Fourteen years later, it seems an excellent time to take another look at a book that remains a fascinating addition to the shelves of anyone interested in crime, investigation and the science behind them.
Published by Oxford University Press as part of its Oxford Quick Reference range, A Dictionary of Forensic Science contains more than 1,300 entries covering an extraordinarily broad spectrum of forensic subjects.
And this certainly isn’t a dictionary that simply provides dry definitions.
Suzanne Bell takes readers through subjects including forensic chemistry, biology, anthropology, firearms, toolmarks, trace evidence, crime-scene investigation, engineering and forensic computing. There are also biographies, important cases and explanations of the techniques that have helped forensic scientists establish links, or demonstrate the absence of links, between suspects, victims and crime scenes.
The inclusion of cases such as Dr Crippen and Mary Ann Cotton helps place forensic techniques into their historical context, while figures and photographs make some of the more technical subjects easier to understand.
Bell was particularly well qualified to produce such a reference work. At the time of publication she was Associate Professor of Forensic Chemistry at West Virginia University and had also worked as a forensic expert for the New Mexico State Police.
Her other books included Forensic Chemistry, Crime and Circumstance: Investigating the History of Forensic Science and an Encyclopedia of Forensic Science.
One of the strengths identified in a contemporary Royal Society of Chemistry review was the book's cross-referencing, which encourages readers to follow unfamiliar terms and explore related subjects rather than simply looking up one definition and closing the book.
That makes it particularly useful for crime writers and journalists. If you're writing a murder mystery and suddenly need to know whether you've used a forensic expression correctly, this is exactly the sort of book you'll want within arm's reach.
It's equally interesting for students, police and legal professionals, true-crime readers and true crime writers and those of us who simply enjoy discovering how real forensic science differs from its often rather miraculous depiction on television.
Our original 2012 review concluded that it belonged on the bookshelf or in the work bag of anyone with a serious interest in forensic science.
More than a decade later, we'd add another category to that list: writers who want to get the forensic details right.
A Dictionary of Forensic Science by Suzanne Bell was published by Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199594009.
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