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As most of us have a streak of the ghoul and a fondness for mysteries, Dr
Iain West’s Casebook by Chester Stern (Little, Brown, £18.99, ISBN 0 316
87788 3) combines the fascination of a true horror story and a detective novel.
West is a distinguished forensic pathologist of international repute. Stern, a
crime reporter, had a free run of the records of worldwide investigations,
stretching over the past twenty years, when forensic science made great
advances. As well as murder, the cases concern terrorism, disasters, war crimes
and mysteries such as the death of Robert Maxwell. Interestingly, the sober
writing suits the sensational subjects well.