Product Description

There is no scientist in the world like Dr. Bill Bass. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world's first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition—three acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research at "the Body Farm" has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. In this riveting book, the bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science, using fascinating cases from his career to take readers into the real world of C.S.I.

Customer Reviews (23)

Lukewarm
I generally like these kinds of things, detective stories, cop shows, etc. This book was interesting, but not one I would rave about. I did finish it though, which says something.

DNA destroyed
The science proofreader blew this one.Almost all the DNA info is wrong and from a university science professor.

Second Thinking My Career
"Beyond the Body Farm" is one of the few books that make me wish I'd pursued a different profession. We see the standard procedural practices on television when it comes to forensics, but this book adds an amazing degree of depth and interest to the field. I always thought of forensic work as a fascinating field and this novel only compounded that interest.

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in forensic technology. It's entertaining and Dr. Bass's personal stories are brilliantly woven into a standard non-fiction book. The end result is far more than just non-fiction. It's thought-provoking and makes you really cheer for the help and closure they offer grieving individuals.

A thoroughly entertaining series of forensic vignettes
Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility (ARF), made famous by its more colloquial nickname in Patricia Cornwell's novel "The Body Farm" is a world class scientific institution dedicated to the thesis that dead men DO tell tales.

Did you know, for instance, that entomological studies have determined the rate at which blow flies and maggots attack a decaying corpse is related to a wide variety of variables such as humidity and accumulated degree-days since the date of death? Of course, this means that historical weather records and the degree to which a corpse is infested by flies, maggots, pupae and pupa casings can be used in an uncannily accurate model to determine time since death. I was awestruck to find out that one dedicated graduate student spent months preparing a database of the forensic evidence that is left behind when a murder victim is dismembered by a saw - ANY kind of saw ... hack saw, coping saw, cross cut saw, ripping saw, circular saw, configured with ANY kind of blade, tooth count, pitch, thickness and so on. I was equally fascinated to learn of the minor skeletal differences that can be used to distinguish between the world's major races - caucasoid, negroid and mongoloid. Other differences such as sex, age and stature can be determined to an incredibly high level of accuracy with an almost unbelievably small amount of intact skeletal evidence.

Bill Bass's first book, "Death's Acre" is a poignant autobiography, both professional and personal, of Bill Bass, the Body Farm's celebrated founder; a history of some of the most interesting forensic cases that were the driving force or the raison d'être behind the directions in which Bill Bass's professional life evolved; a celebration of the development of his students and professional colleagues; and, of course, a history of the science of forensic anthropology which, even today, might be considered to be in its infancy and barely out of the nursery.

The sequel, "Beyond the Body Farm" is just as exciting but, rather than being a mere memoir is more a collection of vignettes describing the details of a series of specific cases that Bill Bass found particularly challenging, especially moving or perhaps even unique in the history of his work on the Body Farm. For example, you'll be amazed at the ability of modern science to determine the cause of death of a Persian soldier whose remains, dead and buried for thousands of years, were discovered by an archeological team working in Asia. You'll be charmed at how forensic reconstruction of facial features (made famous in fiction by Iris Johansen's character, Eve Duncan) helped to identify the remains of a long-lost girl and provide closure to a grieving family. You'll learn that it is virtually impossible for a criminal to cover his tracks with even the intense heat of an accelerated arson fire. And, my personal favourite, you'll enjoy the description of Bill Bass's fascinating work with the family of the Big Bopper to put to rest any ideas of scandal, foul play or missing bodies after his untimely death in a tragic airplane crash.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the two non-fiction works that Dr Bass has produced, I'm looking forward to the fictional Body Farm novel series that begins with "Flesh and Bone". Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Beyond the Body Farm
An excellent read! As a life long resident of East Tennessee I was pleased that several of the stories were on local cases that I have followed. Dr. Bass has an ability to explain the complex details of forensic science without loosing the reader's interest. ... Read more

Product Description
The most important part of a CSI’s job is accurate documentation of properly collected evidence. Documentation tells the story of the crime and can ultimately prove a suspect guilty. Through an array of specific exercises and actual document templates used in practice, Crime Scene Processing and Laboratory Workbook teaches students the proper physical evidence collection and processing techniques which will enable them to master the skills necessary to become a proficient CSI.

Building on prior knowledge and facilitating hands-on experience, this laboratory manual allows students to practice the methods, procedures, and techniques associated with forensic science, crime scene investigation, documentation, and evidence handling. What makes this lab manual unique is that it follows a single hypothetical case to show each of the investigative techniques in the context of a real crime. Highlighting the skills and equipment needed for each assignment, the text presents over twenty separate exercises that alternate between investigating physical evidence specific to the crime scene and evidence specific to the laboratory. The book also provides useful forms, including the laboratory submission request, that duplicate real-world experience and demonstrate how to properly collect, record, and submit evidence.

This volume is a useful companion to Gardner’s Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation and Fisher’s Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation. The exercises are designed to be completed with or without the help of a partner or as a member of a team. The appendices contain supplemental forms and numbered tent cards that can be used during the exercises, and other additional material such as a glossary and instructions on how to accurately write reports.

