Every Contact Leaves a Trace

Review: This is an excellent history of 20th century forensic science. The author is a prominent scientific detective with the ability to explain his subject without either talking down to the reader or talking above the reader’s head. I like the personal touch in the writing, the impression that Dr Erzinçlioglu is addressing me. A good deal of the material covered is from his own experience, and he brings an expert’s eye to bear on the cases of such luminaries as Bernard Spilsbury, Francis Camps, Keith Simpson and Sydney Smith. Moreover, he isn’t afraid to be critical of the great men of the past (especially Spilsbury, whose attitude of infallibility was responsible for at least one very dubious conviction).

I’d have liked to see more about ballistics, but more coverage of such a large area would have made the book unnecessarily big. Every Contact Leaves a Trace is the most authoritative account of forensic science for the layman that I’ve encountered in a long time.

Reviewed by: Roger Johnson, [District Messenger 209, 2001]