Written in blood. Mike Silverman and Tony Thompson. 2014.

As one of the UK’s leading forensic scientists, Mike Silverman has helped to identify and convict dozens of murderers, rapists, armed robbers, burglars and muggers, thanks to the evidence they - or their victims - unwittinglynleft behind all the scenes of their crimes.

Mike Silverman started his career in the days when fingerprints were still kept on card files and DNA profiling was just a pipe dream, so Written in Blood is more than just a casebook - it is also a definitive history of the development of forensic science over the course of the past thirty-five years.

From collecting blood samples at gangland executions to reviewing forensic science failings in the murders of Damilola Taylor and Rachel Nickell, Mike Silverman’s unique career provides a fascinating insight into the ways forensic science is used to help solve real-life crimes.