Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers
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Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Written By: Michael M.D. Baden, Marion Roach
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.259523
EAN: 9780684852713
ISBN: 0684852713
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2002-08-20
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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Editorial Reviews for Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers
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For most people, the forensic sciences are something reported on the news when a crime is solved through DNA evidence, or used as a plot twist for television shows. But behind the crime-scene tape and the doors of the morgue is a world never seen by the public. Now famed pathologist and medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden and award-winning writer Marion Roach take readers into the laboratory, above the autopsy table, onto the witness stand and out in the field to show how advances in forensic science can solve crucial questions in a criminal case, often with startling accuracy. Baden and Roach reveal how a key clue to the killer of Nicole Brown Simpson was lost when her body was moved to the morgue, and why the JonBenet Ramsey case can never be solved. They show how no clue is too small to be analyzed and no case too old to be reopened. Full of behind-the-scenes drama and surprising revelations, Dead Reckoning is a fascinating look at how forensic science is changing the way we convict the guilty and free the innocent.
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Consumer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and Enlightening!
Comment: The pair have a way with words! I could not put this book down, it only took 24 hours to read and I was up set when I was done! I wanted more! The way Dr. Baden tells his stories are wonderful, I look forward to reading more from this pair!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Inside Look
Comment: This book would be great for anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in going into forensics. Dr. Baden shows how lots of different professionals work together to solve crimes. He tells about things like blood school and bug school and what goes on at forensics conventions, that most of the population wouldn't even dream of hearing! He goes into detail on a few key players in forensics: the renowned Henry Lee, and even some of the "bad guys," including the medical examiner who faked hundreds of autopsies and had many wrong people convicted.
It's an inside look into a world that the general public rarely gets a glimpse of, and it was wonderfully done.
Customer Rating:
Summary: For the true crime junkies...
Comment: If you enjoy forensic science and true crime literature this book will keep you entertained. However, I don't think it is Dr. Baden's best work. The organization of the book was a bit scattered and overall, it can't decide if it is a textbook, an autobiography or a work of non-fiction.
The strongest parts of the book were his descriptions of the "gods" of the forensics world: Henry Lee, the blood spatter expert and the entomology guru. He makes these men leap off the pages and you find yourself truly fascinated by their morbid daily activities that contribute so much to forensic science. It was a great primer on these little known, much appreciated scientists.
In some places, there was WAY too much detail, I was bored as I imagined I was reading a student's textbook. The true crime genre is a tricky one - you need enough details to keep the audience interested, but not too many they feel you're lecturing to them. This book doesn't quite get that balance right.
Overall the book was disjointed, and I was puzzled as to why Dr. Baden kept peppering chapters with his own dysfunctional childhood details or droning on about his skill in talking to juries while thwarting defense attorneys. I have read other books by Dr. Baden and have seen his HBO specials and I found him to be smart, engaging and completely competent. In this book, he would have done better to eliminate his own egocentric random details and just describe the pure process of the science and the men who do it.
Finally the pictures in the middle seem placed there gratuitously, referring to certain stories haphazardly. It would have been better organized had all of the pictures been placed in the corresponding chapters. Plus, some more relevant pictures might have been more appropriate.
I think if you are a newcomer to the forensic science genre, there are better books to keep your interest. If you're not, this book has some good parts, but disappoints overall.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally Good. A Keeper.
Comment: The book meets all of my standards for 5 stars: Interesting subject, spell-binding story, and well-written. Plus Baden includes comments about the dummies who work as cops, attorneys, judges, medicos, and technicians. These people make life difficult for the real stars: competent cops, attorneys, judges, etc. I especially like how Baden walks you through what he does, commenting on the professional arcana of his craft. Any professional who fails to talk about his tools is suspect, in my book. This book will serve you well if youre writing about true crime.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Author of Practical Homicide Investigation
Comment: DEAD RECKONING: The New Science of Catching Killers provides the reader with an inside look into the exciting world of forensic science as the authors explain the scientific detection of cause, manner and mechanism of death. The authors' presentation, which includes exquisite case histories as well as down-to-earth clarification of scientific details with understandable illustration, formulates a captivating read.
As a homicide and forensic consultant I appreciate the importance of trace evidence and how significant such microscopic evidence can be in conducting a homicide investigation. DEAD RECKONING: The New Science of Catching Killers, emphasizes how crucial physical evidence can be. More importantly, physical evidence represents the "unimpeachable witness." It cannot be clouded by a faulty memory, prejudice, poor eyesight or one of many human frailties. As the authors state; "It is reproducible, preservable and ultimately the most reliable witness any cop or D.A. could ever dream of."
DEAD RECKONING: The New Science of Catching Killers is a must read for anyone who has a passionate enthusiasm for forensic science and its application to the investigative process. The authors provide the reader with real life case examples and information about the intricacies of the medicolegal autopsy, the use of blood stain pattern analysis, the analysis of maggots in estimating time of death, facial reconstruction, hair analysis, forensic odontology and the forensic exhumation.
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More Information on Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers
Review of: dead reckoning: the new science of catching killers
ISSN: 0022-1198 Published Online: 1 March 2003 Page Count: 1. Click here to download this paper now for $25. View License Agreement
The Roots of Desire by Marion Roach
... memoir of her family's struggle with her mother's Alzheimer's disease and the co-author of Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers.
Review of: Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers
Review of: Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers Payne, D Associate Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, MI
Review of: dead reckoning: the new science of catching killers
ISSN: 0022-1198 Published Online: 1 March 2003 Page Count: 1. Click here to download this paper now. View License Agreement
Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers
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Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers 1 is the latest in a genre of medical sleuthing that includes Where Death Delights 2, Post-Mortem 3, and Autopsy:
Michael Baden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
... on aspects of forensic medicine and two popular non-fiction books "Unnatural Death, Confessions of a Medical Examiner" and "Dead Reckoning, the New Science of Catching Killers."
HBO: Autopsy: Ask Dr. Baden: Bio
... on aspects of forensic medicine and two popular non-fiction books "Unnatural Death, Confessions of a Medical Examiner" and "Dead Reckoning, the New Science of Catching Killers.
September 7, 2001, Hour Two: Forensic Science
Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers" (Simon & Schuster; 2001) New York, New York . Herbert MacDonell Forensic Scientist
Forensic science - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Doubleday, 1972. ISBN 0-385-09249-0. Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers by Michael Baden, M.D, former New York City Medical Examiner, and Marion Roach.