Murder, He Wrote

Donald Hoffman is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Sciences at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

In modern crime fiction the forensic investigator has shed the anonymity of the lab to become a pivotal, dramatic figure in novels, television programs, and screenplays. This development rests heavily on the steady progress of science and technology; and new methods and instruments make accurate findings from scarce data evermore possible and precise. Dr. Donald Hoffman, formerly of the New York medical examiner's office, explains the profession, its impact, and its emergence as a major career field.