Nonfiction

Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector

Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector

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  • Create Date：2023-01-21 11:21:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Amit Katwala
  • ISBN：1666629103
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Summary

Henry Wilkens burst through the doors of the emergency room covered in his wife’s blood。 But was he a grieving husband， or a ruthless killer who’d conspired with bandits to have her murdered？

To find out， the San Francisco police turned to technology， and a new machine that had just been invented in Berkeley by a rookie detective， a visionary police chief， and a teenage magician with a showman’s touch。

John Larson， Gus Vollmer and Leonarde Keeler hoped the lie detector would make the justice system fairer - but the flawed device soon grew too powerful for them to control。 It poisoned their lives， turned fast friends into bitter enemies， and as it conquered America and the world， it transformed our relationship with the trusts on ways that are still being felt。

As new forms of lie detection gain momentum in the present day， this book reveals the incredible truth behind the creation of the polygraph。 Touching on psychology， technology and the science of the truth， Tremors in the Blood is a vibrant， atmospheric thriller， and a warning from history: be careful what you believe。

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Reviews

Alex ，

Well written。Great summary of terrible murders。Reading about Vollmer and his modifications to the police system early 1900s was interesting。 Enforcing mask guidelines during the influenza plague in 1918 was a chilling reminder of the pandemic。 Wasn’t expecting reading about how it doesn’t work even though it is still in use today。 Quite fascinating of reading about the intricacies from how the lie detector came to be to what it has evolved to。

Liliya ，

I really really wanted to love this book- and I did at first。 But as I read on I realized this is not a book about the origins of the lie detector。 It’s a book about the lives and dramas of its founders。 I immensely enjoyed Katwala’s writing style。 He was very descriptive and I really got into the story because it was easy to imagine it happening。 The book is also obviously well-researched and is very in-depth about the stories it focuses on。 Now， the stories it focuses on: basically a biography I really really wanted to love this book- and I did at first。 But as I read on I realized this is not a book about the origins of the lie detector。 It’s a book about the lives and dramas of its founders。 I immensely enjoyed Katwala’s writing style。 He was very descriptive and I really got into the story because it was easy to imagine it happening。 The book is also obviously well-researched and is very in-depth about the stories it focuses on。 Now， the stories it focuses on: basically a biography of the lie detector's founders and a very detailed look at two of the first prolific cases it was used in。 That’s it。 And even in those cases， the lie detector is a very minor detail and ultimately had little to no bearing on the outcome of the case。 It is very light on the actual story of the lie detector。 And maybe that’s because there really isn’t much to say about it？ The lie detector is a pretty big part of crime today， but there were only a few paragraphs about it being used- particularly in the modern world- beyond the two cases mentioned earlier。 I wished the author included a lot more cases about the lie detector being used。 What about when it was successful in a high-profile case？ What about talking about a newer case？ We only really learned about its controversies。 I didn’t dislike this book， and I enjoyed the first three quarters or so when I still had hope there would be more focus on the actual lie detector。 But when I realized there was no hope， I started skimming and stopped enjoying。 If I wanted to read about extremely detailed accounts of two early 19th-century crimes + a biography， I would like this more。 However， I wanted to learn about the lie detector， and this book unfortunately was a big let down。 And finally: if I had a nickel for every time an inventor of the lie detector married a suspect they used the machine on， I’d have two nickels。 Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice。Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book。 。。。more

Jeff ，

Evocative Evisceration Of Everyday "Evidence"。 In this text， Katwala shows the origins and history of the polygraph "lie detector" device that has been banned from many courtrooms due to its unreliability yet which lives on in the American zeitgeist。 Katwala tells the tale via narrative nonfiction that places the reader in the center of the action and cases in question， then follows the principle players throughout their lifetimes as they try to justify their life's work。 In the process， Katwala Evocative Evisceration Of Everyday "Evidence"。 In this text， Katwala shows the origins and history of the polygraph "lie detector" device that has been banned from many courtrooms due to its unreliability yet which lives on in the American zeitgeist。 Katwala tells the tale via narrative nonfiction that places the reader in the center of the action and cases in question， then follows the principle players throughout their lifetimes as they try to justify their life's work。 In the process， Katwala does a tremendous job of showing how truly unreliable these devices are， and even includes a brief discussion of more modern successor technologies such as brain wave scanners。 Anyone interested in the American justice system absolutely needs to read this history of this long-debunked zombie junk science。 Indeed， the only negative here is that the bibliography is scant at just 12% or so of the narrative， compared to a more common 20-30% in my experience， and thus the single star deduction。 Very much recommended。 。。。more

