This review is written with thanks to Harper Collins for my copy of How To Solve A Murder: True Stories From A Life In Forensic Medicine via Netgalley.

Blurb:

As gripping as it is gruesome, How to Solve a Murder is a fascinating insight into the career of a forensic scientist told by experts in the field. Includes a foreword from Dr Richard Shepherd, bestselling author of Unnatural Causes.

FRACTURED SKULLS. GAS MASKS. BRAIN BUCKETS. VATS OF ACID. PICKLED BODY PARTS.

Not the usual tools of trade, but for Chief Forensic Medical Scientist Derek and Forensic Secretary Pauline they were just part of a normal day in the office inside the world-famous Department of Forensic Medicine at Guy’s Hospital in London.

Derek has played a pivotal role in investigating some of the UK’s most high-profile mass disasters and murder cases. Derek’s innovative work on murder cases, in particular, has seen him credited as a pioneer of forensic medical science, after developing ground-breaking techniques that make it easier to secure a conviction and also identify a serial killer.

Warmly recalled and brilliantly told, these intriguing revelations will open your eyes to the dark world inhabited by those who investigate death and murder (typically most horrid), and unveil the secrets of how each case is solved.

Review:

I love reading crime fiction, so I loved learning more about how the investigations are conducted in real life. Although these authors have some grisly stories, they are absolutely fascinating, including some high profile ones. Their writing style is very accessible and they make complex processes and scientific methods easy to understand for readers like me who have limited scientific knowledge.

Derek Tremain has been working in the field of forensic medicine since the 1960s, and Pauline’s career began shortly afterwards. Between them, they have overseen and been heavily involved in many developments in the techniques and technology used to collect forensic evidence and build strong legal cases. As this book is written chronologically, it is easy for us to see the differences the advances have made to their work over the years.

There is also some insight into the authors’ personal lives in this book. Whilst this does provide some context for the book, I did feel that it occasionally detracted from the more “juicy” content.

How To Solve A Murder: True Stories From A Life In Forensic Medicine is available from Amazon.