An Expert Witness (Forensic Science on Trial)

“No scientist communicates better than Sue Black.”—Val McDermid

From the internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and bestselling author of All That Remains comes an insider history of forensic science told through its pioneers and its landmark cases

CSI would have us believe forensics is a science of gleaming labs and infallible findings. The reality, as Dame Sue Black knows from her forty years analyzing human remains, is far grittier and far more interesting. Every tool used today—fiber matching, DNA analysis, fingerprinting and footprinting and even earprinting—had to be established first at the crime scene and then in the courtroom by scientists willing to put their research and reputation on the line in the name of justice.

In An Expert Witness, Black uses her decades of experience to put forensic science itself on trial. Through pivotal criminal cases across history, Black traces the evolution of forensics from nineteenth-century poisonings to modern sex crimes and shows the great lengths its pioneers went to in gaining acceptance for new techniques. While the field has made huge leaps forward—including Black’s own groundbreaking work in vein identification—faulty forensics have also contributed to wrongful convictions and imprisonment. In murder trials, mistakes come at horrifyingly high cost.

To this deep dive into the annals of crime investigation Black brings the wit, compassion and candor that made All That Remains and Written in Bone so beloved. Together with her fascinating history of forensic science is her probing consideration of the many cases she has played a role in: In which did justice prevail? Why do things go wrong? And how can we hold forensic science to account?