Forensic Science: A Very Short Introduction

Elementaire Deeltjes #9

by Jim Fraser

Due to its connections to violent crime and ingenious detective work, forensic science is a subject of endless fascination to the general public. A criminal case can often hinge on a piece of evidence such as a hair, a blood trace, a bit of saliva on a cigarette butt, or the telltale mark of a tire tread. High profile cases have stoked this interest in recent years and some of the most popular shows on television--such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and its raft of spin-offs--attest to the enduring popularity of forensic science as a form of grisly entertainment. This Very Short Introduction looks at the nature of forensic science, examining what forensic science is, how it is used in the investigation of crime, how crime scenes are managed, how forensic scientists work, the different techniques used to recover evidence, and the range of methods available for analysis. It also considers how forensic science serves the criminal justice system and the challenges of communicating complex scientific evidence in a court of law.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Law, True Crime, Reference

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2010

Reviews

[Reuben Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite dull. I only managed half of it, mostly due to the proliferation of pointless sentences. Some authors in the 'A Very Short Introduction' series manage to exploit the difficult format very well, usually by restricting themselves to a small subset of their topic, allowing them to go into sufficient detail to interest the reader with concrete examples and vivid descriptions etc. While Fraser does often get to the details, he is forced into quite dry and uninformative prose - frequently resorting to tables of uninteresting information - as he tries to cover too much ground.

For example, forensic chemistry gets the following brief treatment: "A large number of analytical techniques is used to identify the diverse range of substances encountered in forensic chemistry. The particular method used will depend on the nature of the substance involved, whether it is organic or inorganic, solid or liquid, or present in trace quantities or large amounts." What does the author hope the reader, after reading these two superficial sentences, now knows about forensic chemistry that they could not have already guessed?

A further annoyance is the superfluous introductory and concluding remarks of chapters, outlining and then reviewing their content - unnecessary for a book of just over 100 pages and rather tedious.

More amusing is the choice of pictures, which includes two shoe marks (in sand and concrete, just to be sure), and an Asda receipt put back together after being torn in two. Others were more interesting, but these three were exactly as insightful as you might expect.

Overall, a rather tedious book that I wouldn't recommend.

[GridGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first step in my attempt to become a universal genius this year! If you want to read more about my approach to this very ambitious goal, click here!

I was very happy to have gotten this for Christmas because Forensic Science has always fascinated me. I love watching Crime TV shows and I find the different scientific methods which are used to figure out a crime. As someone who has a degree in natural sciences myself, I know that TV shows tend to be somewhat nebulous when it comes to science applications and explanations, so I was hoping to get a clearer picture in this regard. However, I didn’t feel like I learned too much in this Very Short Introduction. Most of the things that were mentioned in this book, I was familiar with. The only big revelation was that statistical analysis – the discipline I’m specialized in – is crucial to many crime investigations.
I was not a huge fan of the structure of this short introduction where every chapter is about something different topic entirely. I would have much more liked a chronologically ordered overview of the scientific methods that were introduced over time.

3.5/5

A complete list of all the “Very Short Introductions” I’m reading this year and the reviews on the ones I have already finished can be found here.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

~4.6 hours

Fab series this, just right for a quick refresh or a peek into a subject that one is curious about. All are unbiased erudite, and entirely objective essays.

3* Ancient Egypt
3* Paul
4* Witchcraft
3* The Book of Mormon
4* Druids
4* Forensic Psychology
3* Forensic Science

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very informative and horrendously boring

[Laura Jager · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.75

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like it, but didn't love it. Learned many things, but not sure how many I'll retain because it was such a hodgepodge of data and subjects. The last section about illegal drugs seemed incredibly random with its addition. It should have been its own VSI, and not taking up very valuable space in this one. Adding a longer section about remain degradation or the different types of careers people who do forensic science come from would have been more interesting and apt.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The British Forensic Scientist Jim Fraser wrote Forensic Science: A Very Short Introduction. I read the edition that was published in 2020. The book has illustrations. The book has a section of references. The book has an index. The first chapter is an introduction to forensic science. The second chapter discusses “investigating crime” (Fraser 8-16). The third chapter is entitled “Crime Scene Management and Forensic Investigation” (Fraser 17-30). The fourth chapter is entitled “Laboratory Examination” (Fraser 31-45). Chapter 5 is entitled “DNA Profiling and Databases” (Fraser 46-64). Chapter 6 states that “marks (or impressions) are caused by a pattern from one item being transferred to another. This could be a shoe mark, a finger mark, or, less obviously,” other manufactured items (Fraser 65). This chapter focuses on fingerprints or shoe marks as examples of mark evidence (Fraser 65). Chapter 7 is on “trace evidence” (Fraser 81-92). Fraser writes, “Forensic scientists examine fibers, hairs, paint, glass, and explosives traces in a wide range of crimes from burglary to terrorism” (Fraser 81). Chapter 8 is entitled “Drugs and Toxicology” (Fraser 93-106). The last chapter is a case study of the unsolved murder of the English television presenter Jill Dando in 1999 and the role that forensic science played in the conviction of Barry George for the murder. George was found to be wrongfully convicted in 2007 for Dando’s murder (Fraser 111). I read the book on my Kindle. Fraser’s introduction to forensic science is well done.

