Showcases how attention to small details would become the means of solving even the most difficult crimes ... Atmospheric and wide-reaching ... Describes a critical period for the development of forensics as a discipline.
As Fitzharris makes clear in this masterful account, a formidable real-life sleuth was amassing evidence and fighting for justice before his fictional counterpart stole the spotlight.
Fitzharris rescues Bell from the periphery of the Holmes story and restores him to his rightful position as the inspiration and model for the great consulting detective.
An episodic, not especially focused, narrative, but true-crime aficionados will enjoy Fitzharris’ lively accounts of some decidedly grisly misdeeds, including detailed descriptions of several executions ... Sketchy as a biography, but an enjoyable dip into the linked fields of scientific developments and criminal investigations.