Wendy W ，

Tremors in the Blood is a very thorough exploration of the invention of the polygraph， its place in the history of policing， and its impact on the justice system。 At times perhaps a little too thorough， this book explores not only the development of the machine and its early usage but the personal histories of the men involved in its creation and very deep detail of some of the legal cases in which the polygraph played an integral part。 An excellent read for anyone with an interest in exploring Tremors in the Blood is a very thorough exploration of the invention of the polygraph， its place in the history of policing， and its impact on the justice system。 At times perhaps a little too thorough， this book explores not only the development of the machine and its early usage but the personal histories of the men involved in its creation and very deep detail of some of the legal cases in which the polygraph played an integral part。 An excellent read for anyone with an interest in exploring the flaws of the American justice system。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book！ 。。。more

Randal White ，

I found this book to be somewhat interesting。 It covered the history of the polygraph， told in somewhat the form of a novel。 After 30 years in law enforcement， I have developed my own skepticism of the polygraph。 I have seen it used in good ways and bad， and am still not convinced of it's true accuracy。 Rather， I found that the machine itself was best used as a prop， and that the real skill came from the polygraph examiners。 They could structure questions to fit their purpose。 All in all， not a I found this book to be somewhat interesting。 It covered the history of the polygraph， told in somewhat the form of a novel。 After 30 years in law enforcement， I have developed my own skepticism of the polygraph。 I have seen it used in good ways and bad， and am still not convinced of it's true accuracy。 Rather， I found that the machine itself was best used as a prop， and that the real skill came from the polygraph examiners。 They could structure questions to fit their purpose。 All in all， not a bad book。 。。。more

Valerity （Val） ，

This was an interesting deep dive into a vintage murder of a wife/mother of 2 back in 1922。 It follows the invention of the lie detector and how this case and others played into the success of the machine。 They began to feel that the woman’s husband was involved in her murder after it was at first considered that he passed the test。 Very good information on Gus Vollmer， a one-time mailman， and how he got into police work and changed it for the better in many ways。

Alisa ，

Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala is a discussion about how the polygraph， also known as the lie detector， came into being and use。 Although the creators of the machine did not think it was infallible in detecting lies， they felt it could be very useful for catching criminals。 The book takes us through the early history of the machine where the original team of three men works to make it applicable to law enforcement and usable in courts。 It is a story of how the machine caught the attention Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala is a discussion about how the polygraph， also known as the lie detector， came into being and use。 Although the creators of the machine did not think it was infallible in detecting lies， they felt it could be very useful for catching criminals。 The book takes us through the early history of the machine where the original team of three men works to make it applicable to law enforcement and usable in courts。 It is a story of how the machine caught the attention of people who wanted it for their own purposes and at times got away from its intended uses。The well researched book is written like a novel， it keeps the interest of the reader throughout the entire contents。 The author has found multiple examples of how the polygraph machine has affected people， from the lives of the creators of the machine to criminals to possibly innocent people who were convicted based on results that may or may not have been reliable。It is an enlightening journey through ways the polygraph has been used throughout the last hundred years， to new technologies that are being employed to catch people lying today， even though the polygraph is still being used。 It is a worthwhile investment of time and leaves the reader wondering about the many facets of truth and lies。 。。。more

Roxanne ，

This is a very intyeresting book about how lie detectors were created and how they are evolving with new technology and why they do not always work。 There are true life cases， my grandpa was a police detective so this is a fascinating read。

J Earl ，

Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala is an interesting look at how and why polygraphs came to play a role in policing and， also， in things as mundane as hiring practices。This is part origin story （with an emphasis on the people responsible for its invention and implementation） as well as true crime book （with the cases having the （mis）use of the polygraph as a common theme。 It is， throughout， a very interesting read。 Some parts appealed more than others but that was more about my areas of intere Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala is an interesting look at how and why polygraphs came to play a role in policing and， also， in things as mundane as hiring practices。This is part origin story （with an emphasis on the people responsible for its invention and implementation） as well as true crime book （with the cases having the （mis）use of the polygraph as a common theme。 It is， throughout， a very interesting read。 Some parts appealed more than others but that was more about my areas of interest。Police and criminal "justice" system intentional abuse of the lie detector is mentioned and shown through the examples。 No， Katwala didn't keep repeating the point verbatim every time， but any active reader can take the set up and follow the idea through the cases presented。Also， while other methods for accomplishing what the polygraph promised are mentioned but not elaborated on。 Makes sense since part of the title is "Birth of the Lie Detector。" I would love to read a book about other， possibly more accurate， methods for detecting lies， but I can't fault this book for not being what it never claimed to be。I remember taking a polygraph as part of pre-employment screening for a job。 My guess is that they were more interested in what an applicant might tell during the pre-test questioning than whatever a faulty test could actually show。Recommended for those who haven't already come to the realization that polygraphs are not reliable。 Also a good read for those who want a little more of the why as well as some true crime stories。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more

