Explores the development of the professional detective during the 19th century, giving examples of the methods he used to track down criminals and to convict them of offences ranging from petty theft to brutal murder. This book explains the development of forensics, from fingerprinting to tests that could identify whether or not blood was human.

Procedural drama TV shows consistently top the ratings and this book explores the very roots of crime solving, telling the story of the iconic Victorian detective and how he shrewdly cracked criminal cases with superior observations skills and powers of deduction. From murder to train robberies, we see how early police detectives cleverly tracked down killers and thieves to bring them to justice. We see the birth of the Victorian detective and his methods from "Prince of Detectives" Jonathan Whicher to the establishment of the CID and Special Branch, and the introduction of fingerprinting and earliest days of forensic science.