Question of Murder

Written in a flowing narrative style, Wecht, a forensic pathologist and Kaufman, a true-crime reporter, give the reader the inside scoop of several recent high-profile deaths. The first two, of Anna Nicole Smith and her son, David, were in the news for months. The authors give the background of their lives and then concentrate on forensic evidence, including autopsies. The next two are of children who were murdered. Here the emphasis is on what the investigating officers missed and how easily justice can be thwarted by botched forensics. The final case is that of a series of murders at the Memorial Medical Center. This will be of interest to true crime fans. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD, one of the world’s leading forensic pathologists/lawyers, is the author or co-author of A Question of Murder, Tales from the Morgue, Mortal Evidence, Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?, Grave Secrets, Cause of Death, and hundreds of professional publications. He has served as president of both the American College of Legal Medicine and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and has appeared on numerous nationally syndicated television programs, including Dateline NBC, 48 Hours Mystery, 20/20, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo at Large, Issues with Jane Velez- Mitchell, and many others.

Dawna Kaufmann is an accomplished true-crime journalist whose work has been heralded by law enforcement and the media. The co-author with Dr. Wecht of A Question of Murder, she has covered hundreds of high-profile homicide and missing-person cases for national magazines, including the National Enquirer, Star, and Globe, as well as countless other publications, and has contributed material to Criminalists: An Introduction to Forensic Science, the leading textbook on the subject for high schools and universities. In addition, she is an award-winning producer and writer, with a multitude of credits in television, including late-night and variety programming.