These two books offer very different treatments of the popular subject of forensic science. Investigator Anastasi applies the term to the field of white-collar crime, providing an in-depth look at several real-life case studies of forensic investigations of corporate and intellectual property crimes. While not exactly the same as the "blood and guts" forensic work that we see portrayed in today's popular culture, these cases -of fraud, trade secret theft, and other security breaches -are nevertheless very interesting. Anastasi has written one of the first books dealing with this "new" forensics, a field destined to become more popular, especially as the avenues of white-collar crime expand with the Internet. Although the book is riddled with technical computer lingo, the author does a good job of explaining and putting things in lay reader's terms.
Taking a more traditional approach to the subject, Platt, author of many science books for DK, presents a brief summary of the better-known aspects of forensic science. Replete with many wonderful color photos and illustrations, this short text includes chapters ranging from "At the Crime Scene" and "Human Identification" to "Lethal Agents" and "Crime Without Corpses," including some of the types of crimes covered in the Anastasi book. A four-page time line of breakthroughs in forensic science and a two-page glossary of subject terms conclude the volume. Wile Anastasi's book is recommended for large public libraries and academic libraries serving criminal justice programs, Platt's is recommended for high school and public libraries. —Sara Jent, Univ. of Louisville Lib. (Library Journal, June 15, 2003)