I picked up this book and was shocked by the writing and research. Admittedly, this is a book based on science from ten years ago but some chapters are so bad I don't think the information was correct even then. Some chapters may be good, (fingerprints,questioned documents) but do not attempt any subject based on a real science- drug chemistry, DNA analysis, etc. As far as I can tell, these chapters were written by attorneys with no science training. They do not explain concepts very clearly I suspect because they do not really understand them. Save your money. With the current state of CSI madness there has got to be better "forensic science for attorneys/nonscientists" writing being published.

This book is a necessity for any criminal defense lawyer. This contains the information police use in their training and procedure, as well as what to expect from an expert witness. Outstanding references after each chapter on where to find additional information as well as your own experts. Not as many illustrations as previous editions, but much more up to date material such as DNA testing and the background information so any lay person can understand what the experts are doing.