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The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie

The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie

Current price: $16.99
Publication Date: May 31st, 2022
Publisher:
Sourcebooks
ISBN:
9781728251844
Pages:
432
Bear Pond Books of Montpelier
1 on hand, as of Mar 28 4:52pm
On Our Shelves Now

Description

Discover the science of forensics through Agatha Christie's novels in the ultimate true crime investigation

Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time, and nearly every story she ever wrote involves one—or, more commonly, several—dead bodies. And the cause of death, the motives behind violent crimes, the clues that inevitably are left behind, and the people who put the pieces together to solve the mystery invite the reader to analyze the evidence and race to find the answer before the detective does. Nearly every step of the way, Christie outlines the nuts and bolts of early 20th-century crime detection, relying on physical evidence to tell the real story behind the facades humans erect to escape detection.

Christie wouldn't have talked of "forensics" as it is understood today—most of her work predates the modern developments of forensics science—but in each tale she harnesses the power of human observation, ingenuity, and scientific developments of the era. A fascinating, science-based deep dive, The Science of Murder examines the use of fingerprints, firearms, handwriting, blood spatter analysis, toxicology, and more in Christie's beloved works.

What readers are saying:

"Highly entertaining with many fascinating snippets of insider information about real life criminal cases. This is a must for Christie fans."

"Thoroughly researched and a delight to read!"

"A wealth of information and knowledge to help give an insight to the golden age of crime fiction."

"Absolutely brilliant book that looks at how Agatha Christie made use of developments in forensic science in her novels and upgraded her understanding over time."

"Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors, unparalleled in her clever plots and twisting tales. She was also a forensic expert, weaving into her novels human observation, ingenuity and genuine science of the era. This book illuminates all of Agatha's incredible knowledge, showing how she stayed at the cutting edge of forensic knowledge, as seen through her much loved characters."

Praise for The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie

"The Science Of Murder: The Forensics Of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine has obvious appeal. Christie wrote about dead bodies and the clues left behind in the commission of murders. So do I. Though the term ‘forensic science’ wasn’t used in her day, the parallels between Christie’s work and mine are obvious." — Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist and New York Times bestselling author

"If Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime, then Carla Valentine is the Queen of Forensics. As engaging as Miss Marple, as logical is Poirot, Valentine delivers a must-read for any Agatha fan and a must-own for any mystery writer. Utterly superb!" — Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author