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Forensics

The Anatomy of Crime

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About this listen

The dead talk. To the right listener, they tell us all about themselves: how they lived, how they died--and who killed them.

Val McDermid uncovers the secrets of forensic medicine with groundbreaking research and her own experience. Along the way you’ll wonder at how maggots collected from a corpse can help determine time of death and how a DNA trace a millionth the size of a grain of salt can be used to convict a killer.

©2014 Val McDermid (P)2014 W.F. Howes Ltd Funny Thought-Provoking Crime

Critic reviews

"McDermid has the ruthless psychological scalpel that forms part of the equipment of all good novelists, whatever their genre. And, fortunately for us, she knows just how to use it." ( Guardian)
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Most relevant
I found the narration to be very good, unlike some other reviewers. It certainly didn’t detract from an interesting and detailed book.

Narration no problem

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Although I could wax lyrical about how well-paced and well-structured this book is (never boring you by diving too deep, never feeling like it's shortchanging you on subjects like DNA or psychological profiling), the quality and accessibility of this book is surpassed only by the narrator's performance which has a neutral, yet interesting delivery. When she reads the words of others, she switches effortlessly between authentic UK regional accents and a more convincing American accent than I hear from shows like House, The Walking Dead and The Wire.

Who is this book for? If you've already read forensics books or done a course then this is NOT going to give you much new information, but as an entry point for those who love crime fiction - or even as a crime writer's first port of call in research - I can think of no better audiobook.

A perfect book for anyone with a little knowledge

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The book is full of case studies that highlight the need for expert forensics in crime solving. The narrator puts on various accents to portray quotations, experts are posh and witnesses and criminals are urban dialect. It is unusual but I didn't find it problematic.

It's a fascinating book

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Wonderfully written, wonderfully read, a wonderful insight into my chosen discipline.
Very gripping and interesting- a must read/listen.

Gripping

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Great narrator, great and diverse subject matter, found myself going "ahhhhhh so that's how they do it" constantly, nice one Val, kudos.

Fabulousness

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