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Maggots, Murder, and Men: Memories and Reflections of a Forensic Entomologist
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8 new or used available from CDN$ 10.67
Average customer review:
(8 )
Product Description
A great admirerer of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Erzinclioglu compares his own techniques with those of his fictional hero, and takes the reader behind the often gruesome but deeply fascinating scenes of a murder investigation. This absorbing book ranges over cases from history, prehistory and mythology to the present day and is as gripping and readable as a good thriller.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1538013 in Books
- Published on: 2002-01-10
- Original language: English
- Binding: Hardcover
- 256 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Amazon.com
Death is rarely pretty. It is decidedly unappealing when a body, made available to nature, is colonized and consumed by insects, worms, and other animals--unless, like Zakaria Erzinçlioglu, you have an appreciation for this "magnificent and highly nutritious resource."
Erzinçlioglu, a forensic scientist with three decades' experience in solving all manner of grisly crimes, gives a lighthanded if sometimes creepy account of what happens to the human body in death, and of how scientists can deduce from the succession of insect life, among other signs, just what happened to bring about that demise. As he ranges across the annals of wrongdoing, crime buffs will learn much from his observations on, among other matters, the outright stupidity of many murderers, who "seem to think that the last place a criminal investigator is likely to look is under the floorboards," and the many odd twists and turns that a scientific investigation can take while ferreting out the truth.
Erzinçlioglu's book makes a sharp-witted companion to such recent works as Jessica Snyder Sachs's Corpse and Richard Conniff's Spineless Wonders, adding to a growing--and oddly fascinating--library devoted to the coroner's art. --Gregory McNamee
Review
From the Back Cover
"Maggots, Murder, and Men...is a rich and varied tale of a forensic entomologist who has solved many a murder mystery by dating the insects found on the corpse...[it] would make a superb TV series--in which event, I would be one of its most faithful viewers."
-- Colin Wilson, Literary Review
"Daunting though the subject sounds, any reader of crime will be surprised to find themselves absorbed in the book and its details." -- Punch
"This book demonstrates [the author's] ability to intrigue the seasoned expert as well as captivate the casual reader." -- Science
"Here is that rare thing, a good popular book on forensic entomology that is also an illuminating read on forensic science." -- Nature
"Dr. Zak's unique and well-informed insights into the moral, social, and legal implications of his job make this the most readable scientific book I have read." -- The Daily Telegraph