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid science book on the practice of criminal forensics. However, it should be noted that it is specifically talking about forensic science as practiced in Great Britain, as that's where the author practices his trade. That said, for those of us living in the U.S., many of the techniques are the same. The caveat here is that our criminal justice systems and their approaches to forensic evidence are often different.

I listened to the unabridged audiobook version of this, which was a bit of a handicap. The author refers to charts and graphs that, obviously, can't be accessed off an audiobook.

I added this to my "True Crime" shelf as well as my science shelf as I thought it belonged on both. I'll add that fiction readers who are fans of the Harry Bosch series of novels might well enjoy this, given Michael Connelly's painstaking efforts to educate his readers on the law and forensic science procedures as practiced in Los Angeles.

[Keiran · Rating 2 out of 5]

my concluding remarks are that this was a good book, it just has a shit author. here’s a list of reasons for you:
1. my guy jim fraser couldn’t even gather up the balls to just say “gay men”. or even just the word gay. get a grip mate you’re not gonna turn gay if you say it.
2. egotistical bastard. i think that sums up jim’s personality pretty well. he always had to throw in how he advised in this big case or how he led a team to do this and that. in this context it’s not relevant so shut up!!!!
3. randomly brought up the bible???? again not relevant so shut up
4. “all of the women were prostitutes and all were found naked” WHERE IS THE RELEVANCE

overall, i’ve got beef with jim fraser cos of this book.

[Lalit Singh Tomar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is infact very very short introduction to UK Forensic Science .

I notably liked the DNA , Fingerprint and Drugs chapter .
Trace evidence was ok.

Nothing for cyber crime was a big disappointment .

Fact liked : Eureka or Case solving moment " Perhaps five or six times in a long Career this might occur"

The Netflix series Mindhunter was the reason, I selected this book ...

Overall an average type book .

[Al-Waleed Al-Battshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and easy-language written book about forensic. Enjoyed reading it and learnt so many things that are new to me.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly written, interesting and much of it highly useful.

[Morgan Bruyneel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and insightful introduction to forensics sciences.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

He begins by telling the reader that forensic science is not as exciting as what we see on TV. He spends the rest of the book proving his point. So. Dull.

[Nura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heel leerzaam, geschikt voor iedereen die wat wilt bijleren.

[Elin! · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read it for class. Wasn’t terrible, just a lot of information.

[Olivia]

DNF but I’ll finish it at some point

[Igs · Rating 3 out of 5]

You might not learn a lot if you’ve watched any random crime themed tv show. if you dont know a single thing about this topic then maybe it’s worth a read

[Sireesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit dry. Could have been improved with more info on the history of forensic science.

[Jessica Weida · Rating 3 out of 5]

This goes over all the basics. If you read or watch true crime, this is redundant.

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Oxford's Very Short Introduction series: they're usually superb: well-written, tight, comprehensive books that serve as either a quick reference for unfamiliar concepts or a gateway to future reading. "Forensic Science" does a good job of the second: it raises a number of interesting questions about the interplay of science and law. Otherwise, it seems hastily written, somewhat random, and superficial.

Some of this is a problem with the subject matter: "forensic science" is a grab-bag of laboratory tools, a bit of ontology and epsitemology, and a bit of contemporary controversies, rather than a theory or intellectual domain. But there's a better book in here. The introduction begins with a string of off-the-cuff references to criminal cases the author assumes the reader is familiar with, with no context or background for those not immersed in the world of British sensational crime. The chapter on drugs is particularly random: a long digression on illegal drugs and their effects (as interpreted by criminal law) that's largely irrelevant to issues of their detection at crime scenes and in the lab. Ten or so pages of filler in a 128 page book is a noticeable problem.

Otherwise, the book did succeed in piquing my interest in the field, particularly in the law-and-science questions. So, it did its job and got three stars, but it could have been a much better book.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very informative and wide-ranging introduction. Could have done with more real-life examples and case studies to make the material more memorable, especially as this is what makes the subject such an interesting one to start with.

[Sieglinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does exactly what it says on the cover. It covers a few different areas and methods and comments on how things apply within UK law.

[Napalmlolita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't learn much. Focuses on unimportant and inconsequential details.

[Bookwarrior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Keep in mind that this book is written with British law in mind (for the details). A really in-depth introduction to forensic science. A must read for all interested!

[📚Linda Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice introduction to forensics. It's by a British author but he makes every effort to include U.S. jurisprudence in the book.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Procedure and legal considerations ok.
Scientific detail lacking.
Disappointing.