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Murder Most Florid: Inside the Mind of a Forensic Botanist
Dr Mark Spencer is a forensic botanist - in other words, he helps police with cases where plants can unlock clues to solve crimes, from murder and rape to arson and burglary.
Murder Most Florid is an enthralling, first-person account that follows Mark's unconventional and unique career, one that takes him to woodlands, wasteland and roadsides, as well as police labs, to examine the botanical evidence of serious crimes. From unearthing a decomposing victims from brambles to dissecting the vegetation of a shallow grave, Mark's botanical knowledge can be crucial to securing a conviction.
More widely, this gripping book challenges our attitude to death and response to crime. It picks holes in the sensationalized depictions of policing we see on TV, and asks pertinent questions about public sector funding in the face of rising crime. Most importantly, it shows us how the ancient lessons of botanical science can still be front and centre in our modern, DNA-obsessed world.
Murder Most Florid is an enthralling, first-person account that follows Mark's unconventional and unique career, one that takes him to woodlands, wasteland and roadsides, as well as police labs, to examine the botanical evidence of serious crimes. From unearthing a decomposing victims from brambles to dissecting the vegetation of a shallow grave, Mark's botanical knowledge can be crucial to securing a conviction.
More widely, this gripping book challenges our attitude to death and response to crime. It picks holes in the sensationalized depictions of policing we see on TV, and asks pertinent questions about public sector funding in the face of rising crime. Most importantly, it shows us how the ancient lessons of botanical science can still be front and centre in our modern, DNA-obsessed world.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2019
13 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 28, 2021
Even though this book was really interesting I was kind of disappointed by it.
The actual content of this book was very interesting and I learnt a lot. The examples of cases he has worked on were interesting to read.
However, there wasn't a lot of them. The book mainly talked about botany in general rather than in the context of a crime.
There were a lot of complex and specialised jargon used which I didn't really understand.
There were also some spaces missing in the text and a couple of sentences which just stopped and didn't carry on the next page. I don't know if there was a printing error or nobody proof read the book.
It was also really short, less than 200 pages. I would have perfered it to be longer.
He also repeated himself a lot by defining words he had already defined and mentioning CSI and its inaccuracies multiple times which meant that the book didn't flow well.
Although, very interesting, this book wasn't written very well at all.
TW: real life descriptions of murder, violence, rape, sexual assault and suicide.
The actual content of this book was very interesting and I learnt a lot. The examples of cases he has worked on were interesting to read.
However, there wasn't a lot of them. The book mainly talked about botany in general rather than in the context of a crime.
There were a lot of complex and specialised jargon used which I didn't really understand.
There were also some spaces missing in the text and a couple of sentences which just stopped and didn't carry on the next page. I don't know if there was a printing error or nobody proof read the book.
It was also really short, less than 200 pages. I would have perfered it to be longer.
He also repeated himself a lot by defining words he had already defined and mentioning CSI and its inaccuracies multiple times which meant that the book didn't flow well.
Although, very interesting, this book wasn't written very well at all.
TW: real life descriptions of murder, violence, rape, sexual assault and suicide.
February 7, 2020
I really liked this, although there were a few mistakes - such as chapters ending midsentence. I'm not sure if this was just my edition.
January 13, 2020
This was good and I felt like I learned a lot about how plants can be useful in helping police investigations. The book is also part memoir which was also really intriguing. I think my biggest issue with this book was that it jumped all over the place, so one minute it would be talking about one thing, then it would go on a few tangents before either going back to the original idea or leaving me wondering about what happened with the first story. Either way it was still an intriguing and enjoyable read.
April 13, 2022
Imagine you're at a dinner party and you end up seated next to an English botanist absolutely passionate about plants, and he fervently rambles your ear off about them all night. He happens to occasionally work on crime scenes to use his plant knowledge to help solve crimes, but he can't actually tell you any details about that because of confidentiality, and most of the time he either never actually finds out whether his information helped, or the crime remains unsolved. So what initially sounded fascinating is actually just a guy talking about random plant facts.
That's pretty much the experience of reading this book.
Look, being a "forensic botanist" sounds badass. You pick this book up because you think you're going to get some super interesting crime stories, right? Some CSI shit.
Well, Spencer dispels the CSI misconceptions quickly (and repeatedly), and certainly I got some really interesting insight into what working crime scenes is actually like in the real world. Spoiler alert: the answer is - quite boring.