Teresa ，

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala。Holy cow， this was interesting！ I love nonfiction books like this， because it has never actually occurred to me to question the history of lie detection。 Yet， here we are， getting our minds blown！Tremors in the Blood starts when lie detection was just a twinkle in the eye of a few police officers in San Francisco just a few decades ago。 Through multiple anecdotes of crime in our history， the lie detector plays a significant Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala。Holy cow， this was interesting！ I love nonfiction books like this， because it has never actually occurred to me to question the history of lie detection。 Yet， here we are， getting our minds blown！Tremors in the Blood starts when lie detection was just a twinkle in the eye of a few police officers in San Francisco just a few decades ago。 Through multiple anecdotes of crime in our history， the lie detector plays a significant part， as well as the cops that pushed for it's use。 As many things， it's usage and history is incredibly nuanced。 Can a machine really tell if you're lying or not？ Is the lie detector responsible for putting away hardened criminals， or is it guilty of putting away innocent people that just didn't test well。 I also liked how it followed the individuals who innovated the product， as well as their relationships with each other。I loved the short stories throughout， although the book has a tendency to drag just a bit at times。 But I feel much more equipped to brag about my knowledge of lie detection at parties now！ 。。。more

Sheila ，

I received a free copy of， Tremors in the Blood， by Amit Katwala， from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book is all about the lie detector test。 The history of， and everything you have ever wanted to know about the polygraph test， through the decades。 This is a very interesting read。 I learned a lot， I have never heard about the EyeDetect test before。

Janalyn Prude ，

This book is about the invention of the lie detector machine John Larson was the creator of it and Leonhard Keeler help Tim and wasn’t early adopter of the program。 They would both go on to spout the benefits of the machine but Leonhard Keeler Would take it to places The ethical Larson wouldn’t agree with。 He wanted people to look at it as the scientific wonder it was important to be trusted， but Leonhard keeper would commercialize it and make it available for use in many facets。 This is a great This book is about the invention of the lie detector machine John Larson was the creator of it and Leonhard Keeler help Tim and wasn’t early adopter of the program。 They would both go on to spout the benefits of the machine but Leonhard Keeler Would take it to places The ethical Larson wouldn’t agree with。 He wanted people to look at it as the scientific wonder it was important to be trusted， but Leonhard keeper would commercialize it and make it available for use in many facets。 This is a great book for Robert of True Crime and criminal history。 It shows where they went wrong and why it is an excepted in court rooms today but it also shows how it very well could’ve been allowed there。 I found this book so good and didn’t know about any of this true crime stories。 I enjoyed reading about their early life and there really is no negative to this book。 Most of it reads like a true crime story and all of it is interesting。 I highly recommend “ trimmers in the blood！ “ I thought the author did a great job mixing their life the invention of the machine in all the places it went in the end。 This is a great book for anyone to True Crime library。 I received this book from net galley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review。 。。。more

Keely ，

3。5 One of my first times I was introduced to lie detectors was through the Jeremy Kyle show and other shows like that。 I always wondered if the results could hold up against scrutiny and if they could， why wasn't they being used more （aka in courts）？ I now wonder how many people Jeremy called a liar was actually telling the truth。 Probably a really high number。 He always seemed so sure that the results were bulletproof， when in actuality， they were so flimsy。 So it was great to learn about the 3。5 One of my first times I was introduced to lie detectors was through the Jeremy Kyle show and other shows like that。 I always wondered if the results could hold up against scrutiny and if they could， why wasn't they being used more （aka in courts）？ I now wonder how many people Jeremy called a liar was actually telling the truth。 Probably a really high number。 He always seemed so sure that the results were bulletproof， when in actuality， they were so flimsy。 So it was great to learn about the history of lie detectors and how they came to be。 How they came to be abused before dropping out of use， especially in criminal cases。 It goes back to the very beginning。 I would reccomend if the subject matter interests you。 Though I did wish it made a deeper dive into the lie detectors effect on policing and the courts。 It isn't as deeply researched in that area as it could be。 。。。more

