Biography / Memoir
By: Patricia Wiltshire(Author)
302 pages, 8 plates with colour & b/w photos
Written by Britain's pioneer of forensic botany, Traces is an utterly engrossing memoir that reveals the borderland where nature and crime intertwine.
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About this book
In Traces, Professor Patricia Wiltshire will take you on a journey through the fascinating edge-land where nature and crime are intertwined.
She'll take you on a journey searching for bodies of loved ones – through woodlands, along hedgerows, field-edges, and through plantations – solving time since death, and disposal of remains, from ditches to living rooms. She will give you glimpses of her own history: her loves, her losses, and the narrow, little valley in Wales where she first woke-up to the wonders of the natural world. And Pat will show you how her work with a microscope reveals tell-tale traces of the world around us, and how these have taken suspects of the darkest of criminal activities to court.
From flowers, fungi, tree trunks, and car pedals – to walking boots, carpets, and even corpses' hair: Traces is a fascinating, unique, and utterly compelling book on the universal themes of life, death, and one's indelible link with nature.
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Biography
Professor Patricia Wiltshire has worked on over 250 criminal cases across the UK, including some of the most high-profile cases of the past 25 years. A leading voice in forensic science, she has worked with every police force in the UK on cases involving rape, murder, abduction, neglect, and searching for graves and hidden remains. She lives in Surrey with her husband David and cat, Maudie.
Biography / Memoir
By: Patricia Wiltshire(Author)
302 pages, 8 plates with colour & b/w photos
Written by Britain's pioneer of forensic botany, Traces is an utterly engrossing memoir that reveals the borderland where nature and crime intertwine.
"Astonishing [...] absolutely fascinating."
– Lynda La Plante
"One of those extraordinary books that will appeal to almost everyone."
– The Washington Post
"There is so much excellent crime, crime scene and laboratory detail in this engrossing book, but also warmth and emotion, which combined with Pat's immense forensic academic work, meant that I found Traces very difficult indeed to put down. It's truly forensically fascinating (even for someone in the field!) while also being emotionally honest and challenging at times. Pat is really to be congratulated for an excellent and engrossing book."
– Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes
"Traces is proof that real-life can be more startling than fiction. The insights into the natural world are every bit as absorbing as the behind-the-scenes details of forensic investigation, while Patricia Wiltshire's own story is as remarkable as any of the cases she's worked on. Poignant, frank and utterly fascinating."
– Simon Beckett
"This is a fascinating combination of a moving and human personal story with a real insight into the value of a lesser known area of forensic science. In telling her story Pat makes little of her remarkable academic achievements and her contribution to the Criminal Justice System. An inspiring and interesting read."
– Dr Ann Priston, OBE, FCSFS
