As a practitioner of the art and as an instructor for a course in “neuropsychology and the law,” I can assure you that all of my students will be assigned Larrabee's Forensic Neuropsychology in coming semesters. The editor and his co-authors have assembled a thoughtful and comprehensive introduction to a rapidly evolving area of science and practice. The unique contributions that neuropsychological assessment and an understanding of brain-behavior relationships can provide are fast becoming the rule, rather than the exception, in civil, criminal, and, sometimes, even probate litigation.

The volume essentially divides into two sections. The first five chapters establish the context for this evolving clinical specialty. In chapter 1, Larrabee discusses and advocates for having the forensic neuropsychologist (FN) view clinical application as a scientific enterprise, and recognize the importance of adhering to a careful methodological approach. I wonder only about Larrabee's observations, even though patently correct, concerning base rates of detection for various instruments. While important, such science is, in my experience, beyond the level of concern typically addressed by the Court and may sometimes even undermine rather than clarify a witness' expertise.¹

Chapter 2 by Greiffenstein and Cohen, the latter also an attorney, provides a more practical approach to the FN's role. It describes pitfalls and provides good solutions for establishing and maintaining a productive working relationship with an attorney. Translations of legal terminology and a glossary of lay terms to explain neuropsychological findings are included. The authors appropriately emphasize that the FN must remain flexible, that the lawyer is the client, and that the goal is to answer the questions posed by that client. This requires flexibility in choosing appropriate test instruments, and the ability to translate results into lay terms for the jury, the attorneys, and the court. The authors also appropriately underline that the process in such cases will be adversarial rather than clinical, and discuss the probable ways the relationship between the attorney and the FN may unfold. My only disappointment, and a very minor one at that, was that the authors chose not to provide a more detailed overview of the existant expertise and research that address such matters by experts in the field of forensic psychology. While a relatively new specialty, and one that often addresses research rather than clinical questions, a grounding in forensic psychology is critical, in my opinion, for any neuropsychologist who plans to function as either a declared expert witness or an undeclared consulting expert.

In chapter 3, Grote properly stresses the importance and perils of conducting oneself ethically in the forensic context. Any introduction to forensic neuropsychology would be incomplete without a careful consideration of the issue of response set validity (malingering), which Larrabee provides in a comprehensive chapter 4. The logistics and science pertaining to neuroimaging are thoroughly covered by Ricker in chapter 5, and serve to highlight the potential that this approach may hold in better understanding brain function in relation to injury or to the production of abnormal behavior. In no other area are more evidentiary precedents likely to be set in the coming years and chapter 5 provides a means for better understanding the enormous potential of this brain–behavior methodology.

The remaining chapters, 6 through 13, each deal with areas commonly encountered in neuropsychology and the law. Each of these provides an excellent overview of research and the factors encountered by the neuropsychology scientist–practitioners, as they try to apply their methods and knowledge to specific, legal questions. The first three of these “application” chapters deal with traumatic brain injury (TBI), beginning with Donders' chapter 6 on pediatric cases. Adult TBI is divided into mild injuries, which Larrabee deals with in chapter 7, and moderate to severe TBI, addressed by Sherer and Madison in chapter 8. Neurotoxicity is addressed by Bolla in chapter 9, and some of the more unusual, but commonly encountered, diagnoses in forensic practice, such as chronic fatigue, solvent exposure, and chemical sensitivity, to name but a few, are effectively overviewed in Binder's chapter 10.

The determination of civil and criminal competencies takes up the last three chapters, with Marson and Hebert, in chapter 11, guiding the prospective FN through matters of consent and capacity, with an emphasis on the aged population. Chapters 12 and 13 by Denney on criminal competencies and responsibility are especially comprehensive, and appropriately emphasize that the practice of neuropsychology in this setting must adopt an investigative attitude that goes beyond simply the evaluation of cognitive functioning.

As stated at the outset, I will be assigning this textbook. It is not a “how-to” manual, nor a recipe book for changing over one's practice from clinical to forensic neuropsychology. And neither is it a reference guide to forensic test instruments, à la Lezak, nor a treatise on forensic psychology. It is, however, an excellent, thoughtful and thought-provoking introduction to this area of practice, one that will remain a useful resource for addressing the controversies surrounding the practice of forensic neuropsychology.

Larrabee's text is a must-read for students and professors who wish to include this area of practice in their curriculum. It is ideal for clinicians and attorneys who know a little but want to better understand and appreciate how these two professions intersect, though “collide” might often be a better descriptor. And finally, even for those neuropsychologists who consider themselves seasoned in the legal arena, this text will remind them of the complex and myriad factors influencing their practice, as well as providing an overview of how the science of understanding brain-behavior relationships can be better and more carefully applied to legal cases.