story without prejudice. Never flinching from the darker sides of life, the book follows the progress of solving a murder case through the then groundbreaking use of DNA fingerprinting. I'm always wary of writing review cliches like "A true classic of crime literature", but, I...more
This was recommended to me by a Criminal Justice Professor. It's the true story of the very first case solved with DNA. Two unsolved murders occurred just as the technology was being perfected at a nearby University in the Middle Villages area of England. Wambaugh has an insider's understanding of the challenges of a murder investigation---he's retired LAPD. I was very humored by the fact that lots of the men were afraid to give blood, not because they were guilty but because they were needle sh...more
Interesting, kept my attention. The story about how a little village in England introduced forensic DNA testing. Not Wambaugh's best book. It was written nearly two decades ago, and my hunch is that now cringes at his tactless comments. Example: He "humorously" describes the cops having fun telling men that "the good news is you're not the killer, the bad news is that you have AIDS." Ha ha. His more contemporary books strike me as extremely humane and broad-minded. Thank goodness we all evolve.
Not sure why this book was so good considering it is nothing less than a real life crime story of a small scale killer in England. The science in it was groundbreaking at the time (DNA fingerprinting) which eventually meant the real killer was captured (despite all the signs pointing to a mentally disabled man who actually admitted to the murder).
Wambaugh recreates the layers and idiosyncrasies of a small town in North England as well as he does Los Angeles. If you like his other works, you'll like this one for its possession of much the same strengths: fantastic grasp of character and voice, exhaustive research, and odd moments of absurdist humor.
I just finished reading this for my genetics book club. Great true-crime. Suspenseful and gripping. It's the story of a serial rapist-murderer in a small town in England who is eventually caught using the then-new technique of DNA fingerprinting. A quick read -- great airplane book! Hard to find.
I love Joseph Wambaugh but am not as much a fan of his true-story writings, which this is--along with The Onion Field and at least one other prior novel whose title I forget. Still a worthwhile read but may not be the best place to start with this author.
Well not sure how to word this, it was a clean read with interesting bits of dna history but do not expect a climactic story, I found this very dry and as with the capture of the killer it faded into a whispery breath at the end of a long story. I like Wambaugh and I think he is the only one who could pull off the horrendous story In non gut wrenching way.
a true crime narrative by joseph wambaugh - murders set in small village in rural england - wambaugh has built the suspense very well, in the middle, i thought the narrative was sagging, but nice fast paced thriller - my first one by wambaugh
Jul 31, 2008
Deanne
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes true crime
Shelves:
true-crime
In 1986 when Dawn Ashworth was murdered I was 13. I remember the case because at the time I was living in Leicester, and often went to Enderby.
The university of Leicester was less than a mile away, and DNA testing was big news as was the blooding.
It's also important that DNA testing cleared the first suspect before being used to prove the real killer guilty.
The book goes into the details of both murders, describes the hunt for the killer and the lengths the Leicestershire constabulary went to t...more
The university of Leicester was less than a mile away, and DNA testing was big news as was the blooding.
It's also important that DNA testing cleared the first suspect before being used to prove the real killer guilty.
The book goes into the details of both murders, describes the hunt for the killer and the lengths the Leicestershire constabulary went to t...more
The first case in which genetic testing played a crucial part in catching a serial killer. Hundreds of men were literally,"blooded", ie blood samples were taken to try and find a genetic match to the killer of two young women.
This was a fascinating story of the first use of Genetic fingerprinting in the world to catch a murder suspect. It is well written and follows the relatives of the victims, the police and the perpetrator.
Book-sale find. Thought it would be interesting for the crime/mystery aspect. A little dry and documentary-like. Interesting to see how crimes are handled in other countries.
Choose this book since it was based on a true story of the 1st time DNA was used to solve a crime. Very interesting. The book was a little long on details but overall a good read.
Excellent book regarding the true story of the English case where they took DNA from all males living in an area of where young girls were raped/murdered.
Excellent true story of the Narborough Village where there were the murders were first solved by DNA testsing. Well written and very interesting!
I literally could not put down this book. If I hadn't started reading it so late at night it would have been one sitting instead of two.
a weak early effort by Wambaugh. interesting story but padded w/ too many anecdotes about the local constabulary.
Takes place in the 80's in England and details the first murder case solved using DNA. The title doesn't refer to the murders, but to the many blood tests that were done to eliminate people as suspects and identify the killer. Very interesting....
Fantastic book about the first use of DNA testing in the solving of two brutal rapes and murders in an English village.
It was interesting to learn how genetic fingerprinting came about, and the circumstances involved.
Another awesome book if you are into detective/crime fiction and non fiction.
A true story of murder that the author did a very good job in telling.
Excellent window into the mind of a serial killer.
A great read if you can get around the British vernacular.
A very good read and he should never ever b let out
Definitely not his normal style --- but interesting...
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Joseph Wambaugh, a former LAPD detective sergeant (1960-1974), is the bestselling author of twenty-one prior works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Choirboys and The Onion Field. Wambaugh joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1960. He served 14 years, rising to detective sergeant. He also attended California State University, Los Angeles, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and M...more
More about Joseph Wambaugh...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
