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About the Book

About the Book

The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie

Discover the science of forensics through Agatha Christie's novels through the ultimate true crime investigation.

Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time, and nearly every story she ever wrote involves one --- or, more commonly, several --- dead bodies. And the cause of death, the motives behind violent crimes, the clues that inevitably are left behind, and the people who put the pieces together to solve the mystery invite the reader to analyze the evidence and race to find the answer before the detective does. Nearly every step of the way, Christie outlines the nuts and bolts of early 20th-century crime detection, relying on physical evidence to tell the real story behind the facades humans erect to escape detection.

Christie wouldn't have talked of "forensics" as it is understood today --- most of her work predates the modern developments of forensics science --- but in each tale she harnesses the power of human observation, ingenuity and scientific developments of the era. A fascinating, science-based deep dive, THE SCIENCE OF MURDER examines the use of fingerprints, firearms, handwriting, blood spatter analysis, toxicology and more in Christie's beloved works.

Audiobook available, read by Helen Langford

The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie
by Carla Valentine

  • Publication Date: May 31, 2022
  • Genres: Nonfiction, Science, True Crime
  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks
  • ISBN-10: 1728251842
  • ISBN-13: 9781728251844