"For most people, dead bodies are horrifying. They are the physical representation of everything we're afraid of - our own mortality, the unknown, the inevitability of our eventual demise and the possible lack of dignity of the end. For Jo Ward, a dead body is a fascinating to learn about that ending and how it happened, be it through natural or unnatural cause."
If the numbers of television programmes and the huge crowds seen at CrimeCon are anything to go by, True Crime may well be overtaking crime fiction in terms of popularity. Jo Ward is a familiar name to fans of the genre, mostly as a result of her work being followed by camera teams creating the BBC series ‘Forensics, the Real CSI’.
Every Contact Leaves a Trace is an autobiographical account of Jo Ward’s life and career describing how she became a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) and providing an insight into her work and how it assists the police in discovering the truth behind violent deaths and, where appropriate, securing the evidence necessary to convict the perpetrator.
This is not a reference book and does not explore the science behind forensics to any great depth. As such, it is a great read for the True Crime enthusiast.
One of this book’s particular strengths is, by exploring the autobiographical angle,it provides an excellent insight into the reality of CSI work, what is involved, the challenges, the bureaucracy, the effect of budget cuts and the effect of the investigators, their colleagues and families. This is a personal story and it pulls no punches.
This insight will also provide crime fiction writers with a valuable insight into the world enabling them to portray characters, crime investigation and forensic science with greater authenticity than previously possible.
A great little book, well worth the read.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Enter the fascinating world of crime scene investigation.
As seen on BBC 2's Forensics: the Real CSI.
I WORK WITH THE MURDERED DEAD.
My job isn’t like other people’s.
I make my way to the scene of a crime, usually an ordinary home or an unexceptional street. I pull on my protective gloves, mask and gather everything I need.
I meet the corpse. Maybe she’s on the living room floor, a knife-slash to her neck. Or he might be face down in the gutter, bullet holes piercing the back of his jacket. Perhaps the body is so small, tucked into the corner of a blood-stained crib that I don’t see it at first.
However they died, my first encounter with the dead is always the same. As I snap on my latex gloves, I look at their face. ‘I’m going to gather evidence from you,’ I tell them. ‘I’m sorry, I’ll be as gentle as I can.’ And then? Well, then I get to work.
Every contact with crime leaves a trace.
Every crime has an impact on me, too.
This is my life in crime scene investigation.
Every Contact Leaves a Trace features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, True crime, Criminal or forensic psychology, Criminal investigation and detection, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, True stories: general, Society and Social Sciences, Social services and welfare, criminology, Crime and criminology, Psychology, Recommendations
Every Contact Leaves a Trace is available in Paperback
Every Contact Leaves a Trace was written by Jo Ward and published by Aurum an imprint of Quarto Publishing PLC
Every Contact Leaves a Trace has 272 pages
£8.99
