From the acclaimed author of Death in the Air (“Not since Devil in the White City has a book told such a harrowing tale”–Douglas Preston) comes the riveting story of the birth of criminal investigation in the twentieth century.Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities–beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books–sat an investigator who would go … books–sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least two thousand cases in his forty-year career. Known as the “American Sherlock Holmes,” Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America’s greatest–and first–forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.
Heinrich was one of the nation’s first expert witnesses, working in a time when the turmoil of Prohibition led to sensationalized crime reporting and only a small, systematic study of evidence. However with his brilliance, and commanding presence in both the courtroom and at crime scenes, Heinrich spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools that police still use today, including blood spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence. His work, though not without its serious–some would say fatal–flaws, changed the course of American criminal investigation.
Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock captures the life of the man who pioneered the science our legal system now relies upon–as well as the limits of those techniques and the very human experts who wield them.
more
A meticulously researched, thoroughly fascinating account of the Great Detective who ought to be a household name, but isn’t… I was completely immersed in American Sherlock, from start to finish.
In American Sherlock, Kate Winkler Dawson brilliantly tracks the pioneering Edward Oscar Heinrich as he revolutionizes forensic science — the gritty work of studying bloodstains, identifying liars, and gathering faint traces of fingerprints — in the sometimes murky pursuit of justice. Equally entertaining and erudite, this is a work so cleverly conceived and structured, it reads like the best of Conan Doyle himself.
At last a book about the pioneering scientist, Edward Oscar Heinrich, whose early 20th century work helped launch modern criminal investigation. Part suspenseful detective story, part compelling character study, American Sherlock does full justice to Heinrich’s starts, stumbles, and his startling brilliance.
Each of the cases that Dawson so skillfully recreates is more engaging than the next, all hurtling towards the final, unforgettable murder that challenges us with the question that haunts the entire book: can guilt or innocence really dangle on a scientific measurement? This is the best kind of true crime: the story of a good person who tries their best — as a real, fallible human being — against an unrelenting tide of evil.
Considering America’s long obsession with forensics and criminal investigation, it is amazing that most of us don’t know who Oscar Heinrich was. Reading Kate Dawson’s engaging new book, I had the sense of being taken on a journey of discovery through the history of forensic science. The obsessive, brilliant Heinrich is the perfect character for the job!
American Sherlock will take you on a journey to the origins of crime scene investigation by exploring the obsessive, troubled, brilliant mind of Oscar Heinrich, the nation’s first true medical detective, an accomplished polymath who understood, far ahead of his time, that applied forensic science was the key to unlocking criminal mysteries. Kate Dawson offers a riveting, real, and sometimes-unsettling account of Heinrich’s life and legacy in this thoroughly-researched and unblinking biography that will at times make you shake your head at the ways that true crime is stranger than fiction.
DNA evidence, CSI franchises: How did forensic science become sexy as well as part of our culture? In American Sherlock, Kate Winkler Dawson offers up a riveting biography of Edward Oscar Heinrich who helped put the science into old fashion detective work. His cases, his methods, his lasting contributions to crime busting are all here. This is an insightful book about the science of insight.
Edward Oscar Heinrich was the child of poor, hardworking German immigrants who was self-taught, working his way into a pharmacy. From there, he set up his own lab in his house to conduct experiments which led him into using scientific methods to investigate crime scenes. He became the very first Gil Grissom (the leading character on the very first “CSI” TV show). He used microscopy, chemical analysis, early ballistics, and even very early entomology to shed light on murders. The murders discussed in this book were mostly gruesome, probably to garner our attention, and to demonstrate Heinrich’s pioneering work in these various fields.
Mr. Heinrich never got over his search for more and more money, a product of his insecure boyhood and trying to give too much to his own sons. Therefore, I have to say I did not always find him likeable. Like many insecure people, he over-sold himself in letters to friends, and in court, IMHO. He had to learn NOT to talk over the heads of the juries, and had to hold his own against fellow “experts” — of whom he invariably held poor opinions.