Hamid ，

Essentially a set of true crime stories that weave a couple of murder cases with the early history of the lie detector。 The conceit is interesting but I think fails in really landing the moral impact of the lie detector on police society， something that the author begins to address right at the end of the book - tantalisingly there but with only a few pages of coverage。 As such， it feels like a story that lends too much credence to the quackery the inventors and users of lie detection systems th Essentially a set of true crime stories that weave a couple of murder cases with the early history of the lie detector。 The conceit is interesting but I think fails in really landing the moral impact of the lie detector on police society， something that the author begins to address right at the end of the book - tantalisingly there but with only a few pages of coverage。 As such， it feels like a story that lends too much credence to the quackery the inventors and users of lie detection systems themselves grappled with。 The lie detection， ostensibly at the heart of the story really should have been more of an interesting footnote and， indeed， the core of the story are the true crime stories themselves。 。。。more

Anatomy of a book lover ，

RTC

Stephanie Stedman ，

As soon as I was a couple of chapters in I was hooked！ Very well researched and interesting characters and stories surrounding the creation of the lie detector。

TheseHauntedPages ，

A fascinating read that dives into the history of the lie detector test and the problems is faced。A great read for anyone interested in true crime， history or law。Very informative and included newspaper clippings and photographs。Thanks to Netgalley for my arc copy。

Selena ，

A fantastic blend of true crime， unique characters， science and psychology， the book starts dramatically with a robbery gone wrong， resulting in the brutal murder of a mother in front of her husband and young children。 Of course， the case is not as simple as it seems when information about the grieving husband and a known family of troublemakers come to light。 Alongside the investigation， we have the story of three men whose lives become tied up with the invention， development and use of the pol A fantastic blend of true crime， unique characters， science and psychology， the book starts dramatically with a robbery gone wrong， resulting in the brutal murder of a mother in front of her husband and young children。 Of course， the case is not as simple as it seems when information about the grieving husband and a known family of troublemakers come to light。 Alongside the investigation， we have the story of three men whose lives become tied up with the invention， development and use of the polygraph or 'lie-detector'。 There's Gus Vollmer - inspirational police chief who genuinely wants to improve policing for the better when corruption is rife， John Larson - a young， highly qualified rookie cop looking to expand into criminology， and Leonarde Keeler - a charismatic teenager with a natural flair for showmanship。I found the stories of Vollmer， Larson and Keeler fascinating in themselves。 Add to that the intriguing story of their drive to get the polygraph accepted as a standard tool in policing and the cases it's used in and the result is a truly excellent thriller。 Cases range from the quirky （'The Painted Sparrow'） to theft， fraud and murder。 There is a glamour and excitement around the new technology， eagerly fed by the media and public of the time。 The book is well-researched and balanced - we hear about both the apparent successes as well as the failures and flaws of the polygraph。 There is the obvious impact on the defendants， for some， their lives literally hanging on the peaks and troughs of the polygraph's output。 It gave hope but could also deliver death。 It united its inventors but birthed a rivalry that divided them and the polygraph's legacy lives on today。 It's about how much we want to believe in magic and the darkness and workings of the mind。 Katwala really knows how to tell a story and I enjoyed this immensely - fact that is as engaging to read as fiction。 Definitely recommended！ 。。。more

Hannah Symonds ，

I found this book very entertaining， it is packed full of interesting facts about lie detectors， from the very first one used in a murder case， this has everything you ever needed to know。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I felt as though it was not too heavy but I did need to concentrate on it otherwise I felt as though I would miss something。 I love how Amit the author has written it so you feel as though you are reading a thriller rather than a history book， it is so cleverly done a I found this book very entertaining， it is packed full of interesting facts about lie detectors， from the very first one used in a murder case， this has everything you ever needed to know。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I felt as though it was not too heavy but I did need to concentrate on it otherwise I felt as though I would miss something。 I love how Amit the author has written it so you feel as though you are reading a thriller rather than a history book， it is so cleverly done and Amit clearly knows his stuff。 I can't wait to read his next book and see what he is going to write about as this book just blew me away。 I am now armed full of interesting things about lie detectors and how they work。 。。。more

