Suspense and Mystery
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Forensic anthropology offers elements of suspense and mystery, making it the perfect backdrop for a novel. When a skeleton is discovered and a forensic anthropologist such as Kathy is brought in, it may be as simple as verifying that the bones are not human, to as complex as identifying a victim and investigating the crime. The latter is filled with a natural mystery and process of discovery as clues are found and put together.Scientists use all the tools that modern technology has to offer, including carbon dating and DNA testing, to get to the bottom of the case. While not all cases start with a question and end with a satisfactory answer, it is amazing what forensics is able to uncover and how cases that once would have gone unsolved can now be closed. This ability to get to the bottom of a mystery is an obvious point of curiosity and interest, making it ideal for sharing with a larger audience. Much of the work Kathy does in real life becomes the jumping off point for storylines found in both Bones and in her novels.
KathyReichs.com
Forensic Science in the News
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Forensic science is taking on an ever more important role as it becomes increasingly sophisticated and helps solve investigations. Forensic scientists have played key roles in high profile court cases and books, movies, and television shows have further brought forensics into the public eye. Every day, forensic science is part of the news. Here are some of the most recent of those stories.USA Today – Crime Scene Team Exposes Animal Cruelty
"Forensic crime-scene investigations are no longer limited to human victims. Many of the very same techniques brought to public awareness by the popular CSI television series are being used to make cases against those who have harmed or killed cats, dogs, horses or other animals."
This is also seen in Bones to Ashes when Tempe comes across a dog skeleton during her investigation.
Forensic Magazine – Eliminating DNA Backlog
"Every criminal that the United States fails to convict on first offence goes on to commit, on average, an additional six crimes. It's a chilling thought, and it sits at the heart of one of the most pressing issues to face forensic science today; the DNA backlog. The scale of the backlog problem has reached frightening proportions, with the latest Bureau of Justice Statistics indicating a 73% increase in case work, and a resulting 135% increase in case work backlogs, between 1997 and 2000 alone."
AP - 226 Bodies Exhumed From Grave in Bosnia
"Forensic experts have exhumed the remains of 226 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre from a mass grave in eastern Bosnia, officials said Thursday."
The Guardian - Forensic DNA tests 'reveal traces of Madeleine's body on resort beach'
"Forensic analysis by retired South African police superintendent Danie Krugel claimed to reveal Madeleine's body had either been temporarily buried or was still beneath the beach at Praia da Luz, the resort from where she disappeared on 3 May."
The Chicago Tribune - Pathologist shortage hits small towns hard
"It took 18 months for Marilyn McGill to be told what she already knew
in her heart. Until she had her father's official cause of death, McGill could not file a claim that the 79-year-old former coal miner's demise was linked to 'black lung' disease. So she waited anxiously for autopsy results from the lone forensic pathologist performing hundreds of autopsies each year in southern Illinois and southwest Indiana. The delay highlights the legal and emotional impact of a national shortage of forensic pathologists -- doctors who keep the wheels of justice turning by performing autopsies in cases of unnatural or unusual deaths."
Frederick News-Post - Forensic analysis begins
"The investigation into a set of human remains found Saturday in a park near Fredericktowne Village is now in the hands of an anthropologist."
Houston Chronicle - Value of eyewitnesses unclear
"For those who work on behalf of inmates who loudly proclaim their innocence - and ask for DNA testing to prove it - the faulty identification of Ronald Gene Taylor was no surprise. The great majority of DNA exonerations have involved bad eyewitness IDs."
The Freelance Star – Fingerprints Go High-Tech
"LatentMaster combines custom-made software with a custom-equipped camera. It can detect fingerprints left at crime scenes that can't be obtained with traditional techniques. It can process them faster and without the risk of destroying evidence the way methods involving chemicals can."
Seattle Times – Red Hair Part of Neanderthal Genetic Profile
"The hair color of humanity's closest relative might sound trivial, but the finding, announced today in the journal Science, stunned anthropologists with the sheer power of genetics to reveal what Neanderthals looked like and how they behaved. And that, some say, will change the way humanity views itself."
Chicago Daily Herald – State Police Lauded for Saving Evidence
"Illinois State Police forensic scientists Cecilia Doyle, Debora Depczynski and the late Barbara Wilson discovered DNA traces on a discarded chicken bone found at the Brown's crime scene. The evidence led to the May conviction of Juan Luna, one of two men charged in the grisliest murders in suburban history."
KathyReichs.com
Bones to Ashes Feedback
Monday, October 8, 2007
There has been a lot of buzz and great support for Kathy's latest book and it's been great to see! It's wonderful to read about so many people enjoying Bones to Ashes and to hear what all these readers have to say. Below are excerpts from some of the online discussion, so take a look and see what everyone's talking about.Houstoned
"Not many women live lives that become a series of bestselling books and a television series. Dr. Kathy Reichs does."
What I've Read
"This is another Temperance Brennan novel. This time the setting is Canada instead of the Carolinas. This book has multiple threads that all converge into an interesting conclusion. There's plenty of mystery and suspense, and Tempe's sister Harry shows up to add some spice to the story. Harry's presence almost makes you wish for illustrations :) Highly recommended.”
Patternings
"Reichs latest novel, Bones to Ashes, hasn't disappointed. Her heroine, Tempe Brennan, is once again caught up in the most horrifying of crimes, using her forensic anthropological skills to work out what has happened not only to several missing girls and unidentified bodies, but also to a childhood friend whom she hasn't seen for nearly thirty years."
Also, Searching Bones posted an interesting interview the Smithsonian did with Kathy that is definitely worth reading.
KathyReichs.com
