Traces: The memoir of a forensic scientist and criminal investigator
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- Create Date：2021-10-19 00:52:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Patricia Wiltshire
- ISBN：1788700635
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Summary
In Traces， Professor Patricia Wiltshire will take you on a journey through the fascinating edgeland where nature and crime are intertwined。 She'll take you searching for bodies of loved ones - through woodlands and plantations， along hedgerows and field-edges， from ditches to living rooms - solving time since death and how remains were disposed of。 She will show you how pollen from a jacket led to a confession and how two pairs of trainers， a car and a garden fork led to the location of a murdered girl。 She will give you glimpses of her own history: her loves， her losses， and the narrow little valley in Wales where she first woke up to the wonders of the natural world。
From flowers， fungi， tree trunks to walking boots， carpets and corpses' hair， Traces is a fascinating and unique book on life， death， and one's indelible link with nature。
From flowers， fungi， tree trunks to walking boots， carpets and corpses' hair， Traces is a fascinating and unique book on life， death， and one's indelible link with nature。
Reviews
Nikki Forrester
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This was an interesting book that took you into the world of a forensic scientist dealing with soil plants etc。
Jess Chisholm
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The first case that Patricia describes is really interesting and had a lot of detail about the case as well as her role in the investigation however from there the detail began to lack， she brushes over sensitive topics throughout the book and speaks in great detail about her early life， mentioning very little about how she ended up in the job she describes in the book。 She even goes on to say that life just happened to her and she didn’t really work to get where she is。 She was often quite patr The first case that Patricia describes is really interesting and had a lot of detail about the case as well as her role in the investigation however from there the detail began to lack， she brushes over sensitive topics throughout the book and speaks in great detail about her early life， mentioning very little about how she ended up in the job she describes in the book。 She even goes on to say that life just happened to her and she didn’t really work to get where she is。 She was often quite patronising in places too。 Interesting stories but I wanted more detail。 。。。more
Tina
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You will know of her work， but probably not her name。 She explains how she examines micro plant life to assist in establishing crime scenes and perpetrators。 I needed my dictionary a few times！ To balance， she talks about her life， which has been interesting and challenging。 I like Professor Patricia Wiltshire。 ☺️
emma :）
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A very insiteful book and learnt whilst reading， there were words which I did not know （scientific names of plant species） but enjoyed it all the same as the names were often accompanied by their commonly used names。 Read it to add to my personal statement for university but enjoyed more than just extra reading。
Erryn
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my god i don't think ive ever hated an author so much， which was a shame because the subject matter was so interesting。 the author's unchecked privilege is apparent on almost every page， and the thinly veiled white superiority made me so uncomfortable。 really really fascinating subject， just wish someone else had wrote about it。 my god i don't think ive ever hated an author so much， which was a shame because the subject matter was so interesting。 the author's unchecked privilege is apparent on almost every page， and the thinly veiled white superiority made me so uncomfortable。 really really fascinating subject， just wish someone else had wrote about it。 。。。more
Jo Howe
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I found the subject matter of this book very interesting and， liked all the scientific detail the author includes- her passion for her work is evident and engaging。 However， the narrative was muddled and somewhat rambling and I found it incredibly repetitious。 Like other reviewers， I got annoyed at being given the same explanation and justification for the procedures over and over again in every chapter。 I also disliked her slightly pompous and self-aggrandising style。
Rachel Matthews
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In Traces， Patricia Wiltshire relays the story of how she became a forensic scientist working with the police to solve crimes by studying the microbes left on the bodies/clothing of victims and of those accused of killing， raping or otherwise harming them。 I imagine Patricia to be one of those people who is fairly unassuming at a house party until you got them talking about their subject of interest and then their eyes light up and they regale you with tale after tale of the things they've done In Traces， Patricia Wiltshire relays the story of how she became a forensic scientist working with the police to solve crimes by studying the microbes left on the bodies/clothing of victims and of those accused of killing， raping or otherwise harming them。 I imagine Patricia to be one of those people who is fairly unassuming at a house party until you got them talking about their subject of interest and then their eyes light up and they regale you with tale after tale of the things they've done and seen。 