Watch Patrick Jones in his laboratory on the CRC Press YouTube channel. ... Read more

Product Description
Crime Processing Laboratory Manual and Workbook serves as the laboratory course complement to Ross Gardner's Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation. Developed through Hayden's own course on crime scene investigation, it contains fifty exercises, including practical hands-on experiments such as evidence packaging, workbook exercises such as fill-in-the-blanks, word matching and crosswords, and report writing, as well as suggestions for research papers. Also included are exercises not found in other resources such as crime scene mapping, developing a crime scene response kit, preparing an evidence voucher, preparing personnel assignments, and sketching a crime scene. ... Read more

Product Description
Crime Laboratory Management is the first book to address the unique operational, administrative, and political issues involved in managing a forensic laboratory. It guides managers and supervisors through essential tasks ranging from hiring and training of staff to quality control, facilities management, and public relations.

Author Jami St. Clair has more than 20 years experience in forensic science and served as President of the American Society of Crime Lab Directors in 1998-1999.She and her colleagues have designed this book to be useful for supervisors at every level.With its combination of classic management theories and practical information, this unique resource will help managers ensure that their laboratories operate efficiently and survive the intense scrutiny of today's criminal justice system. It will also help students and professional with an interest in forensic science and crime laboratory operation to better understand the functions of labs and the critical role they play in handling and analyzing evidence.

* Shows how to handle a wide variety of administrative and operational issues in forensic laboratories
* Provides new and experienced managers with practical information from qualified experts
* Outlines standards and procedures to help ensure quality results from laboratory analyses ... Read more

Product Description
This sequel to the best-selling Chemistry and Crime presents the development of major forensic methods and their basis in academic science. It covers forensic disciplines and techniques such as detection of arsenic, forensic toxicology, dust analysis, examination of arson evidence, and DNA typing. It also illustrates the use of forensic science testimony for courtroom cases and provides a history of DNA applications by one of the leading practitioners, David H. Bing. A review of the field by the late Ralph Turner provides an historical perspective of forensic science. The book also includes an entertaining discussion of forensic science in detective fiction by S.M. Gerber. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book about Chemistry and Crime
Well, my dad wrote the book but it's great anyway.One of the highest selling books ever printed by the American Chemical Society. ... Read more

Product Description
Unlike other forensic science laboratory manuals, Forensic Science Laboratory Experiment Manual and Workbook provides many experiments suitable for non-science majors and attainable for departments with small budgets. Most of the exercises can be conducted with materials that are either readily available in chemistry and biology departments or can be purchased without significant expenditure. The experiments cover all the typical trace evidence tests including body fluid, soil, glass, fiber, ink, and hair. The book also includes experiments for impression evidence, such as fingerprints, shoes, and firearms, as well as the use of photography and basic microscopy. An ideal laboratory companion to the Forensic Science: Scientific and Investigative Techniques textbook, this concise manual also serves as an excellent stand-alone workbook. ... Read more

Product Description
Presenting a rare glimpse into the various laboratories that involve forensic anthropology, The Forensic Anthropology Laboratory reveals the ways in which anthropologists document, process, and collect data for academic research and practical and legal applications, including time of death, trauma analyses, and the identification of unknown human remains.
Drawing from a wide range of sources, the book begins with detailed descriptions of how body donations are received and processed. It includes extraordinary photos documenting the steps taken to ensure that each body part is tracked from the moment it is received through the decomposition and skeletonization processes. Dr. David Hunt, of the Smithsonian Institution, discusses destructive analysis, diagnostic imaging, casting, and all types of anthroposcopic and anthropometric data collection methods.
The book also compares the duties of full-time forensic anthropologists in a medical examiner’s office with their academic counterparts, discussing staffing, physical plant concerns, field recovery procedures, and laboratory processing. It stresses the variety of required skills, including fingerprinting and other trace evidence procedures, and highlights casework examples from FACES, illustrating the technology used to establish identifications through facial reconstruction, photographic superimposition, and age progression. Using examples from the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina, and the Asian Tsunami disasters, the book examines the roles of forensic anthropologists and pathologists as mass fatality responders. It discusses practical issues and explains how and where the mobile disaster morgue can be used, including morgue floor plans and equipment.
A one-of-a-kind survey of a variety of forensic anthropology laboratories, the editors provide an insider’s view of functioning laboratories as reported by some of the most respected and prolific anthropologists in clinical, research, and academic settings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Serious about forensic anthropology?
I am a student trying to find my niche in the field of forensic anthropology.I purchased this book because it appeared to give a brief overview of the facilities and career paths available to a forensic anthropologist in the U.S.It lives up to that expectation very directly: Each brief treatise in this book is written by people intimately familiar with the work of each laboratory, i.e. researchers and staff employed respectively by each lab.References included in each paper provide a good source for further investigation into the specific research each lab has conducted.If you, like me, are seeking a better idea of the career options within this field, or of what U.S. laboratories can provide certain specialties and expertise, I gladly recommend this book.It is not a page-turner geared toward the mainstream audience who want to read detailed and captivating crime-solving stories -- there are better sources available for such purposes. ... Read more