Beating the Devil's Game ─ A History of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation

Today, the basic precepts of criminal investigation?fingerprints, DNA, blood evidence?are known among professionals and lay people alike. But behind each of these familiar concepts is a fascinating story of the evolution of science and law, spearheaded by innovative thinkers, many of whom risked their careers for more perfect justice.

Dr. Katherine Ramsland, renowned expert in criminology, traces that development from thirteenth-century Chinese studies of decomposition through the Renaissance and the era of Newtonian physics to the marvels of the present day and beyond. Along the way, she introduces us to forensic pioneers and visionaries who galvanized the field, raised investigative standards, and whose efforts have kept us just steps ahead of increasingly sophisticated criminals.

Dr. Katherine Ramsland has master’s degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and criminal justice, and a Ph.D. in philosophy. She is the author of 47 books including Inside the Minds of Serial Killers, The Criminal Mind: A Writer's Guide to Forensic Psychology, The Devils' Dozen, and The Forensic Science of CSI, as well as biographies of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz. She is also the coauthor, with James E. Starrs, of A Voice for the Dead: A Forensic Investigator's Pursuit of the Truth in the Grave, and co-author, with Henry C. Lee, of The Real World of a Forensic Scientist. Dr. Ramsland currently teaches forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.