Expert Witness by Professor Sue Black

From Britain’s best-known forensic scientist, a book that explains what forensic science is, how it evolved and, through a series of landmark cases, the shocking truth about where it is headed.

The relationship between law enforcement, science and the legal system is a complicated one. When it works well, it makes compelling television. Equally, when it does not work well, it makes for compelling and explosive news headlines.

In The Life and Death of Forensic Science, pioneering forensic scientist, anatomist and forensic anthropologist Sue Black puts the relationship between these different institutions, and how they are all impacted by the role of the expert witness, under the microscope.

Through shocking landmark cases that expose both the strengths and weaknesses of the interconnection between the three key players in this act – the investigator, the scientist and the lawyer – she probes- In which cases did we get it right? In which did we get it wrong? And if we had done it differently, might the pendulum of justice have swung another way?

Incisive and compelling, following the impact of advances in technology to changes in funding and the effect of our gladiatorial system, Professor Dame Sue Black tracks the journey of this most intriguing of sciences through to its inevitable conclusion – and the toll it may take not only on experts but ultimately how justice plays out.

About the Author: Professor Dame Sue Black is one of the world’s leading anatomists and forensic anthropologists. She is also the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University. She was the lead anthropologist for the British Forensic Team’s work in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo, and she was one of the first forensic scientists to travel to Thailand following the Indian Ocean tsunami to provide assistance in identifying the dead. Sue is a familiar face in the media, where documentaries have been filmed about her work, and she led the highly successful BBC 2 series History Cold Case.

Sue was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to forensic anthropology.

She is the author of the critically acclaimed Sunday Times bestseller All That Remains.

02 Jul 2026
 

An Expert Witness: Forensic Science on Trial by Professor Sue Black ISBN 9781529960884