Includes ebook access.

Covering a range of fundamental topics essential to modern forensic investigation, the fifth edition of this landmark text presents contributions and case studies from the personal files of experts in the field. Designed for a single-term course at the undergraduate level, the textbook begins by discussing the intersection of law and forensic science, how things become evidence, and how courts decide if an item or testimony is admissible. It invites students to follow evidence all the way from the crime scene into laboratory analysis and even onto the autopsy table.

Specialized.