American Sherlock

Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI

By: Kate Winkler Dawson

Narrated by: Kate Winkler Dawson

From the acclaimed author of Death in the Air comes the riveting story of the birth of criminal investigation in the 20th century.

Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities - beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books - sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career. Known as the "American Sherlock Holmes", Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's greatest - and first - forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.

Heinrich was one of the nation's first expert witnesses, working in a time when the turmoil of Prohibition led to sensationalized crime reporting and only a small, systematic study of evidence. However, with his brilliance and commanding presence in both the courtroom and at crime scenes, Heinrich spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools that police still use today, including blood spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence. His work, though not without its serious - some would say fatal - flaws, changed the course of American criminal investigation.

Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock captures the life of the man who pioneered the science our legal system now relies upon - as well as the limits of those techniques and the very human experts who wield them.

©2020 Kate Winkler Dawson (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of CrimeReads' Most Anticipated Books of 2020

“Dawson balances the two sides of her book deftly, moving nimbly between dramatic renditions of the mysteries Heinrich helped solve, or sometimes didn’t, and reflections on his scientific analyses and personal struggles…As thought-provoking as it is thrilling.” (Columbus Dispatch)

"Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's earliest criminologists. He was also a meticulous record keeper, allowing Dawson to recreate his fascinating life story.... Those interested in the development of modern forensics will be enthralled." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Interesting story and individual, terrible speaker

This story is utterly fascinating, but I just can't bear the reader, whose delivery is slow, ponderous, and full of the oddest pauses and stops. I'll have to read this one myself.

I love Kate Winkler Dawson

This book was fascinating. I was amazed at the accomplishments of Oscar Heinrich and that he was able to discover this methods during the 1920s and 30! I thought the author did a great job reading the book.

The author is always the best narrator…

I love author-narrated books. No one, save the author, knows the nuance and inflection in which the book was written. There are few voice actors that truly do a book justice. This book reads like a novel. It’s smooth, educational, and fact-paced. The research is impeccable.

Very interesting.

History and forensics. I learned a lot about the science of forensics and the gentleman who worked hard for the truth according to the evidence.

Great science.

Well done. A little wordy but very good. Her voice is clear and easy to listen to.

Riveting

Absolutely riveting. Even kept it playing in my pocket as I did housework. History of CSI is fascinating. This guy was brilliant.

not bad, kind of unflattering to cops

I was surprised it how anti-police this was. she makes it sound like all cops were complete idiots. and it has a very leftist/liberal tone throughout the book. but otherwise pretty good.

Excellent

Excellent in every way. Both in the "story" itself but also in the history of forensic science and criminology.

Amazing Deductions!

For the time, and all the evidence that he found from insignificant items, his conclusions were astounding. Financial worries followed him all his life, even though he was a highly sought after in criminal trials. One of the best books I have ever listened to.

Riveting

I just loved listening to the story! Kate has a way of speaking and storytelling that keeps the audience captivated and waiting to hear more. I consider myself a true crime buff and had never heard of Oscar Heinrich. Awesome work!