ValMcDermidisoneofthefinestcrimewriterswehave,whosenovelshavecaptivatedmillionsofreadersworldwidewiththeirrivetingnarrativesofcharacterswhosolvecomplexcrimesandconfrontunimaginableevil.InthecourseofresearchingherbestsellingnovelsMcDermidhasbecomefamiliarwitheverybranchofforensics,andnowsheuncoversthehistoryofthisscience,real-worldmurdersandthepeoplewhomustsolvethem.Thedeadtalktotherightlistener.Theycantellusallaboutthemselves:wheretheycamefrom,howtheylived,howtheydied,and,ofcourse,whokilledthem.Forensicscientistscanunlockthemysteriesofthepastandhelpservejusticeusingthemessagesleftbyacorpse,acrimescene,orthefaintestofhumantraces.Forensicsdrawsoninterviewswithsomeofthesetop-levelprofessionals,ground-breakingresearch,andMcDermid'sownoriginalinterviewsandfirsthandexperienceonscenewithtopforensicscientists.Alongtheway,McDermiddiscovershowmaggotscollectedfromacorpsecanhelpdetermineone'stimeofdeath;howaDNAtraceamillionththesizeofagrainofsaltcanbeusedtoconvictakiller;andhowateamofyoungArgentinescientistsledbyamaverickAmericananthropologistwereabletouncoverthevictimsofagenocide.It'sajourneythatwilltakeMcDermidtowarzones,firescenes,andautopsysuites,andbringherintocontactwithbothextraordinarybraveryandwickedness,asshetracesthehistoryofforensicsfromitsearliestbeginningstothecutting-edgescienceofthemodernday.