Book Review on
Textbook of Forensic Science
Editors: Pankaj Shrivastava Jose Antonio Lorente Ankit Srivastava Ashish Badiye Neeti Kapoor
Publisher – Springer
This textbook serves as a foundational guide to modern forensic investigations offering a
comprehensive overview of the principles methodologies and ethical considerations in the field. It delves
into the core aspects of criminalistics and crime scene management including the detailed processes of
investigating crime scenes managing operations collecting and packaging diverse types of physical
evidence and ensuring proper forwarding and maintaining the chain of custody. These elements are
critical to maintaining the integrity of forensic evidence throughout the investigative process.
The book also introduces fundamental principles of forensic science alongside discussions of the
ethical dilemmas challenges, and criticisms faced by the discipline. It explores crime typologies and their
correlations providing insights into criminology penology and victimology. These topics offer a
multidisciplinary perspective on crime its causes and its impact on society while also addressing the
legal aspects of forensic investigations. Readers will gain an understanding of various types of evidence
courtroom procedures and the scrutiny of evidence and expert testimonies.
One of the key highlights is the detailed coverage of forensic serological evidence including the
analysis of biological fluids such as blood, semen saliva tears milk sweat vaginal fluids and urine. The
textbook also provides a detailed examination of physical evidence types complemented by an in-depth
discussion of forensic ballistics. Topics such as firearm classification bullet comparison and bullet
matching are thoroughly explored offering a detailed understanding of this specialized field.
The book further broadens its scope by examining substances like drugs chemicals explosives,
and petroleum products, offering practical insights into forensic toxicology. This includes the study of
various poisons and toxins their signs and symptoms and the fatal doses and periods associated with
them.
Another significant focus is the rapidly evolving field of digital and cyber forensics. The book
explores classifications within this domain, tools for data recovery encryption and decryption methods,
as well as image and video forensics. These discussions reflect the growing importance of digital evidence
in modern investigations.
Designed as a valuable resource, the textbook is tailored for graduate and post-graduate students
pursuing studies in forensic science. It bridges theoretical knowledge with practical applications making
it an indispensable guide for those aspiring to build careers in the forensic domain.