Book Review: Dr. Henry Lee’s Forensic Files by Dr. Henry Lee & Jerry Labriola

I am a bit of a crime story junkie. My favorite TV show is “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”. I also thoroughly enjoy “CSI” (preferably Miami, but I’ll watch the others as well), the original “Law & Order”, and novels by James Patterson and Jonathan Kellerman. Not to mention the true crime novels about Jack the Ripper or other famous cases. Naturally when my sister-in-law mentioned that she read this book I asked to borrow it. It is fascinating, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

Dr. Henry Lee is a forensic scientist who has been called to testify in many prominent court cases. In this book he reveals some of his methods and notes for five famous cases including the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping and the Laci Peterson murder. The book includes very detailed accounts of the crimes and even includes crime scene photos. It also describes proper crime scene investigation protocol and shows that true crime scene investigation is a tedious process – far from the flashy, exciting portrayal on TV and in movies.

It is well written and it is obvious that Dr. Lee is an extremely smart man. This is an absolute must-read for crime story fans like me. As morbid as it is, I couldn’t put it down. Unfortunately a Kindle edition is not yet available, but you can pick it up in hardcover on Amazon.com.