The Dead Speak: My Life In Forensics | Thomas Coyle

In this empathetic and darkly funny memoir, Thomas Coyle – one of New Zealand's most seasoned forensic investigators – pulls back the police tapeand walks us straight into the crime scenes. With sharp detail, he reveals how the tiniest fragment of evidence can expose a suspect, prove a motive orconfirm an identity. Sometimes, all at once. But crime scenes are only part of his story. The Dead Speak also plunges us into the world of disaster victim identification – a discipline where time,science and compassion collide. Where forensic experts are flung into a race against time to identify bodies in makeshift morgues as desperate families wait for news of their loved ones. Taking us from meticulous casework at New Scotland Yard to the chaos of the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand and the devastation of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, The Dead Speak is both a gripping insider's account of forensic investigation and an unflinching portrait of humanity at its best and worst. Fair warning, though: it's not for the faint-hearted.

Thomas Coyle MNZM has worked in forensic science for over 37 years, including service with New Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand Police. He currently works as a consultant forensic scientist and expert witness for the courts of New Zealand and Australia. Thomas is also a facilitator for the Ministry of Education, delivering forensic science education to students throughout New Zealand, and regularly conducts forensic workshops for corporate groups and professional training seminars. He is the Director of Forensic Insight Ltd (www.forensicinsight.co.nz), based in Albany, which he runs alongside his wife, Allie. They have one adult daughter, Hannah