A book such as this is long overdue in the field of forensic investigation. Most offerings are either highly technical or rather superficial -- an odd situation today when millions of television viewers slaver over the details of crimes and trials. Nationally respected authors Joe Nickell and John Fischer offer an introduction to the technical work of firearms experts, document examiners, fingerprint technicians, medical examiners, and forensic anthropologists. In doing so they avoid the oversimplified approach of most texts aimed at the lay reader, writing in prose clear and understandable to the nontechnical specialist. Nickell and Fischer provide step-by-step descriptions of classifying a fingerprint and performing an autopsy, and describe the science underlying DNA profiling and toxicological analysis. Each chapter closes with a major case study, revealing how these concepts work in practice. Rounded out with brief histories of all the forensic sciences, Crime Science is likely to remain an indispensable addition to the bookshelf for years to come.