The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases

By E.J. Wagner

Praise for The Science of Sherlock Holmes

"Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash, or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day, especially the emerging field of forensics.... Utterly compelling."
—Otto Penzler, member of the Baker Street Irregulars and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop

"E. J. Wagner demonstrates that without the work of Sherlock Holmes and his contemporaries, the CSI teams would be twiddling their collective thumbs. Her accounts of Victorian crimes make Watson's tales pale! Highly recommended for students of the Master Detective."
—Leslie S. Klinger, Editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

"In this thrilling book, E. J. Wagner has combined her considerable strengths in three disciplines to produce a work as compelling and blood-curdling as the best commercial fiction. This is CSI in foggy old London Town. Chilling, grim fun."
—John Westermann, author of Exit Wounds and Sweet Deal

"I am recommending this delightful work to all of my fellow forensic scientists.... Bravo, Ms. Wagner!"
—John Houde, author of Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists

"A fabulously interesting read. The book traces the birth of the forensic sciences to the ingenuity of Sherlock Holmes. A wonderful blend of history, mystery, and whodunit."
—Andre Moenssens, Douglas Stripp Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and coauthor of Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Dec 7, 2010
• ISBN: 9781118040126

Reviews for The Science of Sherlock Holmes

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Sherlock Holmes. As I've mentioned on this blog before, my dog is even named Sherlock! I will pretty much read absolutely anything about the Great Detective, from canon to modernized fictional takes to non-fiction analysis. And I always have high hopes for every book on Holmes I read, that it can do justice to my favorite fictional character and the world Doyle created around him.Luckily, The Science of Sherlock Holmes is a unique and well-written addition to the multitudes of Sherlock Holmes' books out there. Wagner takes a non-fiction approach to analysis of the canon, specifically through the lens of science and forensics.Using both Holmes' cases and true crime from around the world, Wagner explores the history and development of forensic science throughout the ages. Everything from fingerprints to blood analysis is covered, and Wagner expertly weaves in Holmes' quotes and true crime tales to highlight and explain.This is a book for fans of Sherlock Holmes, forensics, true crime, and just really interesting non-fiction reads.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book wasn't quite what I expected. I've read a few other volumes with "The science of..." in the title, and they've generally used some familiar work of fiction or pop culture as a jumping off point from which to discuss current scientific concepts. So I think I was expecting the author to bring up various details from Sherlock Holmes stories and then discuss what modern forensics would have to say about them, or something along those lines.Instead, the book is much more focused on history, exploring what doctors and detectives of Arthur Conan Doyle's day knew or were learning about scientific ways to investigate crimes, with lots and lots of accounts of actual historical crimes, many of which would have been worthy of Holmes story themselves, and some of which, indeed, may have inspired Conan Doyle. It's interesting, if often somewhat macabre, stuff. More interesting, honestly, than the subject matter I was expecting would have been. I'd say it's well worth reading if you have an interest in history, medicine, and crime, even if you're not necessarily a huge devotee of Holmes.

[obsessedwithbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I grabbed this book when I found out about it and I read it in one day. What a wonderful and fascinating book!The book covers all the different branches of forensic science such as footprints, fingerprints, ballistics, autopsies, blood typing, document forgeries and so on. Each chapter covers a different forensic science and it goes into the background of each one - who discovered the new techniques, how each forensic science developed over the years, how crimes were solved (or not solved) before that particular strand of forensics was invented, and the author illustrates this by discussing real-life crimes which were solved using this forensic method (so this book is great for true-crime fans like me).Also in each chapter, the author discusses how Sherlock Holmes utilised each forensic science and how he used it to solve his mysteries. Holmes stories are quoted extensively to prove that without forensic science, Holmes may never have got his man (or woman) in the end.Highly recommended for fans of Sherlock Holmes and / or fans of criminology.