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A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 595
EAN: 9780674007277
ISBN: 0674007271
Label: Harvard University Press
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: September 01, 2001
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Studio: Harvard University Press
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Editorial Review:
Almost every murder has literally millions of witnesses, but their only testimony is a maddening buzz. Speaking for the insects is forensic entomologist M. Lee Goff, who relates some of the secrets of his young profession in A Fly for the Prosecution. Equal parts scientific and true-crime journalism, the book reports unflinchingly on the development of this field as an important adjunct to traditional means of investigation. Based on our constantly improving knowledge of the reproduction and growth of carrion flies and beetles, an informed examiner can determine the time and location of death with great precision, often lending the final evidence needed to close a case. Goff has been at the forefront of forensic entomology and has worked closely with Hawaiian law enforcement for many years, yielding a rich assortment of crime stories to illustrate his research. Readers need a strong stomach to take the macabre details of some of the murders; fortunately for those at the borderline, all the excellent illustrations depict insects rather than their meals. Goff also explores how we came to the knowledge we have today, including the meticulous field research of the 19th century and the modern decomposition studies with pigs in a wide variety of environments and conditions. You might never need the knowledge, but reading A Fly for the Prosecution will at least satisfy your curiosity by telling you what the blowfly saw. --Rob Lightner
The forensic entomologist turns a dispassionate, analytic eye on scenes from which most people would recoil--human corpses in various stages of decay, usually the remains of people who have met a premature end through accident or mayhem. To Lee Goff and his fellow forensic entomologists, each body recovered at a crime scene is an ecosystem, a unique microenvironment colonized in succession by a diverse array of flies, beetles, mites, spiders, and other arthropods: some using the body to provision their young, some feeding directly on the tissues and by-products of decay, and still others preying on the scavengers. Using actual cases on which he has consulted, Goff shows how knowledge of these insects and their habits allows forensic entomologists to furnish investigators with crucial evidence about crimes. Even when a body has been reduced to a skeleton, insect evidence can often provide the only available estimate of the postmortem interval, or time elapsed since death, as well as clues to whether the body has been moved from the original crime scene, and whether drugs have contributed to the death. An experienced forensic investigator who regularly advises law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad, Goff is uniquely qualified to tell the fascinating if unsettling story of the development and practice of forensic entomology.
(20001023)
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Hubby Loved it!
DH is an entomologist and I am a CSI junkie. Got the book for him, and he really enjoyed it. Well written with accurate details, etc. My turn is next!
Rating:  - A buzz-worthy Read
I am not one to enjoy death and crime scenes; however, I found it hard to put down "A Fly for the Prosecution" because each case drew me in with its interesting puzzles and unique details. The author Lee Goff writes in first person describing over 20 cases in which he explains with further detail exactly how he tries to solve each crime; each model has its own distinctive characteristics about solving the various stages of insect larvae. Once a person dies and is exposed to the outdoors, insects ... Read More
Rating: - A True Forensic Lover's Dee-Light
A wonderful triumph for M. Lee Goff! Yet another forensic masterpiece that I did not want to end. His comforting, empathetic, thorough coverage of the material was engrossing and tantalizing. I hope he will grace us with another treasure such as this. His success is well worth the "gross-out" factor (others - not moi). Very readable and yet mesmorizing.
Rating: - a "must read" in the category
This book succeeds at all levels. He has hard science a layperson can follow. He has history as he was in on the process of forensic entymology becoming a recognized field. He has case histories. He has thoughts on being a forensic entymologist. ("I know a life can be radically changed, even ended by my testimony.") And he has funny parts (really) that you can buttonhole your family to read to them aloud. Goff seems an honorable and compassionate man. I want to read his thoughts. I've ... Read More
Rating: - Autobiographical explanation of forensic entomology
Goff is a forensic entomologist, basically someone who figures out how long someone has been dead by the insects on, in, or under the body. The book is a tale both historical and technical about the subject: historical in that it provides many examples of his work over the years, and technical in that he provides a good overview of just what he's looking for-which insects he expects to appear at what time.
His style is clear and frequently understated, as when he relates that some of his colleagues ... Read More
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