I don't think a single anecdote in this whole book resulted in a satisfying conclusion in terms of solving a crime. Mostly it's pages of talking about his work on a case, ending with "the case is still unsolved but I like to think one day my work will make the difference". I get it, that's real life and it was kind of interesting to a point to see the reality of his involvement, but it's not satisfying to read an entire book like this.
The structure is not very cohesive, with a fair amount of rambling facts and personal memories which makes me think I'd love to have a beer with this dude, but inserted in a way that might be fine in a conversation, but could have done with a little more finessing for a written text.
The formatting is also surprisingly poor, with multiple instances of an entire page or chunk of writing missing. One of which seemed like it might have been the only solved case in the whole dang thing so wow was that a publishing fail.
I think this would have been a really interesting one hour lecture. As a 163 page book, it just didn't quite cut it.
That's pretty much the experience of reading this book.
Look, being a "forensic botanist" sounds badass. You pick this book up because you think you're going to get some super interesting crime stories, right? Some CSI shit.
Well, Spencer dispels the CSI misconceptions quickly (and repeatedly), and certainly I got some really interesting insight into what working crime scenes is actually like in the real world. Spoiler alert: the answer is - quite boring.
I don't think a single anecdote in this whole book resulted in a satisfying conclusion in terms of solving a crime. Mostly it's pages of talking about his work on a case, ending with "the case is still unsolved but I like to think one day my work will make the difference". I get it, that's real life and it was kind of interesting to a point to see the reality of his involvement, but it's not satisfying to read an entire book like this.
The structure is not very cohesive, with a fair amount of rambling facts and personal memories which makes me think I'd love to have a beer with this dude, but inserted in a way that might be fine in a conversation, but could have done with a little more finessing for a written text.
The formatting is also surprisingly poor, with multiple instances of an entire page or chunk of writing missing. One of which seemed like it might have been the only solved case in the whole dang thing so wow was that a publishing fail.
I think this would have been a really interesting one hour lecture. As a 163 page book, it just didn't quite cut it.
March 9, 2023
You’d be amazed to know that botany has helped Forensic investigation for decades.
“It may surprise you to learn that botany has also been used in the courtroom for quite some time. Plant-based evidence has been used in courts for at least 90 years”. (Chapter 5)
I believe Dr. Mark Spencer, the writer, would not see himself as a forensic investigator, even in his wildest dreams. I, as a botanist, cannot imagine such a career for myself. I appreciate his courage to involve botanical studies to uncover details about murders and horrific deaths.
As he himself said: “It is an honor to be able to use my knowledge to help seek justice for those whose lives are prematurely shortened because of the actions of others.” (Chapter 13)
I enjoyed the book, No hesitation about that. But I would like to read more about the murder cases rather than the other details. Such a British Gentleman!
“It may surprise you to learn that botany has also been used in the courtroom for quite some time. Plant-based evidence has been used in courts for at least 90 years”. (Chapter 5)
I believe Dr. Mark Spencer, the writer, would not see himself as a forensic investigator, even in his wildest dreams. I, as a botanist, cannot imagine such a career for myself. I appreciate his courage to involve botanical studies to uncover details about murders and horrific deaths.
As he himself said: “It is an honor to be able to use my knowledge to help seek justice for those whose lives are prematurely shortened because of the actions of others.” (Chapter 13)
I enjoyed the book, No hesitation about that. But I would like to read more about the murder cases rather than the other details. Such a British Gentleman!
February 10, 2022
There is no coherent storyline throughout the book. I understand that the study of plants can be helpful for solving murder cases, but the book didn't elaborate on the process of solving each case so it ended up leaving a lot of loose ends and being confusing to readers. It feels like each chapter has unfinished business, and the chapters themselves aren't connected to each other.
September 8, 2020
Mostly interesting but got a bit scientific for me. Didn't really read the last chapter. I wanted more death than flora.
June 19, 2024
I have heard Mark Spencer often on London Natural History Society lectures online – his specialities there are low nutrient grasslands, and urban botany. I have listened to him on Radio 4 on The Life Scientific He spent years working in gay bars in London, before doing a degree in botany and then a doctorate in algae, developing an interest in urban ecology as a sideline, and getting a job in the Natural History Museum.
I read it in one evening and one morning as soon as I had bought it. It is a pretty racy read for something that quotes Latin, with plenty of anonymised real-life experiences and case studies, as well as an argument for increased police investment in forensics. He gets on with his story – and I have heard his voice so much, I could hear him speaking it as I read.
The puzzles he faces are often unresolved, even when fictionalised – he is concerned not to prejudice any future case. But he has a clear sense of mystery and story – of trying to work out what happened. Sometimes, the answer is obvious, and suddenly revealed, as when the forensic anthropologist ‘Sophie’ removes sheets of burnt plywood covering a corpse bonfire, and ‘lying flat across the centre of the chest is a carving knife’. More often, at this point, Mark is counting patterns in bramble shoots or holly regrowth or fungal growth to work out how long the body has been there. Sometimes, he is looking at pollen under a microscope, to work out where the suspect or victim has been, especially if it reveals rare plants where the distribution is known.
He brings in historic and completed cases, and you can tell he has told these stories a few times to hardened scene of the crime officers when they are holed up together overnight in a hotel on a ring road somewhere. He likes a puzzle – but he is at pains to emphasise, that it is not just the botany he is fascinated by, but the desire to do right by the person who died. Too often, a body is found by a curious dog with its owner, and the identity of the person who has died is never even found. Too many lost people. He remembers the dead, and underfunded efforts to do justice by them.
Mark speculates about the future. As DNA analysis advances, what will we find out? Mark considers the potential to use plant DNA, to use the vast store of data in herbariums – collections of plant samples – to identify species from small samples. Working as a consultant, he pursues a search for the causes of outbreaks of disease – whether from algae or mites. He moves on to the fight against smuggling of rare species – plants as well as animals. He wants more research on the way bodies decay – an increased science to answer the frequent questions of when and how did the person die.
Others may go in a different direction. Already, people who have their DNA fingerprinted go online to find long lost cousins and siblings. In future, will the police be online on ancestry.com finding the deceased’s family?
I read it in one evening and one morning as soon as I had bought it. It is a pretty racy read for something that quotes Latin, with plenty of anonymised real-life experiences and case studies, as well as an argument for increased police investment in forensics. He gets on with his story – and I have heard his voice so much, I could hear him speaking it as I read.
The puzzles he faces are often unresolved, even when fictionalised – he is concerned not to prejudice any future case. But he has a clear sense of mystery and story – of trying to work out what happened. Sometimes, the answer is obvious, and suddenly revealed, as when the forensic anthropologist ‘Sophie’ removes sheets of burnt plywood covering a corpse bonfire, and ‘lying flat across the centre of the chest is a carving knife’. More often, at this point, Mark is counting patterns in bramble shoots or holly regrowth or fungal growth to work out how long the body has been there. Sometimes, he is looking at pollen under a microscope, to work out where the suspect or victim has been, especially if it reveals rare plants where the distribution is known.
He brings in historic and completed cases, and you can tell he has told these stories a few times to hardened scene of the crime officers when they are holed up together overnight in a hotel on a ring road somewhere. He likes a puzzle – but he is at pains to emphasise, that it is not just the botany he is fascinated by, but the desire to do right by the person who died. Too often, a body is found by a curious dog with its owner, and the identity of the person who has died is never even found. Too many lost people. He remembers the dead, and underfunded efforts to do justice by them.
Mark speculates about the future. As DNA analysis advances, what will we find out? Mark considers the potential to use plant DNA, to use the vast store of data in herbariums – collections of plant samples – to identify species from small samples. Working as a consultant, he pursues a search for the causes of outbreaks of disease – whether from algae or mites. He moves on to the fight against smuggling of rare species – plants as well as animals. He wants more research on the way bodies decay – an increased science to answer the frequent questions of when and how did the person die.
Others may go in a different direction. Already, people who have their DNA fingerprinted go online to find long lost cousins and siblings. In future, will the police be online on ancestry.com finding the deceased’s family?
December 31, 2020
There are fascinating anecdotes in this. The author has passion and knowledge for his work and seems a hoot - - I'd love to listen to a lecture or presentation by him, or sit in a pub and have him regal me with tales of his work. (He grew a poison garden as a kid! He explains how to mount cannabis samples for an herbarium!) But the writing was stilted, and felt like it was addressed to a class of children.
Often, owing more to the nature of the work than to Spencer's doing, there are no satisfactory answers or conclusions to a case. The police don't tell their forensic witnesses the conclusions to an investigation, if there ever is one.
Also, my printing was littered with typos, the most egregious being the end of a chapter being fully cut off, just as the reveal of how fungi testing samples were used in a rape case! Reading the rest of the book felt not dissimilar to this typographical error.
Fascinating at parts but not a gripping read overall. However, if Spencer were lecturing on his work for the general public, I'd attend one of those. If you're interested in forensics or true crime I'd say give it a shot.
Often, owing more to the nature of the work than to Spencer's doing, there are no satisfactory answers or conclusions to a case. The police don't tell their forensic witnesses the conclusions to an investigation, if there ever is one.
