Steeped In Blood - The Life And Times Of A Forensic Scientist (Paperback)

Reviews

"Klatzow has written a gem of a book" by Andrew - 19 October 2016

As South Africa’s pre-eminent forensic investigator (indeed, for many years SA’s only independent forensic investigator), Dr Klatzow has used his extensive experience and academic qualifications to investigate over 2000 cases. If a major crime in SA was particularly dark and gruesome, chances are that David Klatzow was involved in the investigation… Part memoir, part looking back at cases, “Steeped in Blood” is a book that reached out and grabbed me by the throat. Klatzow is no James Patterson, but he sure knows his stuff and, just as importantly, knows how to put big technical terms and concepts into nice, easy mouthfuls for someone who failed science at school (me) but still wants to know the ins and outs of his investigations (yup, also me). Klatzow reaches back in time to crimes such as the murder of David Webster, as well as the more recent murder of Brett Kebble and the mysterious death of Inge Lotz. He is a man that knows his mind and, if he disagrees with official findings, he doesn’t mince his words. This means that I finished the book with new perspectives on several major crimes (Kebble and Lotz among them) as well as some really big questions about the Helderberg aeroplane crash. Klatzow has written a gem of a book – one which provides information even as it raises new questions, a book which drags the reader breathlessly through the macabre landscape of SA crime since the 1980’s. And yet, “Steeped in Blood” is equally worth reading if you simply want to know a bit more about forensic science in SA. Either way, this is a heck of a read.