American Sherlock

Murder, forensics, and the birth of crime scene investigation

by Kate Winkler Dawson

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Pub Date May 13 2021 | Archive Date May 17 2021

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History | Nonfiction (Adult) | True Crime

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Description

** This is an uncorrected proof. Please check all quotes against a final copy. **

‘Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and TV shows about forensics will want to read [this].’ The Washington Post

‘An entertaining, absorbing combination of biography and true crime.’ Kirkus

Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities – beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners and hundreds of books – sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career.

Known as the ‘American Sherlock Holmes’, Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of the greatest – and first – forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.

Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock is a true-crime account capturing the life of the man who spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools, including blood-spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence.

** This is an uncorrected proof. Please check all quotes against a final copy. **

‘Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and TV shows...

Advance Praise

‘Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and television shows about forensics will want to read it.’

- The Washington Post

‘Part institutional history, part true crime account, and part dramatic tale of brilliant minds and clashing personalities, American Sherlock promises to be just as gripping as her first.’

- CrimeReads

‘Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America’s earliest criminologists. He was also a meticulous record keeper, allowing Dawson to recreate his fascinating life story ... Those interested in the development of modern forensics will be enthralled.’

- Publishers Weekly

‘While many true-crime books suffer from stale prose, Dawson’s writing is remarkable in that it never uses the crutch of false suspense but also doesn’t skimp on valuable details ... An entertaining, absorbing combination of biography and true crime.’

- Kirkus

‘A fascinating book worthy of being associated with the title’s literary sleuth. Readers will want a follow-up so they can discover more of Heinrich’s cases as told through Dawson’s great storytelling. For fans of Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and other true crime works.’

- Library Journal

‘Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and television shows about forensics will want to read it.’

- The Washington Post

‘Part...