American Sherlock: Murder, forensics, and the birth of crime scene investigation
Aug 2020 · Icon Books
4.5star
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336
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About this ebook
' Kate Winkler Dawson is an unbelievable crime historian and such a talented storyteller. ' Karen Kilgariff, cohost of the My Favorite Murder podcast
'Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and TV shows about forensics will want to read [this].' The Washington Post
'An entertaining, absorbing combination of biography and true crime.' Kirkus
' Kate Winkler Dawson has researched both her subject and his cases so meticulously that her reconstructions and descriptions made me feel part of the action rather than just a reader and bystander. She has brought to life Edward Oscar Heinrich's character, determination, and skill so vividly that one is left bemused that this man is so little known to most of us. ' Patricia Wiltshire, author of Traces and The Nature of Life and Death
Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities – beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners and hundreds of books – sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career.
Known as the 'American Sherlock Holmes', Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of the greatest – and first – forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.
Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock is a true-crime account capturing the life of the man who spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools, including blood-spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence.
'Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and TV shows about forensics will want to read [this].' The Washington Post
'An entertaining, absorbing combination of biography and true crime.' Kirkus
' Kate Winkler Dawson has researched both her subject and his cases so meticulously that her reconstructions and descriptions made me feel part of the action rather than just a reader and bystander. She has brought to life Edward Oscar Heinrich's character, determination, and skill so vividly that one is left bemused that this man is so little known to most of us. ' Patricia Wiltshire, author of Traces and The Nature of Life and Death
Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities – beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners and hundreds of books – sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career.
Known as the 'American Sherlock Holmes', Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of the greatest – and first – forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.
Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock is a true-crime account capturing the life of the man who spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools, including blood-spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
2 reviews
Caroline Price
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November 29, 2020
Kate Winkler Dawson has written a very interesting and accessible biography of Oscar Heinrich who pioneered forensic science use during crime investigation in the USA. It is written in chapter form, detailing a selection of his most famous cases. He wasn't perfect, he made mistakes - don't we all? However he was profoundly interested in the whys and wherefores of crime and helped to educate police officers into the proper way to investigate. Prior to his private laboratory there was no real attempt to investigate in the true sense of the word, crime scenes were not protected and police officers were far too ready to fit the the crime to their theory as opposed to the other way round. Heinrich changed all that and often acted as an expert witness at the trials relating to his cases. As I said, the book is very accessible, it reads like a crime novel. If you enjoy true crime then I think you will enjoy this book, I found it fascinating and definitely recommend it.
About the author
Kate Winkler Dawson is an associate professor in journalism at the University of Texas. A seasoned documentary producer, her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, WCBS News, ABC News Radio, 'PBS NewsHour' and 'Nightline'. She is the author Death in the Air, American Sherlock and All That is Wicked, and the host of Tenfold More Wicked, a historical true crime podcast on the Exactly Right network, now on its fourth series.
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