K-12 Bibliography

Forensic Fiction

Benoit, Margaret. Who Killed Olive Soufflé? New York: Learning Triangle Press, 1997.
Grade Level: 7–12
Detective Angel Cardoni solves crimes using forensic science techniques. In this book, she investigates a French chef's mysterious murder while trapped by a snowstorm at a country lodge. This book is part of a series starring detective Angel Cardoni.
Branscum, Robbie. The Murder of Hound Dog Bates: A Novel. New York: Viking Press, 1982.
Grade Level: 3–7
Sassafras Bates finds his dog dead and suspects foul play at the hands of one of his spinster aunts.
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1985.
Grade Level: 7–12
In a sleepy village, a woman who was widowed under suspicious circumstances commits suicide. Her death, as well as her connection with the recently-murdered Roger Ackroyd, is investigated by Agatha Christie's famed hero, Hercule Poirot.
Cornwell, Patricia Daniels. Body of Evidence. Thorndike, Maine: G.K. Hall, 1994.
Grade Level: 9–12
In the second book in the series featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner of Virginia, Scarpetta investigates the stabbing death of romance writer Beryl Madison in Richmond, Virginia.
Deaver, Jeffery. The Bone Collector. New York: Viking, 1997.
Grade Level: 9–12
The Bone Collector is the first in the series featuring Lincoln Rhyme, a forensic science expert who retired after an accident that paralyzed him. In this book, he profiles a serial killer from home for the NYPD.
Doyle, Arthur Conan and Laurie R. King. The Hound of the Baskervilles. New York: Modern Library, 2002.
Grade Level: 8–12
When a local aristocrat dies suddenly in Baskerville, the township suspects the work of the Datmoor, a hound of an ancient legend, which has haunted the town for generations. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, are called upon to investigate.
Doyle, Arthur Conan, Malvina G. Vogel, and Brendan Lynch. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Edina, Minn.: ABDO Pub., 2002.
Grade Level: 3–8
The famous fictitious sleuths, Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, investigate foul play in Victorian England. The book features three Sherlock Holmes adventures.
Johansen, Iris. Body of Lies. New York: Bantam Books, 2002.
Grade Level: 9–12
This book is one in a series starring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan. A high-ranking government official summons her to Baton Rouge to identify the remains of an unknown murder victim.
Keene, Carolyn. The Crime Lab Case. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002.
Grade Level: 3–7
A mystery arises involving a high school teacher as the story's protagonist, Nancy Drew, a detective, volunteers at a forensic science camp.
Lovett, Sarah. Dark Alchemy: A Dr. Sylvia Strange Novel. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Grade Level: 9–12
Forensic psychologist Sylvia Strange, who works in Mexico and California, is recruited to create a psychological profile of the main suspect in a poisoning case.
Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game. New York: Puffin Books, 1992.
Grade Level: 6–8
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
Reichs, Kathy. Déjà Dead. New York: Scribner, 1997.
Grade Level: 9–12
Quebecois forensic anthropologist Dr. Brennan unearths shocking acts of violence by reading the bones of the dead.
Teitelbaum, Michael. JLA Batman's Guide to Crime and Detection. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2003.
Grade Level: 4–8
The Dark Knight of Gotham takes readers behind the scenes in the world of law enforcement, showing how the police catch criminals.
White, Stephen. Cold Case. New York: Dutton, 2000.
Grade Level: 9–12
Cold Case is a part of the series featuring Alan Gregory who uses his expertise as a clinical psychologist to solve a crime. He pairs with his wife, the Boulder County Assistant D.A. Lauren Crowder, to investigate the murder of two girls in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Wright, Betty Ren. The Dollhouse Murders. New York: Holiday House, 1983.
Grade Level: 3–7
The protagonist and her mentally-challenged sister unravel a mystery surrounding grisly murders that took place years earlier and that are connected to a ghostly dollhouse.