The TV series "CSI" isn't the only place to get a glimpse of the new
crime-fighting heroes, forensic scientists. You can also delve into
that world via a new book co-authored by a St. Lawrence University
graduate.
Dead Reckoning: The New
Science of Catching Killers, by Michael Baden and Marion Roach '77,
was released in September 2001 by Simon & Schuster. Publishers Weekly
says, "Baden and Roach invite the outsider into the laboratory with a gripping
sense of immediacy, and conversely, they bring the usually hidden forensic
sciences into the light of day....Every page reveals another aspect of the
forensic sciences, leading the reader into the Cimmerian world of autopsies,
murder scenes, blood-splatter analysis, the life cycles of blowflies in
carrion, DNA fingerprinting and the methods for identifying unknown
victims by their skulls, teeth and bones. The authors also touch upon the
obscure yet fruitful fields of forensic botany and climatology. The material
is exhaustive, yet the journey is never less than fascinating. "
Roach, who is also a St. Lawrence trustee, is also the author of the
book Another Name For Madness, about her mother's struggle
with Alzheimer's Disease, and a contributor to several other books, as
well as a regular commentator for National Public Radio's "All Things
Considered."