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5 🌟 reads of 2023

An interesting look at the life and career of E. O. Heinrich, a pioneering multidisciplinary specialist who laid the foundations of modern forensic science. This book would pair nicely with 18 Tiny Deaths, Bruce Goldfarb‘s account of the story of another forensics pioneer, Frances Glessner Lee.

This was a great audiobook for my commute. I liked how the story was told in case files. It showed how each new method was used.

#pop23 #independentbookstore
#52bookclub2023 #relatedtowordmurder (also does #setinroaringtwenties)
#atyin52books23 #involvesamurder
#booked2023 #propernounintitle
#readingtheamericas2023 #usa

@Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Bluebird @LeeRHarry @RaeLovesToRead @KarenUK @Cortg @Kalalalatja @Megabooks @Laughterhp

That moment when you realise everything is from an independent bookshop 😂! The mug & bookmark is from Mr B's in Bath, and the book is from Gulliver's Bookshop in Wimborne (my local)!

@Cinfhen Here's the #propernouninthetitle list (without the #cityorcountryintitle prompt, as the list would have been huge). #52bookclub2023 #booked2023. Mrs Dalloway & My Friend Anna may not be of much help, however, as they are quite specific to me.

@alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle

I enjoyed learning about Oscar Heinrich and the founding of modern forensic science. Interesting mix of biography and true crime. I prefer Dawson‘s Death in the Air, but this is still worth a read. Look forward to trying her newest, All That Is Wicked.

A few of these were free Hoopla borrows and others were off my TBR. The tagged was a TBR read and wasn‘t bad. While interesting, it wasn‘t quite what I expected. Funny, there was a lot of information provided, but at the end of the day, didn‘t feel like I learned much, if that makes sense. Felt like the author was doing a research dump. For all that, it was interesting to learn a bit about how crime scene investigations evolved.

#nonfiction

4 stars

This was a really good look at the birth of modern forensics. Heinrich was unlikable to me. I felt like he spoiled his sons too much. But the science part was interesting. As were the cases he helped to “solve“. I also loved the epilogue that pointed out the flaws in both his and some modern forensics and the parts throughout the book that did so. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4807854893

If February were just a few days longer my #DoubleSpin would have happened in the selected month! 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this dive into E.O. Heinrich‘s legacy and contributions to criminal investigations. Amazing to think about the way this man‘s mind worked & the legacy of his efforts. I like Dawson‘s writing style, and look forward to reading her next publication (research from Season 1 of her podcast “Tenfold More Wicked”).

Happily moving on to my #doublespin pick for February.

This wasn‘t as good as I wanted it to be, mostly because it was a bit uneven. It had some really interesting sections and it was a quick read, but I found my mind wandering a lot while I was reading. Speaking of wandering, the neighborhood stray that we feed has decided to try to sneak into my car any time the door is open!

While the subject matter of this book was fascinating (Oscar Henrich), I don‘t recommend this book at all. Repetitive writing, events are not in chronological order leading to a lot of confusion, some facts were not entirely accurate, and above all it was boring with slow pacing. The author would also leave little bits of foreshadowing or indicate a bit of a scandal and then when it was eventually explained several chapters later, it was 👇🏻

Biography of Edward Oscar Heinrich's role as one of the pioneers of forensic science in the US. This was a great read, the cases & techniques talked about here are fascinating. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the origin of forensic science. 4🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher, Icon Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A look at the man called the American Sherlock Holmes and a father of modern CSI. E.O. ‘Oscar‘ Heinrich was an interesting man. Learning that the investigation techniques that we just expect to occur during an investigation have only been in use for a little more than a century was surprising. Like any science when introduced people didn‘t understand it and were skeptical of it. Heinrich made CSI common and understandable in court.

My next listen. It‘s interesting. I like learning the origins of things we just expect and to a point take for granted.

This was a well.laid out and well Narrated Audiobook. I enjoyed learning about the father of modern CSI and the techniques he developed to help law enforcement collect evidence and conclude crimes. Oscar Hemich was a fascinating person, meticulous, detailed and specific in his analysis, his work help shaped the analysis that are done in modern day forensic chemist today. Well done. Thoroughly enjoyed

@Moonprismpower Your #LLFS is in the mail you should get it by Thursday! @Bookgoil

My fall Swap boxes are ready to be shipped.out! I'll go to FedEx on Thursday after work to ship out my boxes. Very excited #LitsyLoveFallSwap

Well written, easy to read. A bit dry/bland, but being that it‘s a biography, it‘s to be expected (most people‘s lives are dry/bland 80% of them time 😂). Interesting history, just not a real page turner.

Just as Edward Oscar Heinrich had to let the science direct his investigations the author had to let the facts, both flattering and unflattering tell the amazing story of American Sherlock. It was fascinating to learn about EO Heinrich. His achievements in crime scene investigation are amazing yet I had never even heard his name before reading this work. It may be worth a closer look if you are interested in the development of the science in CSI.

Non fiction about a scientist who made csi work in America popular. It went through his history and then a few of his more famous cases.