Traces reads like a transcript of what Patricia would say at that party should you get her talking about pollen。 Having not studied microbiology myself， I really struggled with some sections of the book。 When Wiltshire went into great detail about microbes and different types of plant and vegetation， I glazed over a little。 I was far more interested in her personal life but much of this was glossed over in favour of explaining how， by digging through the contents of someone's nostrils， you can find clues about where they died and at what time of year。 Wiltshire is clearly knowledgeable in her field and at times this came across as a bit condescending to those who did not share in her expertise。 I understand she may have felt frustrated at not being taken seriously by those who doubted she would have anything meaningful to contribute to criminal investigations。 However， I still don't think this excused some of the disparaging remarks she made about police officers first on site at the scene of a crime who unwittingly disturbed or destroyed some evidence that would have been important to her work。 For the most part though， Wiltshire comes across as a perfectly nice lady who has experienced loss in her life but has chosen to accept these losses and live life to the fullest。 It's admirable and the niche she's managed to make for herself in the field of forensic science is amazing。 It's a shame there doesn't seem to be a new generation of Patricia Wiltshires being trained up and that we will likely lose this knowledge when she leaves this world。 Still， we have her writing and her life as an example of what one can achieve in life if we say 'yes' to unexpected opportunities and see where life takes us。 。。。more
Lauhren
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This book wasn’t what i thought it was at all。 It was fascinating but i thought it was going to be from a forensic point of view， not a plant detective。 Sorry
Jen
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This book is an incredibly well written insight into Patricia Wiltshire’s own life as a palynologist growing up in Wales。 She talks of her childhood and its relationships， but also divulges in-depth police investigations （omitting names） in each chapter！ Her writing really gave me a better outlook of the field of forensics and its developments throughout the years; this book is a must-read， in my opinion！
Summer Lambert
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I listened to this in audio。 This book was heavy on facts， I can see how it might be too much for some。 But over all I liked it and learnt some fascinating stuff， the life of a forensic ecologist seems interesting。
Sarah Caroline
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Such a fantastically interesting and educational read。 Loved it。
Mary Walsh
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A great guide to forensics very useful for writing a crime novel， lots of information about flora and fauna and how it can helo lead to identifying murderers and the place of death。
Sharon
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Fascinating autobiography of a woman who taught herself in middle age to become a botanical forensic scientist and helped solve lots of high-profile crimes using the identification of pollen。
Can A Dino Read
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I found the contents of this book to be completely fascinating， I’m fairly interested in forensic so it’s always exiting to read and develop my own knowledge， I enjoy this book and thankfully it wasn’t to difficult to read， but I did find the some of the handling and wording of the cases to be a tad Insensitive especially around the cases of sexual assaults。
Gemma （Bookish & Brews）
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I enjoy reading about topic such as being forensic scientist and criminal investigator， that is what drew me to this read in the first place but overall it was a little too heavy for me if I’m honest。 I felt like I was reading a textbook in places。 I read to relax and I found myself having to read this is smaller sections to be able to get through it and in places wanting it to hurry up as I felt as though she kept repeating herself。 It was interesting to learn about being a forensic ecologist， I enjoy reading about topic such as being forensic scientist and criminal investigator， that is what drew me to this read in the first place but overall it was a little too heavy for me if I’m honest。 I felt like I was reading a textbook in places。 I read to relax and I found myself having to read this is smaller sections to be able to get through it and in places wanting it to hurry up as I felt as though she kept repeating herself。 It was interesting to learn about being a forensic ecologist， something I didn’t know too much about。 I’d like to have had more references to real life crimes and how she helped solve the crimes and less of the ‘text book facts & chat’ as I found those parts of the book really interesting。 Overall an Interesting， but heavier than expected read。 。。。more
Maynerd
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DFN somewhere before chapter 2。Stuck up and dreadfully boring。 For a fairly interesting topic， the writer really out-did herself in framing it in the most boring way possible。Kudos to the narrator though; she perfectly captured the horrendous tone of the book。
Katie
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I really， really enjoyed listening to this audiobook。 It was absolutely fascinating。 I enjoyed the forays into her life， and how she got to the point of her career where she is now。 Honestly this was fascinating。 Probably better to listen to， than read， as it was kind of like listening to a seminar or something。 All the things she is able to determine from a crime， from what traces the environment has left。 Absolutely fascinating。 Easy five stars from me！