I had to make sure my opinion of Mr. Heinrich didn’t taint my opinion of the book. I think the author did a great job of winnowing her years of research into Mr. Heinrich’s files down to a few well-chosen cases. A solid 4 stars, maybe a bit higher.
Great reference material and overview of the history of American forensic science. Dawson does a great job of telling a story to make the science real. It’s a fast read and a good resource.
Fascinating story! The book talks about one of the founding fathers of crime scene investigation in the US. I liked the addition that the author added to talk about how the standards of forensic science has changed and what tools are considered useful, while others were detrimental to the justice system.
Most of the cases mentioned were ones that I hadn’t heard of, so it was fun learning about them.
I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who is interested in true crime or history books.
The revered character of Sherlock Holmes has fascinated generations as the epitomization of superhuman intellect with an unerring ability to solve the most critical and befuddling puzzles. Holmes has become so ingrained in our western culture and his influence is still so deeply felt that he is often imagined to be more than mere fiction. In her recent biography, American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics and the Birth of American CSI, Kate Winkler Dawson draws attention to a real man whose life and achievements bear an uncanny resemblance to the Conan Doyle icon. Edward Oscar Heinrich’s legacy as America’s foremost forensic scientist has had a lingering influence on the current practice of criminal investigation and expert testimony. Heinrich was also akin to the Holmesian character with the somewhat condescending and aloof manner often seen in exemplary individuals. Over the course of 40 years (beginning in the troubling time of the 1920’s) Heinrich pioneered methods in fingerprint analysis, blood spatter analysis, ballistics and even criminal/victim profiling. He acted as an independent witness in many trials and was generally viewed as the foremost voice in a burgeoning field. One of the cases the scientist worked on was the “Fatty” Arbuckle case, which was avidly followed by the tabloid press and contributed to Heinrich’s reputation. His deductive methods were a result of his incredible, perhaps even pathological, ability to organize and dissect the minutest of details. In her profile, Dawson provides examples of selected cases that showcase his work and were groundbreaking in terms of the methodology he invented and employed. The author also includes a description of Heinrich’s many idiosyncrasies and foibles that at times caused him professional conflict and distress in his personal life. She writes about how he was constantly frustrated in his attempts to be completely accepted and understood, especially by skeptics of his novel techniques. Heinrich eventually came to adapt his presentations to juries in a way that they could absorb his more technical explanations, instead of being overly swayed by “softer” evidence like character witnesses and emotional persuasion. It is apparent that Dawson learned a lesson from Heinrich’s efforts in this regard. By integrating vivid case descriptions, photos, and biographical and psychological information she takes what could have been a sterile portrayal and transforms it into a fascinating depiction of a remarkable, real-life Sherlock Holmes.
American Sherlock is for people that enjoy the history of forensics and just plain non-fiction books. Kate Winkler Dawson writes about some of the cases that brought Edward Oscar Heinrich to fame and misfortune. She writes about specific cases that Oscar Heinrich helped win and the ones that the courts and juries were not educated enough to understand the science that Oscar slaved over in his world. Oscar Heinrich was definitely ahead of his time.
Kate Winkler Dawson introduces us to some of Oscar Heinricks groundbreaking methods of forensics during the early 1900sHe taught criminology at UC Berkeley for 30 years and thousands of students studied his techniques and used them in their own careers Both his sons were awarded bronze stars in WW2 and his son Theodore was one of the Monuments Men responsible for identifying and returning art stolen by the Nazis .Oscar Heinrich warned that sloppy work from poorly trained scientific examiners would undermine criminal justice . One is shown how dedication and passion to ones work is possible to change existing methods and create a greater truth
A biographical presentation of a troubled genius and a historical summary of the development of forensic science. Not always as well organized as might be wished, but very readable.
Biographical story of an important development regarding crime detection. It includes stories of criminal cases as well as the personal life and insecurities of the main character. An interesting interweaving of both as the story is told. This book traces the history of criminal forensics including its positives and negatives in the past, present and going into the future. Raises curiosity as it unfolds and keeps the reader intrigued.