Every Contact Leaves a Trace

I love reading books from people who have worked in forensics. It’s nice to know that my experiences weren’t so different. I also like to read their case studies and personal stories. Like Jo said, the trauma from the work you do hits when you least expect it. There are three cases I still think about almost twenty years after working in the field. One was a woman who, on video, abandoned her infant to die in a dumpster. Another was a pedophile who had 150+ victims’ photos on his computer hard drive. The last was a young man who brutally murdered his grandfather because he refused to give him money. I had to look at the faces of the victims for far too long. All three cases still stick with me. I’ve seen all types of crimes, but those were the ones that made me have to take breaks so the trauma didn’t overtake me especially since I had a small child at the time. The only thing that got me through some days on those cases was knowing that I would play some small part in putting the guilty parties in prison for the rest of their lives. And that’s why we do what we do (or did, in my case). It’s not glamorous and there’s no one out there patting you on the back. But the feeling you get from helping a family get closure in whatever capacity you did is unmatched. Jo’s story was enlightening and inspiring. Were I still in the field and around younger people new to it, I would insist they read her story. It was fascinating to read and I highly recommend it for anyone who is curious what it is like working on the other side of the crime scene tape.

Huge thanks to Quarto Publishing Group/White Lion and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

What an amazing fascinating book full of interesting information and insights I couldn’t love this more !!

it was outstanding!

Definitely worth a read !

I love watching true crime on TV so I was delighted to read this book. This is a fascinating read from an author who has spent 25 years working as a Crime Scene Investigator. The book is well-written and not too technical for the general reader. I loved how the author covered both her work and home life and raised questions about the impact of her work on mental health.
Highly recommended for readers interested in true crime.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

**Usually don’t like rating real life books based on people or written by the person as I feel that someone's life can’t really be rated. **

However, I loved the insight into forensic investigators and this was written well. Touched on a few hard topics, for example, PTSD but it was done well.

Would definitely recommend.

A fantastic book.

Jo Ward is from the West Midlands UK, and has spent 25 years working as a Crime Scene Investigator.

I found this gripping, enormously interesting, and totally fascinating. It was so easy to read; not over-technical, and with vivid descriptions.

What a brilliant first chapter. This is the kind of book that really interests me. It was late at night, and I was looking for something new to read. I had a quick dip in-a bit late to carry on reading..... but I just couldn't stop.

Cases from natural causes, to gory and gruesome. Some things are so shocking. Nothing is held back in this memoir.

I'd not heard of the TV series-it's exactly the kind of thing I love to watch, and I will do-but I'm so glad I read the book first.

What a great memoir.