Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA

by Bridget Heos

Overview

Blood, Bullets, and Bones provides young readers with a fresh and fascinating look at the ever-evolving science of forensics. 

Since the introduction of DNA testing, forensic science has been in the forefront of the public’s imagination, thanks especially to popular television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. But forensic analysis has been practiced for thousands of years. Ancient Chinese detectives studied dead bodies for signs of foul play, and in Victorian England, officials used crime scene photography and criminal profiling to investigate the Jack the Ripper murders. In the intervening decades, forensic science has evolved to use the most cutting-edge, innovative techniques and technologies.

In this book, acclaimed author Bridget Heos uses real-life cases to tell the history of modern forensic science, from the first test for arsenic poisoning to fingerprinting, firearm and blood spatter analysis, DNA evidence, and all the important milestones in between. By turns captivating and shocking, Blood, Bullets, and Bones demonstrates the essential role forensic science has played in our criminal justice system.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062387639
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/20/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	279,946
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	1030L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Bridget Heos is the author of thirteen young adult nonfiction books. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and three sons. Visit her website at www.authorbridgetheos.com.

Joy Ang has illustrated several picture books, among them Mustache Baby and Mustache Baby Meets His Match. She lives in Edmonton, Canada, and can also be found at www.joyang.ca.

Editorial Reviews

★ “Sherlock Holmes lovers, CSI: Miami aficionados, and forensic science students will all be drawn to this rather gruesome yet highly entertaining and fact-packed history.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Punctuated by fascinating photos, a smattering of educational asides, and astute pop-culture references (Dexter, Les Misérables, The Silence of the Lambs), and followed by a glossary of key terms, this is sure to appeal to wannabe FBI agents, budding history buffs, “armchair detectives,” and everyone in between.” — Booklist

“Vivid and occasionally gruesome but always engrossing.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Heos’s conversational text is forthright with the (sometimes disturbing) facts, but never sensationalized—keeping the focus squarely on the fascinating science.” — Horn Book Magazine

“For teens who haven’t ventured much beyond CSI, this will prove a solid and entertaining introduction to a compelling subject.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A fascinating account of the history of forensic investigation from ancient times to the modern age, this easy-to-read, concise volume is by turns horrifying, amusing, and enlightening. Libraries serving young adults should definitely have this in their collections for fans of mysteries, science, and history.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Publisher

Heos’s conversational text is forthright with the (sometimes disturbing) facts, but never sensationalized—keeping the focus squarely on the fascinating science.

Horn Book Magazine

A fascinating account of the history of forensic investigation from ancient times to the modern age, this easy-to-read, concise volume is by turns horrifying, amusing, and enlightening. Libraries serving young adults should definitely have this in their collections for fans of mysteries, science, and history.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Punctuated by fascinating photos, a smattering of educational asides, and astute pop-culture references (Dexter, Les Misérables, The Silence of the Lambs), and followed by a glossary of key terms, this is sure to appeal to wannabe FBI agents, budding history buffs, “armchair detectives,” and everyone in between.

Booklist

For teens who haven’t ventured much beyond CSI, this will prove a solid and entertaining introduction to a compelling subject.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

For teens who haven’t ventured much beyond CSI, this will prove a solid and entertaining introduction to a compelling subject.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

For teens who haven’t ventured much beyond CSI, this will prove a solid and entertaining introduction to a compelling subject.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Punctuated by fascinating photos, a smattering of educational asides, and astute pop-culture references (Dexter, Les Misérables, The Silence of the Lambs), and followed by a glossary of key terms, this is sure to appeal to wannabe FBI agents, budding history buffs, “armchair detectives,” and everyone in between.

Booklist

★ 10/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—The use of DNA evidence by forensic scientists to help solve crimes is a relatively new innovation. It was only in 1994 that the FBI created a database of DNA samples from convicted and suspected criminals called the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). However, the field of forensic science has been around for centuries. In fact, as early as 270 CE there was Zhang Ju, a Chinese coroner who wrote about the crimes he solved by examining the bodies of the victims. Using numerous real-life cases, Heos presents a riveting history of the evolution of modern forensic science. One of the first scientific tests ever developed in relation to murder was one for determining the presence of poison, in particular arsenic. This 18th-century breakthrough laid the groundwork for countless other developments in the quest to solve crimes. Heos deftly incorporates the stories behind many murders to illuminate advancements in areas such as fingerprint evidence, firearm and blood pattern analysis, and forensic anthropology (how bodies decompose). Also covered are the rise of the medical examiner, the advent of criminal profilers, and the development of DNA evidence. The text, with photographs sprinkled throughout, is gripping and easy to read but not for the faint of heart. VERDICT Sherlock Holmes lovers, CSI: Miami aficionados, and forensic science students will all be drawn to this rather gruesome yet highly entertaining and fact-packed history.—Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

2016-06-28
Thanks to such popular television shows as Bones and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, forensic science is typically thought of as a modern, cutting-edge dimension of criminal investigation, but this fascinating history reveals that it has been practiced for thousands of years.Two thousand years ago, Chinese coroners determined murder as cause of death through the examination of victims’ bodies. The ancient Chinese also pioneered fingerprint evidence. The first poison test was used in 1751 to prove that Englishwoman Mary Blandy murdered her father with arsenic. Heos adeptly uses many such real-life cases to chronicle the history and evolution of forensic science. England was the first country to require all coroners to be medical doctors, expanding the field of forensic pathology. English investigators also pioneered the use of firearm evidence to solve a 1794 murder. The rises of other investigative methods, such as criminal profiling, DNA analysis, forensic anthropology, and victimology, are examined in the context of such famous investigations as the Jack the Ripper murders, the Sacco and Vanzetti case, and the murder of the Romanovs in 1918. Heos also takes pains to discuss how often DNA analysis has been used to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. Vivid and occasionally gruesome but always engrossing. (photos, glossary, notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews