A KILLER HAD BEEN CAUGHT, CONVICTED AND SENTENCED, THE CASE CLOSED, ALL IN 114 DAYS. NO ONE SUSPECTED - LEAST OF ALL THE BOY ON DEATH ROW - THAT IT WOULD TAKE ALMOST 50 YEARS FOR A TINY PIECE OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: WAS HE REALLY THE MURDERER?

 

  • With each shovelful of sand the mystery grew. So did the questions. An ancient ship in the desert? Whose was it? What was it doing there? - The Case of the Desert Shipwreck

  • Bits of the shuttle landed in yards, swimming pools and open fields from East Texas to Louisiana. What caused Columbia to disintegrate? - The Case of Columbia’s Final Flight

  • There was no autopsy and no guests at the funeral. No photographs were taken. Whose body was really in the grave? - The Case of the Embu Skeleton

Savvy investigative work and scientific knowledge combine to answer perplexing questions and to uncover long-unknown truths. Using a trail of evidence clues, careful observation, laboratories and new testing protocols scientists reveal intriguing answers to such questions as: What really killed Beethoven? Are the Hitler diaries real or fakes?

Forty amazing stories of how scientists across a swath of disciplines solve crimes, reveal identities, untangle evidence and discover the truth.

  • Honour Book, Silver Birch Non-fiction, 2013

  • Nominated, McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People, 2012

  • Nominated, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award, 2013

  • Recommended, Best Books for Kids and Teens 2012, The Canadian Children's Book Centre

Reviews

""Case Files is a great book for any young person looking to spice up standard school curriculum in science and history, hoping to put a little scandal in a school project, or simply hoping for a good, compelling read."


- Quill & Quire

“Larry Verstraete combines his training as a science teacher with his talent for research. ...the fast-paced stories are so full of dramatic events and historical information that readers will be hard pressed not to eagerly read the book from start to finish!"

- CM Magazine

Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science
© 2011 Larry Verstraete
Published by Scholastic Canada
ISBN -13:978-1-4431-0000-7