Scan barcode
A review by kmhandy
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This was an interesting dive into the history of forensic science and criminology, which I didn't know anything about.
The author writes about several of Oscar Heinrich's biggest cases, which also reveal some of his biggest scholarly contributions to the field of criminology... and his biases. Each chapter is about a different case.
I found myself more interested in Oscar's personal life. It was fascinating to me that he could be so well known and yet also constantly struggling financially. He also felt keenly the stress and burden of being the household breadwinner. He started expressing a desire to retire in his late 40s/early 50s and yet he worked into his 70s. Perhaps society hasn't changed much at all when it comes to our working lives.
The saddest thing I took from this book is about the justice system. Judges, juries, and lawyers are human and come with all kinds of prejudices that science can't solve. And the science isn't always correct, either.
This was a meticulously researched book and would be good for people who enjoy forensics and true crime. But it didn't pull me through very quickly. I wanted this to be a little more engaging and page-turning than it was. But it was still quite good.
The author writes about several of Oscar Heinrich's biggest cases, which also reveal some of his biggest scholarly contributions to the field of criminology... and his biases. Each chapter is about a different case.
I found myself more interested in Oscar's personal life. It was fascinating to me that he could be so well known and yet also constantly struggling financially. He also felt keenly the stress and burden of being the household breadwinner. He started expressing a desire to retire in his late 40s/early 50s and yet he worked into his 70s. Perhaps society hasn't changed much at all when it comes to our working lives.
The saddest thing I took from this book is about the justice system. Judges, juries, and lawyers are human and come with all kinds of prejudices that science can't solve. And the science isn't always correct, either.
This was a meticulously researched book and would be good for people who enjoy forensics and true crime. But it didn't pull me through very quickly. I wanted this to be a little more engaging and page-turning than it was. But it was still quite good.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gore, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail