Written in Blood

'All I could see was the blood. A large pool of it had seeped out from the shattered skull of the young woman who was lying face down on the carpet at the far left of the room. More blood had reached out in great scarlet arcs across the walls and the ceiling, splashing the furniture and fittings along the way.'

As one of the UK's leading forensic scientists, Mike Silverman has helped to identify and convict dozens of murderers, rapists, armed robbers, burglars and muggers thanks to the evidence they u or their victims - unwittingly left behind at the scenes of their crimes. In Written in Blood, he opens his casebook to the public for the first time. This is the gripping story of the changing face of forensic science in the UK and beyond, told through the individual cases Silverman has faced over the past thirty-five years.

We follow the progress of cases that remained unsolved for years until breakthroughs in technology helped solve them, as well as examining high-profile cases u including the murders of Damilola Taylor and Rachel Nickell u where the original forensic evidence led to miscarriages of justice. From the days when fingerprints were still being compared by hand to the advent of DNA profiling and the current dangers of 'the CSI effect' in the courtroom, Silverman provides intriguing insights into the practical application of forensic techniques and how they are used to help solve real-world crime scenes.

Packed with original case files, genuine crime scene photographs and original sketches, Written in Blood is the ultimate insider's account of the fascinating world of forensic science.