Crime Science

Christy Conte is a member of the Parents Advisory Committee at the
YMCA’s Parent and Child Enrichment Centre, and a journalist.

In this thrilling look at the techniques used to catch today’s
criminals, from cybersleuthing to forensic dentistry, Vivien Bowers
meticulously re-creates the work of leading forensic scientists and
crime specialists. The details are often macabre, and always riveting.

Bowers manages to elucidate a complex topic without patronizing her
young audience. In such chapters as “Counterfeits and Forgeries,”
“Identifying the Criminal,” and “At the Crime Scene,” she walks
the reader through the challenges, clues, and technologies involved in
catching killers, counterfeiters, hackers, and other bad guys.
Photographs, DNA bands, artist’s models, chromatographic samples, and
a host of other forensic tools have been carefully chosen to demonstrate
points made in the text. “Clue-Ins” challenge would-be sleuths to
solve real crime puzzles, offering a rare glimpse into the little-known
world of forensic science. Answers are provided at the back of the book.

The book’s effective design makes it as much a delight to the eyes as
it is to the intellect. Martha Newbigging’s illustrations add levity
in all the right places. Highly recommended.