Also, my printing was littered with typos, the most egregious being the end of a chapter being fully cut off, just as the reveal of how fungi testing samples were used in a rape case! Reading the rest of the book felt not dissimilar to this typographical error.
Fascinating at parts but not a gripping read overall. However, if Spencer were lecturing on his work for the general public, I'd attend one of those. If you're interested in forensics or true crime I'd say give it a shot.
February 22, 2025
I really enjoyed this, and would have loved to read about more cases Dr Spencer advised on - the book does feel too short. What we are told is fascinating, and it's unfortunate that the evidence isn't used more.
Unfortunately, some pages are clearly missing (page 130, and possibly 148). This is very frustrating because page 130 may have been a resolution to a case, where the others are sadly unsolved. The book itself is very pretty, so it feels like the publisher has focussed on this rather than quality checking the print itself.
Unfortunately, some pages are clearly missing (page 130, and possibly 148). This is very frustrating because page 130 may have been a resolution to a case, where the others are sadly unsolved. The book itself is very pretty, so it feels like the publisher has focussed on this rather than quality checking the print itself.
July 3, 2024
I loved parts of this book but it felt very disjointed, like many unfinished anecdotes strung together. This is likely not the fault of the author as he had no legal way to know the outcome of many of the missing persons and murder cases he investigated, but it was still disappointing to be left hanging so many times. Apart from all the unsolved murders, the botany was very interesting, and I’d be happy to read other work by the author that was just about the plants.
April 10, 2020
A peek behind the tape and flashing lights that normally shroud the work of those who investigate the shocking deaths in the UK. Any of those expecting a CSI style approach to crime investigation may be disappointed by the slower and more cynical approach by the British. Overall an interesting read looking at a niche sector of crime investigation that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2021
An interesting read about the world of forensic botany.
I was brought into the world of plants by Dr Spencer. His enthusiasm about plants is infectious and i found myself enthralled in his scientific musings.
Just as an aside, there's more plant talk than murders, if you're looking for more murders than plants this won't be the book for you.
I was brought into the world of plants by Dr Spencer. His enthusiasm about plants is infectious and i found myself enthralled in his scientific musings.
Just as an aside, there's more plant talk than murders, if you're looking for more murders than plants this won't be the book for you.
May 6, 2025
Not the book I was hoping for, unfortunately - not the author's fault either, I guess I failed to consider he wouldn't be allowed to use many specifics about the crimes he investigated. Overall just a bit dry, and it was hard for me to maintain interest, even as someone with plant knowledge. DNFed about 25%.
March 12, 2022
The subject is fascinating and the author very, very knowledgeable. It did suffer from rushed typesetting (sentences and whole paragraphs seem to have disappeared in places) and I felt like I had read some sentences before in earlier sections. Could use a really good pruning.
May 28, 2025
As a botanist this book was intriguing as to procedures etc and I did learn a bit. The editing and publishing left a bit to be desired. There are sentences that are left dangling at the bottom of a page or the end of a chapter without any closure.
December 28, 2019
A fantastic read if you’re interested in both Botany & Forensics.
February 2, 2020
This book combined my interest in forensics and botany. Learned so many interesting facts. I'll never look at a bramble in the same way again.
October 31, 2020
An interesting book but suffered from printing issues - 3 pages ended in the middle of a sentence and the rest of the sentence wasn't on the following page. In one case, 2 pages were missing.
June 12, 2021
Didn’t really warm to the writing as much as the Patricia Wiltshire book. Think it could have done with better editing as in parts it got a bit rambling and changed direction mid-paragraph.
June 21, 2021
Another cover that caught my eye at the library! A good book about a subject I’m interest in, but knew little about. Enjoyable read and I came away better informed.
April 10, 2022
As a botanist and more recently a reader of murder mysteries I found this an interesting read and read it in a couple of days. It's a shame about the pages that don't appear to have been printed.
January 13, 2023
interesting book, but the editing was pretty bad and some sentences just didnt make it on the next page and were unfinished
May 1, 2024
Nice to get a different view on things! So many aspects of botany and uses of forensic botany I'd never think of on my own.
May 30, 2024
Interesting read adds details to the crime novels
August 25, 2024
3.5 Stars.
April 28, 2024
I read this for a book club I am a part of at our local botanical gardens. While it was interesting, there was a lot of information shared about British plant life and a lot less of the murder investigations than I was hoping for. It's not a book I would've chosen for myself, but I mostly enjoyed it.
February 12, 2021
Underwhelming.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews