Ilustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments by Robert Bruce Thompson & Barbara Fritchman Thompson

 

O'Reilly Media Inc
ISBN: 9781449334512
July 2012
Softcover $34.99 US, $36.99 CAN

A detailed lab workbook introducing forensic techniques for collecting, safeguarding and processing potential evidence. This excellent book covers soil, hair and fiber analysis, forensic examination of glass and plastic specimens, how to develop latent fingerprints and reveal blood traces, how to detect drug and toxic materials/chemicals, gunshot analysis and detecting explosive residues, toolmark impressions, matching pollen and diatom samples, extracting, isolating and visualizing dna samples and many other forensic processes.  Complete materials lists precede each lab. Steps are given in a smooth easily followed order. Processes are designed to preserve the evidence and prevent contamination.

As soon as I opened the package, this colorful attractive book drew my interest.  This is my new favorite non-fiction book.

I highly recommend this book to science teachers looking for an interesting subject matter, to those who home-school, and to anyone who is an avid amateur scientist, a writer of crime/mystery fiction, or a reporter who writes about crime and forensics. Since the book is set up in topical sections and is all lab no lecture, it can easily be used for a 4-H project in science or forensics or a science camp topic stream.

*****.