Scrolled By Reviews ，

What is something humans love to do but hate others doing？ Lying。 Amit Katwala has chronicled one of the most famous and controversial inventions in police history: the polygraph （or lie detector to you and me）。Katwala starts with the scarcely believable story of Henry Wilkins， a man whose wife was gunned down by a thief in a tragic accident。 OR WAS SHE？ Well， yes she was。 BUT WAS ALL AS IT SEEMED？ Perhaps not， and soon the polygraph is called into action to clear things up。 Katwala details the What is something humans love to do but hate others doing？ Lying。 Amit Katwala has chronicled one of the most famous and controversial inventions in police history: the polygraph （or lie detector to you and me）。Katwala starts with the scarcely believable story of Henry Wilkins， a man whose wife was gunned down by a thief in a tragic accident。 OR WAS SHE？ Well， yes she was。 BUT WAS ALL AS IT SEEMED？ Perhaps not， and soon the polygraph is called into action to clear things up。 Katwala details the birth of the polygraph post-WW1 and its sponsorship by August Vollmer， a mailman turned revolutionary police chief who was busy inventing modern policing at the time。 The book is full of compelling stories and characters， all with different intentions， brought together by the fallible polygraph that eventually drives them apart。 While the invention and application of the polygraph is a story worth telling， what sets this book apart is the criminal cases that it details and the gripping way that Katwala tells them。 Until the 1950s， the USA was a place of constant， rapid and unsettling change and this book gives you a sense of how difficult it was to maintain order in a volatile society。 If you don’t believe me， strap me into the nearest polygraph！ 。。。more

Sophie Hines ，

Fascinating topic and very well-written。

Brian Clegg ，

There is something beguiling about the concept of the polygraph - the proper name for what is usually known as a lie detector。 Surely it makes sense， if technology exists that can tell if a statement is true or false， that lie detectors should provide an important adjunct to the legal system？ Unfortunately， though， despite a public assumption that they are scientific， there is absolutely no evidence that lie detectors work - and plenty of evidence that they don't。What Amit Katwala does in this v There is something beguiling about the concept of the polygraph - the proper name for what is usually known as a lie detector。 Surely it makes sense， if technology exists that can tell if a statement is true or false， that lie detectors should provide an important adjunct to the legal system？ Unfortunately， though， despite a public assumption that they are scientific， there is absolutely no evidence that lie detectors work - and plenty of evidence that they don't。What Amit Katwala does in this very readable account is give us an insight into the early development and deployment of the polygraph。 In part this is the story of three key individuals - two behind the technology and one a police chief who instigated the polygraph's development， though the larger part of the book comprises a series of true crime stories， introducing in some depth a handful of early legal cases where the polygraph played a role。The two developers， John Larsen and Leonarde Keeler， both seem to have had serious character flaws， and were single-minded in their assumption that monitoring blood pressure and breathing variations were sufficient to tell the difference between a true and a false statement。 While there is no doubt that some people do experience shifts in these metrics when lying， some don't。。。 and everyone， particularly in the scary circumstances of a police interview， is likely to have fluctuations that have nothing to do with the veracity of their answers - not helped by the way that many early attempts seemed to turn the whole thing into a media circus with crowds of reporters and onlookers present。The crimes are described in immersive narrative fashion， some taking place in the febrile setting of Capone's Chicago， though things start in the rather more refined precincts of Berkeley， California。 I don't usually read true crime books - I find reading about other people's suffering for entertainment rather ghoulish - but the context of the lie detector's development and public attitudes to it make it a rather different phenomenon here。Katwala is clearly more than up to the challenge of presenting these stories in a gripping fashion， and it is genuinely fascinating to see how the polygraph gained its reputation。 It would have been good to have had a bit more of the science as to why the device is unreliable and never can be trusted， especially in the context that it is still widely used around the world and is even creeping into use in the UK， where historically it has been treated with well-deserved suspicion。 Developments since the 1930s， including using various other equally non-definitive measures such as brain wave patterns， is briefly summarised in an epilogue， which is understandable given the focus is the birth of the lie detector， but perhaps could have had more detail。Katwala always makes it clear that this was （and is） a dangerous and untrustworthy device。 Arguably it is on a par with astrology - both are based on scientific observations （astronomy and physiological measurements respectively）， but both draw totally unjustified conclusions from those observations。 This is a timely exploration of this dubious technology。 。。。more

Edd ，

Brilliant book。 Gripping murder stories alongside a thought-provoking explanation of not only the development of the lie detector， but also why we as a species are constantly （and still） so enamoured of the idea of applying science to crime。 Full of interesting details and asides as well。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0