Well written.

Great summary of terrible murders.

Reading about Vollmer and his modifications to the police system early 1900s was interesting. Enforcing mask guidelines during the influenza plague in 1918 was a chilling reminder of the pandemic.

Wasn’t expecting reading about how it doesn’t work even though it is still in use today.

Quite fascinating of reading about the intricacies from how the lie detector came to be to what it has evolved to.

I really really wanted to love this book- and I did at first. But as I read on I realized this is not a book about the origins of the lie detector. It’s a book about the lives and dramas of its founders.

I immensely enjoyed Katwala’s writing style. He was very descriptive and I really got into the story because it was easy to imagine it happening. The book is also obviously well-researched and is very in-depth about the stories it focuses on. Now, the stories it focuses on: basically a biography of the lie detector's founders and a very detailed look at two of the first prolific cases it was used in. That’s it. And even in those cases, the lie detector is a very minor detail and ultimately had little to no bearing on the outcome of the case. It is very light on the actual story of the lie detector. And maybe that’s because there really isn’t much to say about it? The lie detector is a pretty big part of crime today, but there were only a few paragraphs about it being used- particularly in the modern world- beyond the two cases mentioned earlier. I wished the author included a lot more cases about the lie detector being used. What about when it was successful in a high-profile case? What about talking about a newer case? We only really learned about its controversies.

I didn’t dislike this book, and I enjoyed the first three quarters or so when I still had hope there would be more focus on the actual lie detector. But when I realized there was no hope, I started skimming and stopped enjoying. If I wanted to read about extremely detailed accounts of two early 19th-century crimes + a biography, I would like this more. However, I wanted to learn about the lie detector, and this book unfortunately was a big let down.

And finally: if I had a nickel for every time an inventor of the lie detector married a suspect they used the machine on, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Quite interesting read. Obviously well researched though I think some could gave been edited out like the inventors histories. All in all, a fascinating read. But why the lie detector is even around is beyond me.

Evocative Evisceration Of Everyday "Evidence". In this text, Katwala shows the origins and history of the polygraph "lie detector" device that has been banned from many courtrooms due to its unreliability yet which lives on in the American zeitgeist. Katwala tells the tale via narrative nonfiction that places the reader in the center of the action and cases in question, then follows the principle players throughout their lifetimes as they try to justify their life's work. In the process, Katwala does a tremendous job of showing how truly unreliable these devices are, and even includes a brief discussion of more modern successor technologies such as brain wave scanners. Anyone interested in the American justice system absolutely needs to read this history of this long-debunked zombie junk science. Indeed, the only negative here is that the bibliography is scant at just 12% or so of the narrative, compared to a more common 20-30% in my experience, and thus the single star deduction. Very much recommended.

Tremors in the Blood is a very thorough exploration of the invention of the polygraph, its place in the history of policing, and its impact on the justice system. At times perhaps a little too thorough, this book explores not only the development of the machine and its early usage but the personal histories of the men involved in its creation and very deep detail of some of the legal cases in which the polygraph played an integral part. An excellent read for anyone with an interest in exploring the flaws of the American justice system. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

I found this book to be somewhat interesting. It covered the history of the polygraph, told in somewhat the form of a novel. After 30 years in law enforcement, I have developed my own skepticism of the polygraph. I have seen it used in good ways and bad, and am still not convinced of it's true accuracy. Rather, I found that the machine itself was best used as a prop, and that the real skill came from the polygraph examiners. They could structure questions to fit their purpose. All in all, not a bad book.

This was an interesting deep dive into a vintage murder of a wife/mother of 2 back in 1922. It follows the invention of the lie detector and how this case and others played into the success of the machine. They began to feel that the woman’s husband was involved in her murder after it was at first considered that he passed the test. Very good information on Gus Vollmer, a one-time mailman, and how he got into police work and changed it for the better in many ways.

Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala is a discussion about how the polygraph, also known as the lie detector, came into being and use. Although the creators of the machine did not think it was infallible in detecting lies, they felt it could be very useful for catching criminals. The book takes us through the early history of the machine where the original team of three men works to make it applicable to law enforcement and usable in courts. It is a story of how the machine caught the attention of people who wanted it for their own purposes and at times got away from its intended uses.

The well researched book is written like a novel, it keeps the interest of the reader throughout the entire contents. The author has found multiple examples of how the polygraph machine has affected people, from the lives of the creators of the machine to criminals to possibly innocent people who were convicted based on results that may or may not have been reliable.

It is an enlightening journey through ways the polygraph has been used throughout the last hundred years, to new technologies that are being employed to catch people lying today, even though the polygraph is still being used. It is a worthwhile investment of time and leaves the reader wondering about the many facets of truth and lies.

I found Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detector interesting. Learned a lot I didn't previous know. Four stars.

A very well written book that I couldn’t put down The author has a flair for storytelling that draws you in. Those interested in true crime and police interrogation methods and history will enjoy this book. Very entertaining!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala.

Holy cow, this was interesting! I love nonfiction books like this, because it has never actually occurred to me to question the history of lie detection. Yet, here we are, getting our minds blown!

Tremors in the Blood starts when lie detection was just a twinkle in the eye of a few police officers in San Francisco just a few decades ago. Through multiple anecdotes of crime in our history, the lie detector plays a significant part, as well as the cops that pushed for it's use. As many things, it's usage and history is incredibly nuanced. Can a machine really tell if you're lying or not? Is the lie detector responsible for putting away hardened criminals, or is it guilty of putting away innocent people that just didn't test well. I also liked how it followed the individuals who innovated the product, as well as their relationships with each other.

I loved the short stories throughout, although the book has a tendency to drag just a bit at times. But I feel much more equipped to brag about my knowledge of lie detection at parties now!

📈Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detector by Amit Katwala📉

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

I was sold straight away on the premise of this book. The idea that a lie can be detected by a change in something like blood pressure is pretty fascinating and I've often wondered why we don't use the technology more.

The answer is - because the technology is totally unreliable and unscientific. And this book sets out in great detail numerous cases where the technology was used and where it created huge and tragic consequences - both for the criminals and the inventors.

Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to its promise for me. It is bogged down in unnecessary detail and information which just doesn't always seem pertinent to the story. Some parts were pretty fascinating - but the book lost me in seemingly half finished stories and a list of real life characters which often left me bewildered. There's a good story here - It's just that I wasn't a fan of the way it was told. It left me skimming the book towards the end.

⭐⭐

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Loved this book! Truly suspenseful. I felt like I was guessing the whole time, and the ending was perfect!

I received a free copy of, Tremors in the Blood, by Amit Katwala, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is all about the lie detector test. The history of, and everything you have ever wanted to know about the polygraph test, through the decades. This is a very interesting read. I learned a lot, I have never heard about the EyeDetect test before.

This book is about the invention of the lie detector machine John Larson was the creator of it and Leonhard Keeler help Tim and wasn’t early adopter of the program. They would both go on to spout the benefits of the machine but Leonhard Keeler Would take it to places The ethical Larson wouldn’t agree with. He wanted people to look at it as the scientific wonder it was important to be trusted, but Leonhard keeper would commercialize it and make it available for use in many facets. This is a great book for Robert of True Crime and criminal history. It shows where they went wrong and why it is an excepted in court rooms today but it also shows how it very well could’ve been allowed there. I found this book so good and didn’t know about any of this true crime stories. I enjoyed reading about their early life and there really is no negative to this book. Most of it reads like a true crime story and all of it is interesting. I highly recommend “ trimmers in the blood! “ I thought the author did a great job mixing their life the invention of the machine in all the places it went in the end. This is a great book for anyone to True Crime library. I received this book from net galley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.