Sign-In
Cart
An Expert Witness: The Story of Forensic Science in the Courtroom
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $30.00
ISBN13: 9780802169372
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Published: Jan 12 2027
Pages: 384
Language: English
An Instant Sunday Times Bestseller
From the internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and bestselling author of All That Remains comes an insider history of forensic science told through its pioneers and its landmark cases
CSI would have us believe forensics is a science of gleaming labs and infallible findings. The reality, as Dame Sue Black knows from her forty years analyzing human remains, is far grittier and far more interesting. Every tool used today--fiber matching, DNA analysis, fingerprinting and footprinting and even earprinting--had to be established first at the crime scene and then in the courtroom by scientists willing to put their research and reputation on the line in the name of justice.
In An Expert Witness, Black brings an insider's lens to pivotal criminal cases across history, tracing the evolution of forensics from nineteenth-century poisonings to modern sex crimes and showing the great lengths its pioneers went to in gaining acceptance for new techniques. While the field has made huge leaps forward--including Black's own groundbreaking work in vein identification--faulty forensics have also contributed to wrongful convictions and imprisonment. In murder trials, mistakes come at horrifyingly high cost.
To this deep dive into the annals of crime investigation Black brings the wit, compassion and candor that made All That Remains and Written in Bone so beloved. Together with her fascinating history of forensic science is her probing consideration of the many cases she has played a role in: In which did justice prevail? Why do things go wrong? And how can we hold forensic science to account?
Also in
True Crime
Dawn of the Code War: America's Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat
Graff, Garrett M.
Carlin, John P.
Paperback
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Hardcover
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Larson, Erik
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise
Sherman, Casey
Hardcover
The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East
Ghattas, Kim
Hardcover
Blizzard of Lies: Karen Read, John O'Keefe, and the Shocking Unsolved Murder in Cop Town, USA
Wedge, Dave
Hardcover
The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
Barragán, Carlos
Hardcover
The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time
Rey, Michael
Zill de Granados, Oriana
Hardcover
Face to Face with Whitey Bulger: An FBI Agent's Account of Capturing and Debriefing Boston's Most Notorious Gangster
Ward, Bob
Teahan, Rich
Paperback
The Vampire's Cult: The Untold Story of Obsession, Control, and a Shocking Small-Town Murder
Hardin, Chet
Paperback
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth (Large Print Edition)
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII
Braude, Mark
Hardcover
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Hardcover
The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence
de Greef, Kimon
Hardcover
The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis
O'Shea, Devin Thomas
Hardcover
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
White Elephant Gifts for Adult: 500 Serial Killers Encyclopedia Facts and Figures
Murdle, K.
Paperback
Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution
Grandjean, Katherine
Hardcover
The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy
Campbell, Matthew
Hardcover
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
Brain Games - Criminal Mind Puzzles: Crime-Themed Brain Teasers Visual, Verbal, Memory & Logic Puzzles Spiral Bound Activity Book for Adults & Teens
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Weaver, Mary Frances
Paperback
Eleven Days: The Fascinating True Account of Agatha Christie's Mysterious Disappearance
Thompson, Laura
Hardcover
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
Cohen, Adam
Hardcover
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
Lichtblau, Eric
Hardcover
Clinton Bush and CIA Conspiracies: From The Boys on the Tracks to Jeffrey Epstein
Attwood, Shaun
Paperback
One Nation Under Blackmail - Vol. 1: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime That Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein, Vol.1
Webb, Whitney Alyse
Paperback
The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy
Ireland, Josh
Hardcover
Thirteen Perfect Fugitives: The True Story of the Mob, Murder, and the World's Largest Art Heist
Kelly, Geoffrey
Hardcover
50 True Stories That Will Scare You to Death: True Crime, Hauntings, Aliens, and More
Krahl, Sebastian
Paperback
Don't Talk about Joe Mac: The Life, Wars, and Secret History of the Man Behind the Winter Hill Gang
Toledo, Springs
Hardcover
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
McNamara, Michelle
Paperback
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
Haas, Jeffrey
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast (Large Print Edition)
Colloff, Pamela
Paperback
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
How to Survive a Murder Investigation: A True Story of Death and Danger in the Ozarks
Townsend, Catherine
Hardcover
Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent's Search for Hope and Justice
Hilland, Robert
Edward, John
Hardcover
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Johnson, Kirk Wallace
Paperback
Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked
Davis, Duane 'keffe D'
Jah, Yusuf
Paperback
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars
Collins, Paul
Paperback
The Doctors' Riot of 1788: Body Snatching, Bloodletting, and Anatomy in America
McPhee, Andy
Hardcover
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
McGowan, David
Paperback
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight
Cohen, Shawn
Paperback
The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory
Chamblee Burch, Elizabeth
Hardcover
The Secrets of the Séance Society: Illustrated True Stories of Talking to the Dead
Perrin, Lisa
Hardcover
The Assassination of Leon Trotsky: Espionage, Scandal, and the Crime of the Century
Melton, H. Keith
West, Nigel
Hardcover
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
Harmon, Mark
Paperback
Lucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the Game
Chellel, Kit
Hardcover
Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Paperback
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
Callahan, Maureen
Paperback
Starstruck: A Journalist's Pursuit of a Fugitive Pop Star, Her Diabolical Maestro, and Their Teenage Sex Cult
McDougall, Christopher
Paperback
El Invencible Verano de Liliana / Liliana's Invincible Summer (Premio Pulitzer)
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator
Butcher, Barbara
Paperback
Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church
Gore, Gareth
Paperback
Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South
Assael, Shaun
Harpootlian, Richard A.
Hardcover
Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Graysmith, Robert
Paperback
Who's Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly's Abuse
Landfair, Reshona
Hardcover
Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up
Parry, Richard Lloyd
Paperback
Is the Government Legally Killing Us?: Is the Evidence Obvious? How Fear of Death and the Illusion of Freedom Turn Us Into Accomplices to Evil
(Scott Schara), Grace's Dad
Paperback
Ordinary Wife: The True Story of America's Forgotten Serial Killer
Olsen, Gregg
Olsen, Morgan
Paperback
Without Consent: A Landmark Trial and the Decades-Long Struggle to Make Spousal Rape a Crime
Weinman, Sarah
Hardcover
The Jacklighter: Murder, Betrayal, and Justice in Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains
Conti, Carla
Paperback
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Bauerlein, Valerie
Paperback
The Serial Killer Coloring Book II: An Adult Coloring Book Full of Notorious Serial Killers
Rosewood, Jack
Paperback
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
King, Gilbert
Hardcover
Riptide: Cartels, Cocaine, and an Undercover Cop's Fall from Grace: A Memoir of Temptation and Redemption
Guzman, Javier
Hardcover
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
The Rembrandt Heist: The Story of a Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic Friendship
Amore, Anthony M.
Hardcover
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
Olshaker, Mark
Douglas, John
Paperback
Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter
McCollum
Paperback
A Rainy Night in Georgia: A Lawman's Brutal Murder, a Rogue Southern Sheriff, and a Prosecutor's Quest for Justice
Morgan, J. Tom
Paperback
Between the Devil and the Tide: A True Story of Obsession, Power, and the Gilgo Beach Serial Killer
Linkletter, Alexis
Hardcover
Warden Force: Deadly Intent and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 76 - 87
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes
Black, Sue
Paperback
Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud: The Basis for the Documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
McKenzie, Ben
Silverman, Jacob
Paperback
The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling
Corbett, Rachel
Hardcover