Scene of the Crime - Hardcover

Designed as fodder for young CSI fans, this procedural account of a fictional murder investigation features an allusive diary, a matter-of-fact narrative report with quiz questions and answers in a & Crime File - all presented in a split-page format and with appropriately wooden illustrations. A body found in a disused railyard storeroom sets off a full, if much simplified, enquiry that includes an autopsy, a meticulous fingertip sweep of the trash-strewn scene, interviews with several teenaged suspects, DNA testing, lots of convenient security-camera footage and, ultimately, a confession. The broad look at the many kinds of evidence that detectives can gather, from tiny fibers to cell-phone records, almost compensates for the rudimentary plot and near total lack of complications or equivocal information gathered by the police. Still, it's a popular topic, and kids will undoubtedly find it cool enough for one reading. (Fiction. 10-12) (Kirkus Reviews) --l.dickson@macmillan.co.uk

"Scene of the Crime" provides an exciting opportunity to step into the shoes of a detective. The story begins with a piece of evidence - a diary of one of the suspects. Amanda is a teenage girl who talks about her friends, their new mobile phones and their lives at school. So why is she a suspect? Could she, or one of her friends, have murdered the man the police have found dead in the railway yard? What's the truth behind the murder? Through forensic evidence, CCTV footage, maps and interviews, the reader has to unravel the story, checking their findings at checkpoints throughout the book with the Crime File - a booklet containing the investigating team's notes on the crime. With all the checkpoints covered, the reader finally tracks down the killer. This is a brilliant forensic science book and a fantastic whodunnit.