Angharad
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This was really interesting and well written but there was too much scientific detail for me and I found myself skimming over some of the more complicated forensicy stuff as it went completely over my head 🤷♀️
Gavin And
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A very honest account by a very accomplished scientistA very good read。 I am no expert of either botany or forensic science， so it is to the credit of the author that they made topics exciting and accessible。 It is also to their credit that they were honest about so many aspect of their life and career。
Sandra
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Lent to me by my son; his own enthusiasm notable， it it hard to do other than reiterate Dr Richard Shepherd's "Engrossing and emotionally honest" as back up for the enjoyment of the fascinating depth and variety of new knowledge gained from this， as well as the insight into the writer herself。Superb。 Lent to me by my son; his own enthusiasm notable， it it hard to do other than reiterate Dr Richard Shepherd's "Engrossing and emotionally honest" as back up for the enjoyment of the fascinating depth and variety of new knowledge gained from this， as well as the insight into the writer herself。Superb。 。。。more
Saffron Snowden
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I agree with the previous comments about this book。 I also felt her description of the black woman’s hair out of order！ I have also read Sue Black’s book， which I rated 5 stars and found myself disappointed that this one did not live up to the same standard。 Had not heard of this branch of forensic science before so I had high hopes for this book。 Underwhelming。
Mrs Sheila Ann Button
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This was a fascinating book and factual for a change。 They say truth is stranger than fiction and you couldn’t make it up。 It is a satisfying read as things go well， not manipulated to make drama which is appealing to me in factual books。 The author is honest and covers the subject with comprehensive detail but also makes the book interesting with a variety of aspects。 I really enjoyed reading this。
Sue
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Ok book
Neil Merryweather
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An interesting mix between Biography and reference guide to one of the first people to use pollen analysis in helping police investigations。
Nick Davies
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Considering I chose this book from Amazon when trying to make the price of a purchase up to that qualifying for free delivery， on the basis that it was on one of the fist few pages of books on offer， this was a fortunate find， and was very interesting。I was expecting something more generic， having not read the blurb prior to adding to my basket， but what this very readable memoir actually is， is a lot more specialised。 Wiltshire is a forensic ecologist， and here she details her work helping use Considering I chose this book from Amazon when trying to make the price of a purchase up to that qualifying for free delivery， on the basis that it was on one of the fist few pages of books on offer， this was a fortunate find， and was very interesting。I was expecting something more generic， having not read the blurb prior to adding to my basket， but what this very readable memoir actually is， is a lot more specialised。 Wiltshire is a forensic ecologist， and here she details her work helping use her expertise as an archaeologist， microbiologist and botanist to help solve crimes via techniques such a pollen and spore analysis， soil inspection， and botany。I enjoyed it。 The author comes over slightly abrasive and old fashioned at times， but this certainly didn't make me respect her any less - her scientific bent and technical discussions were interesting， and the autobiographical aspects of this book also helped tell the story of how she came to develop this passion - a very impressive woman。 。。。more
Elizabeth Mitchell
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I am in no doubt about the author’s expertise， but this book was far too detailed for the layman。 E。J Mitchell
Rebecca Mack
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The science is fascinating and the stories are engaging and written in an imagination-catching manner - perhaps this is just me though but I found the author did spend much of the book explaining to us how clever she is。 Of course， I do think she is phenomenally intelligent， but I did have to skip the occasional paragraph that felt more like an ego-boost as opposed to a plot development。
Angela Randall
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I bought this book after listening to the author on the radio。 Unfortunately she came across much warmer on the radio than in the book where she came across as rather detached and a little patronising。 I struggled with some of the wearisome botany as well。
Rosie Jones
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I couldn’t finish this。 I appreciate that Wiltshire’s passion is evident throughout and her abundance of knowledge is appeasing to read， however I struggled to get through the first 100 pages and after that I called it a day。Too much focus on the smaller， perhaps more unnecessary details for my liking。
Laura Elizabeth
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