Genres: Biography, crime
July 8th- August 11th
Summary: In a lab filled with curiosities–beakers, magnifying lens, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books–sat an agent who would split at slightest two thousand cases in his forty-year career. Known as the “American Sherlock Holmes,” with a mysterious talent for finding clues, building up proof, and driving answers with an ability that appeared nearly powerful.

For fans of true crime and forensics this is a must-read book. Edward Oscar Heinrich was a brilliant man who devised approaches to crime solving that are still in use today. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Heinrich lived and worked in Berkeley, and was called on for his expert testimony in thousands of cases over the years. A fascinating book. Five stars.

“The forensic scientist who helped ruin Arbuckle‘s career had actually inspired him creatively.” #reesewitherspoonbookclub

Finished this while lounging outside in a kiddie pool. It was fine. Some interesting cases but ultimately I think the book was plagued by the same problem Heinrich faced throughout his cases in his lifetime. Ultimately, he did interesting work but was not a very interesting person. His more subdued personality doesn‘t really sell a biography (or a court case!) and his exploits mostly consisted of lab work. It just wasn‘t very engaging.

I‘m about halfway through this book. It‘s interesting but I‘m not super into the writing. The book is a biography about a forensic scientist in the early 1900s. I like the bits about the cases but there is a lot of hero worship and I find the constant comparisons to Sherlock grating. In this bit, Oscar vows to solve a case because his reputation depends on it, but the same could probably be said about his oafish rivals. That‘s how jobs work.

🆃🆁🆄🅴 🅲🆁🅸🅼🅴 🆃🅷🆄🆁🆂🅳🅰🆈

A fascinating story about Edward Oscar Heinrich - America's greatest forensic scientist & the nation's first unique crime scene investigator, who helped solve many difficult & puzzling cases during the 1920s-1930s.

Rating: 5⭐

𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3338722827?book_show_action=false&from_rev...

This took me way too long to read and I only was able to finish due to suddenly having the bright idea to get the audiobook from the library. I breezed through the second half then.
Overall, I found it interesting but dry at times and the details about his private life a bit tedious to read. I haven't decided if I'm going to write a longer review yet.

#arc

“Police were preoccupied with enforcing strict anti-drinking laws, so the Bureau of Prohibition “deputized” Ku Klux Klan members.”...I‘m sorry, wtf?!

This tells the story of the Edward Oscar Heinrich the first, and most famous criminal investigator of the 20th century. He was an innovator but also a proponent of some criminal science that has since been debunked.

The development of modern forensics and the man who led the way, is a topic I find interesting. For that reason, this doesn‘t get a pan. But, the text itself was often dry, like listening to someone read a textbook, and there were sections that were repetitive. I agree with reviewers who questioned the necessity of Heinrich‘s personal details interspersed they way they were. I recommend audio over text, though. I‘d have bailed in print.

Currently sitting at just over 4 hours for the #24b4Monday readathon, thanks to starting American Sherlock on audio while I worked today. Hoping to read a few pages of Aru Shah before sleep claims me. I have to go into the office Sunday to pack up my desk for the office renovation. It‘s going to take forever, so I‘m hoping to have some solid reading time tomorrow, because I won‘t have it Sunday. 🤞🏻

American Sherlock is a biography of the man who pioneered many forensic techniques in the US, using several of the cases he worked on to illustrate his work. I thought it was fascinating and appreciated the author‘s inclusion of the fact that a number of these techniques have been discredited. My only complaint is the author/narrator‘s pronunciation of certain sounds annoyed me (“kimist” for chemist, etc).

Between a "pick" and a "so-so". 1930s #truecrime. A biographical #nonfiction about Edward Oscar Heinrich's personal life, but mainly his contributions to forensics. His brilliant, original ideas helped shape modern practices. He helped developed the study of ballistics, blood splatter patterns, and geological traces found on victims for evidence.

I think the book is mistitled, but otherwise it's an interesting look at the birth of American forensic science. I found the cases, including the infamous Fatty Arbuckle trial, and the methodology far more interesting than the so-called American Sherlock, Oscar Heinrich. 3 💥💥💥 1/2

Book 3 for #EasterExtravangza @Andrew65

1. The Darkening Age, American Sherlock (which I'm almost finished), The Eyes of the Dragon, The Five and Crisis in The Red Zone.
2. Print, ebook and audiobook
3. The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Easter dinner last night with my current read. a quite different Easter than normal, but not bad! Still spending lots of time with my family, just with more reading time, pjs and potato soup instead of dinner!

This was fascinating (mostly) but uneven. Heinrich was an incredibly intelligent and driven man who pioneered many of the forensics that are still used today in crime solving. The account of him developing his tests was very interesting. The descriptions of some of the trials he worked were also interesting. But the portions about his private life were repetitious & became dull ⬇️

🌟🌟🌟

I joined Jenny Lawson‘s book club and just received my first box. Yes! I can‘t wait to start this book this weekend.

Barnes & Noble sent me an email with these recommendations, and I want them all! Have any of you lovely Littens read these yet?

Yeah- the stars are aligned this month - I actually have my birth sign book on pre order!

https://lithub.com/the-astrology-book-club-what-to-read-this-month-based-on-your...