On a recent plane flight, I enjoyed reading Kate Winkler Dawson’s “American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the birth of American CSI.”
Crime Scene Investigation is a constantly evolving field and one with which those of us “in the business” need to stay current. “American Sherlock” is an apt title for Dawson’s biography of pioneering evidence analyst Oscar Heinrich.
One thing I’ve found in my own career is that hard scientific evidence usually trumps “he said/she said” witness testimony. Heinrich’s career proved it long before I came along.
“American Sherlock” is an excellent read. I am sad that I found it on remainder at a Books-A-Million. In a country where “true crime” is an extremely popular genre, I would have expected it to be a major non-fiction best-seller.
Thanks for turning us on to this guy, Mas. I remember being shocked when I found out that, even in modern times, with modern tech, there are still innocent people on Death Row, and elsewhere in prison. I guess without the work of men like Edward Oscar Heinrich, there would be even more innocent people in prison.
America has great technology. We do not have a great criminal justice system. Curtis Sliwa says, “In New York City, we lock up the toothpaste, and release the criminals.”