Cathy Cobb

If you are a big fan of real-crime dramas, as well as CSI—like I am—and want to know the facts behind the fiction, this book is for you. Written by two chemistry professors and a law enforcement professional, the science is dumbed down for the layperson with no background in the sciences (what can I say, my education was in the Liberal Arts). Simple chemistry experiments are provided to demonstrate the scientific principles at work (I have a small, cluttered house and six dogs, so show more actually conducting the experiments was not practical, but I have more than one friend in mind who has the room and interest that has a present in his future), and short vignettes provide examples of how these chemistry comes into play in practical terms on a day-to-day basis in law enforcement.

Most importantly, Crime Scene Chemistry steps back from the fantasy of CSI and reminds the reader of the reality of forensic technology. While CSI often makes for good entertainment, the limitations of physics, budgetary constraints and science need to be remembered.

Plus, next time you watch a crime show you can be REALLY obnoxious! show less

Interesting title, even more interesting book. I would have to take some exception to the "armchair sleuth" part, at least *this* armchair sleuth. The chemistry is dumbed down a lot, but not enough for someone who hasn't had at least some training in chemistry. I could follow along on the experiments and do okay with the sleuthing part, or at least understand the explanation but the part that introduces the chemistry was a bit (or a lot in some cases) over my head. Still, I read to the end show more because the way the experiments were done was fascinating and seeing how things reacted was cool. Not that I actually performed any of the experiments (everyone is told they can and exactly how to do each experiment).

I didn't much care for the cutesy names we gave each of the people involved in the "sleuth" part of this - for example Candy Hart (a victim) or Arty Fax (museum worker)but I could pretty much ignore them.

If you are a writer of mysteries and you always wanted to know what causes some of the chemical reactions that are then discovered forensically, this is the book for you! And, you can reproduce the reactions in your own home with things like lemons, celery, ph-testing kits for an aquarium, and batteries. It was a lot of fun to read the experiments, too bad I couldn't follow the chemistry. show less

I suppose you could call this a good introductory read to the history of chemistry and the details of its understanding. However, the problem, in my opinion, with this book is that it is a popular history; and as such it has little of any real information. The book in its entirety truly does read more like a history than a scientific treatise, and contains more biographic commentary that chemical information. This heads to the point that the book does not treat the subject as a development show more of scientific knowledge or understanding, but focuses on the incidents of its history and the personalities involved therein. In conclusion: despite its great size and grand scope this book is entirely too light and lacks in critical thought or examination. show less

Reads more like a junior high/freshman level essay. The experiments at the end of each chapter are fascinating though I stopped reading those to get through the book faster.