Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand:

Dana Kollmann

Feb 2008 · Trade Paperback

About this ebook

“Informative, witty . . . Kollmann delivers terse commentary and gory detail while puncturing common misconceptions about forensics.”
—Booklist
 
Step past the flashing lights into the true scene of the crime with this frank, unflinching, and unforgettable account of life as a crime scene investigator. Whether explaining rigor mortis or the art of fingerprinting a stiff corpse on the side of the road, Dana Kollmann details her true, unvarnished experiences as a CSI for the Baltimore County Police Department. 
 
“Riveting.”
—M. William Phelps, New York Times bestselling author of We Thought We Knew You
 
Unlike the popular crime dramas proliferating on today’s television networks, these forensic tales forgo glitz for grit to show what really goes on. Kollmann recounts stories that the cops and the CSI’s usually leave in the field, bringing the sights, smells, and sounds of a crime scene alive as never before. 
 
“Raw and real.”
 —Connie Fletcher, author of Every Contact Leaves a Trace
 
Unveiling the process and science of crime scene investigation in all its can’t-tear-your-eyes-away fascination, Never Suck a Dead Man’s Hand takes you into the strange world behind the yellow tape, offering a truly eye-opening perspective on the day-to-day life of a CSI.
 
“Gritty, witty, and heartfelt . . . a must-read.”
 —Aphrodite Jones, New York Times bestselling author of A Perfect Husband
 

Ratings and reviews

I loved this book. I never got to finish it because I lost the book in the move to my new house.

About the author

Dana Kollmann has eleven years of experience working in a crime lab with the Arlington County (Virginia) and Baltimore County (Maryland) police departments. She has handled thousands of crime scenes, hundreds of death scenes, a multitude of homicide scenes, has testified in court on dozens of occasions, and has appeared as an extra on Homicide. She holds a bachelor of science degree in anthropology from Towson State University, a master’s in forensic science from George Washington University, and a doctorate in anthropology from American University. She teaches graduate and undergraduate forensics, criminal justice, and anthropology courses at Towson University in Baltimore.