Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations, Second Edition | Date: 28 April 2011, 06:19
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Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations, Second Edition
By Jason H. Byrd, James L. Castner
* Publisher: CRC
* Number Of Pages: 705
* Publication Date: 2009-09-11
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0849392152
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780849392153
Product Description:
The first edition of Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations broke ground on all levels, from the caliber of information provided to the inclusion of copious color photographs. With over 100 additional color photographs, an expanded reference appendix, and updated information, the second edition has raised the bar for resources in this field, elucidating the basics on insects of forensic importance.
New in the Second Edition:
A chapter on insect identification that presents dichotomous keys
Updates on DNA molecular techniques and genetic markers
Coverage of new standardization in forensic entomological analysis
Chapters on climatology and thermoregulation in insects
100 new color photographs, making available a total of 650 color photographs
Goes Beyond Dramatics to the Nitty Gritty of Real Practice
While many books, movies, and television shows have made forensic entomology popular, this book makes it real. Going beyond dramatics to the nitty gritty of actual practice, it covers what to search for when recovering entomological evidence, how to handle items found at the crime scene, and how to use entomological knowledge in legal investigations.
Summary: Crime Scene Investigator
Rating: 5
I recently purchased this book as a reference source for the collection of entomological specimens at crime scenes. This book is well written and contains excellent information regarding the collection process and establishing the post-mortem interval. Anyone who deals with processes and/or investigating crime scenes should purchase this book for their permanent library.
Summary: Missing a "key" point...
Rating: 3
While this book does address a variety of necessary topics and its overall praise is well-deserved there is a gap, which means there is still a need for a textbook in forensic entomology.
For a book of this nature one would expect to be able to identify insects of forensic importance. The numerous color photos are nice to look at, but in most cases do not allow species determination at the adult level (don't even bother asking about immature idenitification!). Short species accounts are given, but much more valuable would have been the inclusion of keys (as in K. Smith's treatment of the European forensic fauna). Unfortunately this means that you have to buy another text in order to identify any specimens that you collect. You will likely have to go the Manual of Nearctic Diptera in order to identify genera of Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Phorids...
In summary, even if you buy this book you'll still need to consult a forensic entomologist and as such, I'd recommend dropping the words "Forensic Entomology" from the title. This book is written for those who do not have formal training in entomology or even a science background (i.e. arthropod, botantist, and invertebrate are all defined in the glossary).
For the authors I would highly recommend adding keys in order to increase the value of this work. Please, for the entomologists' sake place them in an appendix, but do include them. Another suggestion would be to expand the taxa covered in Table 9.1 (insect development times) and move it to the appendix. Thanks!
Summary: An Excellent Overview of Forensic Entomology
Rating: 5
This work is extraordinarily useful to any death investigation professional. It provides an extensive overview of all aspects of forensic entomology with chapter contributions from the leading forensic entomologists in the United States and Canada. It is expertly written so that the investigator with no formal entomological training can easily understand the context of the book, while still on a level that other formally trained entomologists will find very useful. It is richly illustrated with over 150 color photos of insects of forensic importance. This allows investigators to immediately recognize forensic insects at the scene so that collection can be assured. This book is certain to become an invaluable reference for anyone in the field of forensic entomology, or those involved in the collection of entomological evidence from a death scene. It is a perfect complement to the other works published on the subject by K.G.V. Smith and E.P. Catts.
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