Details the history of forensic science in crime-solving, using real-life cases from ancient Chinese detectives to the Jack the Ripper case and modern developments.

Introduction : from darkness to light -- A whiff of garlic : the first poison tests -- Bodies of evidence : autopsies and the rise of medical examiners -- Elementary, my dear Watson : the first detectives -- Not without a trace : the introduction of crime scene evidence -- Fingerprints are forever : early fingerprint evidence -- Bang! bang! you're dead : the birth of firearm analysis -- Blood is thicker : the first blood pattern cases -- Grave matters : hidden bodies -- Dem bones : forensic anthropology beginnings -- To catch a killer : criminal profilers -- One in a trillion : the dawn of DNA evidence.