Book description
Excerpt from Criminal Investigation
This Indian and Colonial edition, while omitting some portions of the original which would be of no use to the practical worker, for example, the slang words of Bohemian gipsies, thus contains much new and interesting matter, the better to adapt the book for India and…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Criminal Investigation as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Europe was at the forefront of the revolution in forensic science in the 19th century. Way ahead of the UK, and decades ahead of the USA. While most of the pioneers were doctors, Gross was a lawyer. He made the language of the law more accessible. Written over a hundred-and-fifty years ago as a textbook, the style will appeal more to the academic reader and researcher of historical forensics. The Kindle version hasn’t been transcribed well, but is a fascinating window on the past nevertheless.
From C. A.'s list on The best books for writers of Victorian mysteries.
Hans Gross, Professor of Criminology, first published this book in his native German in 1893. It was translated into English, among other languages, by 1908, and remains one of the great seminal works on criminal investigation. It is also full of fascinating and sometimes gory detail.
Gross details the importance of recording every minute trace at a crime scene, and the need for a thorough search for evidence, sometimes in peculiar places. He illustrates his technique by recounting a number of bizarre crimes, the stolen coins hidden in a pot of boiling soup, the meaning of missing blood at a…
From E.J.'s list on The best books since the beginning of crime.
If you love Criminal Investigation...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Criminal Investigation?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 75 books like Criminal Investigation.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
181
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Criminal Investigation, you might also like...
Sexy Selfie Nation
The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.
Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…
In This Together
In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close…
