Solving Crimes

Ron Fridell's new book, Solving Crimes: Pioneers of Forensic Science, examines the careers and lives of six influential forensic scientists. It begins in the 1800s with Alphonse Bertillon's precise measurements of the physical features of criminals, and continues through to the work today of Alec Jeffreys and his incredible discovery of DNA variability that is used for DNA fingerprinting. Mr. Fridell tells this story through intriguing case examples. He clearly explains both the simple and the complex techniques each scientist discovered and developed. And he leads the reader to discover the personal qualities that separate these men from others and make them scientific pioneers. Each man had a passion for order, a gift for making sense of conflicting information, and a determination to overcome the obstacles that blocked the acceptance of new ideas. The names of Alphonse Bertillon, Edward Henry, Karl Landsteiner, Edmond Locard, Clyde Snow, and Alec Jeffreys may not be household words. But law enforcement officials and justice departments could not make accusations or acquittals based on physical evidence without the ingenious work of these pioneers of forensic science. It is a story well told.