An illuminating view of forensic science in fact and fiction. Underlines the relationship between detective fiction and the development of modern forensics. Begins with examples of chemistry at work in the novels of crime fiction writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L. Sayers. Recounts how the sleuthing techniques in detective fiction laid the foundation for the sophisticated analytical methods of modern forensic science. Relates case histories in which
modern forensics played a keynote role.