The science of forensic entomology – the application of insect biology to the investigation of crime – is extremely specialized, combining as it does an expert knowledge of entomology with keen powers of observation and deduction. Dr. Erzinçlioğlu has been a practitioner for over twenty-five years and has been involved in a great number of investigations, including some recent high-profile cases, where his evidence has been critical to the outcome.
A great admirerer of Sherlock Holmes, the author compares his own techniques with those of his fictional hero, and takes the reader behind the often gruesome but deeply fascinating scenes of a murder investigation. This absorbing book ranges over cases from history, prehistory and mythology to the present day and is as gripping and readable as a good thriller.
Dr. Zakaria Erzinçlioğlu was formerly Senior Research Associate at Cambridge University and also Director of the Forensic Science Research Center at Durham University. In his capacity as a forensic entomologist he is one of the most experienced scientists in the business. He is well known in England and has appeared in a number of television programs including The Witness Was a Fly for the BBC.
"Here is that rare thing, a good popular book on forensic entomology that is also an illuminating read on forensic science itself and on the art of being an expert witness."
- Mark Benecke, Nature