This book describes the emergence of forensic science during the early twentieth century. The story centres on England, rather than on Britain as the title may suggest – and this is acknowledged by the author at the outset (p. 1). In contrast with popular narratives dominated by high-profile cases, pioneering technologies and biographies of famous forensic scientists, the book is organized around a range of ‘scientific, criminological, organizational and literary’ issues (p. 3). The author, who is STS professor at Sheffield Hallam University, relies on recent social and cultural studies on the history of criminalistics, expert witnesses and forensic sciences. She employs a large number of printed sources such as police journals, autobiographical writings and detective fiction. The chapters are organized in a hybrid chronological and thematic order, beginning with the most general issues concerning science and the law, and ending with sections on police laboratories, forensic careers and detective fiction.

While providing an overview of the role of experts in courts, the first chapter recalls the common developments in early modern science and law: the crucial concepts of fact, proof, evidence, probability, error and certainty, and the hazards related to an epistemology of testimony, with the problems of trustworthiness and reliability of witnesses. In the second chapter, the author offers a general portrait of the main developments in nineteenth-century criminology and criminalistics. The tensions and exchanges between these two perspectives on crime play a substantial role in the book. Another important issue is what counts as ‘science’ in the realm of forensics, a topic discussed in several chapters from different angles: the new technologies of identification, the advisory committees concerning police reform, the popular detective fiction literature, and the ‘scientific aids’ movement during the 1930s.

The acclimation of Continental criminalistics in England is another recurrent topic. Particular attention is paid to the pioneering textbooks written by Hans Gross, whose English translations are analysed in detail (pp. 67–76). Fewer pages are devoted to other Continental works (for instance by Archibald Reiss or Edmond Locard). Although difussionist models are discarded, scarce information is provided on how foreign novelties were accommodated in previous police practices. The same conclusion applies to the minimalistic discussion of the advent of Bertillonage in English prisons and its replacement by fingerprinting in the early twentieth century (a section based on the well-known studies by Cole and Sengoopta). More details are offered on the emergence of the network of English police laboratories during the 1930s. Adam reviews several official reports concerning police reform and the very interesting Police Journal, which started in 1928 and was so crucial for the ‘scientific aids’ movement.

Another chapter offers a collective portrait of forensic scientists and their uneasy and changing careers during the first third of the twentieth century. Special attention is paid to the group of public analysts: their experience in food adulteration paved their path to courtrooms and further engagement in other aspects of forensic science. The final section is on self-representation in autobiographies, a popular genre connected to the detective fiction literature analysed in the last chapter. Adam claims that the connection between real and fictional issues in forensic sciences ‘is more subtle and broader than a simple two-way influence’. It has to be understood as part of ‘a common cultural imaginary’ regarding science, crime and social order (p. 185). The last chapter offers a comparative analysis of the fictional characters imagined by Arthur C. Doyle and Richard A. Freeman. Adam remarks that the adventures of Sherlock Holmes provide many idealized uses of the scientific method in detective investigations, but scarce information about the actual forensic techniques, which are described in detail in the stories of Dr Thorndyke. Other differences concern the literary stereotypes represented by Holmes and Thorndyke, and the depiction of forensic work in both crime scenes and courtrooms.

These dominant themes reflect the choices made by the author. The history of forensics is such a multifaceted topic that many interesting issues can hardly be discussed in a two-hundred-page book. Take, for instance, the imbalances between prosecution and defence in obtaining expert advice. Many twentieth-century experts claimed that the emergence of police laboratories reinforced these inequalities. Only wealthy defendants could hire experts who could counterbalance the ‘science for the prosecution’. The brief lines devoted by Adam to this conspicuous problem contrast with her descriptions of famous trials (Palmer, Crippen, Tichborne), which have already been studied in other books. Another questionable choice is the narrow focus on England, without any attempt at comparative perspective. The same narrowness is found in the critical apparatus. Even when talking about French or German contexts (for instance, Alphonse Bertillon or Hans Gross), the bibliography is limited to works written in English. Without comparative analysis and the help of scholarship published in other languages, academic readers are likely to be unsatisfied with the scanty conclusions provided at the end of each chapter. No general discussion is offered at the end.

From these points of view, the book under review can be compared with other recent studies such as the book by Mercedes García-Ferrari (Marcas de identidad, 2015) on the development of forensics in Argentina. García-Ferrari includes a review of critical literature and offers an excellent comparative analysis between Argentina, Uruguay and other Latin American countries. Moreover, many pages in García-Ferrari's book are devoted to European developments, including the work of Edward Henry in Scotland Yard, in sharp contrast with the single line devoted to Juan Vucetich in Adam's book (p. 109). The book by Keith Breckenrigdge (Biometric State, 2014) on South Africa is another (and very different) example of how historical narratives on local forensic technologies could be connected to both global history and current political issues on biometric surveillance, civil rights and collective resistances. In spite of the limited scope in terms of geography and politics, Adam provides an engaging narrative on the development of forensic science in England, which will be palatable to both academic and general readers. The book is likely to have a broad circulation and become influential in future popular accounts of the history of forensics.