Blood secrets : chronicles of a crime scene reconstructionist / Rod Englert, with Kathy Passero ; foreword by Ann Rule.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-277) and index.

Early days -- From rookie to undercover ace -- Blood, drugs, and murder in Multnomah County -- Chronicles of a crime scene reconstructionist -- Blood basics -- Celebrity cases -- Cold blood -- A world of crime -- Trials and errors.

This book reveals how forensic experts read the story of a murder told in the traces of blood left behind, providing crucial evidence that has helped convict criminals who might have otherwise walked free. When the author began his career in law enforcement, virtually no police force in the world knew how to correctly examine blood spatter. He spent years studying and testing how blood behaves, pioneering a vital new tool that is now a part of any criminal investigation. In this work he demonstrates how detectives and forensic experts use blood-spatter analysis to solve real cases. How can the police tell what type of murder weapon was used when the body is missing and all that's left is a trace of gore? How can they tell if a victim was moved, or which person in a room fired the fatal shot? The author lays out what he's learned on a variety of intriguing cases, from puzzling murders in tiny, remote towns to the highest-profile celebrity trials, including O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, and many others. Filled with fascinating details of forensic science and real-life CSI stories, this book shows the techniques and tools used to decipher blood spatter's code.