This was an interesting listen, moreso in some chapters/sections than in others for me. But when it was interesting, it was *really* interesting. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF CRIME recounts specific cases showing off Wiltshire's abilities to use the natural world and her training as a forensic ecologist to help solve crimes, often violent ones.

I think the disconnect for me was that the book felt a little too detached from the events being investigated. This makes sense, as Wiltshire outright states in the introduction that in most of the work she does the body she is working on is just an object to her, although there have been a handful of bodies over the years that got to her and that she will never forget. But overall, you can tell it's the science she's interested in, and that comes off in the overall tone of the book.

The audiobook was very nicely produced, and I really liked the narrator's voice. This was also a double-sided sword, though, because I found her voice soothing that I kept drifting off while listening.

I might try reading the author's previous book, TRACES, as several reviews of this book note that one is excellent.

When this book sticks to discussing the cases and science, it is reasonably enjoyable. I can appreciate that this topic might be difficult to explain to a general audience, but I would have preferred to be a little lost than to hear the author’s opinions about every co-worker and her thoughts on lawyers for the third time. I feel mixed about some of the tangents because the book does have a strong voice, and you do get to know the author. However, there were moments when I just wanted them to end.

This book was about ecological forensics, which involves such things as plants, trees, flowers, etc. So many years ago no one knew such a thing could exist, now, it does and it is a growing field. In the UK where the author lives, she is the expert. She is the one who had to create the tests for so many of these leaves and plants. She worked on many of the high profile cases they had. It was very interesting to hear her story. I would love to hear more. I personally love forensics.

Interesting, but a bit hard to follow. I enjoyed the narrator a lot and it was interesting to hear about the different cases she covered, but, ultimately, it wasn’t for me.

This is such an interesting topic, and I generally find anything forensic to be fascinating, so I requested the audio version eagerly. I did enjoy the narration and found the tone to perfectly suit the text. It was very detailed, but not in a bad way - although if you don't already have some basic forensic or botanical knowledge (I don't think you need both - I don't have the latter at all) you may find it to get monotonous after a while as there is a lot of specific information presented. I found it interesting, but couldn't listen to more than a couple chapters at a time, despite an interest in the topic, because of this. I saw another reviewer basically compare it to a combination Miss Marple-Bones narrative, which I think is spot on.

This is the most British book on forensic science I’ve ever read. I don’t mean that negatively. I just mean that reading this book feels like you got invited to tea with someone’s great aunt who’s telling you all about her life fighting crime as a forensic scientist. Picture a real-life Bones with a splash of Miss Marple.

The narrative style feels like a conservation and often veers into tangents and/or the author’s personal opinions. The cases discussed were varied and interesting. They don’t always have a satisfactory ending, but unlike TV shows and mystery novels, sometimes real-life crimes just can’t be solved.

The audiobook is narrated by Charlotte Strevens. She dd a lovely job, but there was one moment that gave me pause. The introduction opens with the author talking about her distinctive accent and how it, along with her profession, often leads to interesting conversations. However, I have no idea what the author sounds like because she’s not the person narrating the book. It felt a little disingenuous. Also, I’m not British, so although she mentions her home county’s accent, I don’t know what that sounds like. I mean, I have a vague idea of what Welsh people sound like, but I would have preferred the author to have narrated at least the introduction or perhaps a forward or author’s note.

Trigger Warning: The author has worked on many criminal cases over the years and some of them were quite violent, heartbreaking, and/or disturbing. I wasn’t expecting some of the cases to emotionally hit me as much as they did. I think it was a combination of me not knowing of these British cases along with the fact that several of them involved children in the early 2000s when I was also a child. I think it just hit a little too close to home.

I requested the audio ARC of Patricia Wiltshire's The Natural History of Crime because I was curious about botanical sleuthing and this part of the audiobook is very interesting. Wiltshire details her experiences and provides significant background to give the reader grounding. It did, occasionally, become repetitive, going over the same details that appear in previous chapters, but overall it was a fascinating peak at her work.

I did, however, not enjoy the frequent "kids these days" asides about mental health or education or that we "seem to live in a blameless society" or whatever it may be. This came to a head for me when she started a chapter by saying that "wokeism" might have deadly consequences, but ultimately ends the chapter by saying, "who know if there was any meaningful link between the two incidents." It was a big reach and it just didn't pan out.

Finally, there were a few small errors that should have been caught, especially by someone who's whole deal is attention to detail (e.g. the "Body Farm" is not at Knoxville University, but rather the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Blake for the advanced audiobook.

I was so interested in this book, as I love behind-the scenes looks at different industries. While the narrator's voice was soothing enough to get me through the listening experience, the content was a little too in the weeds and to start the book off with a case that doesn't get solved felt frustrating.

audio-ARC from NetGalley

I'm quite mixed on this. I requested an ARC because the topic sounds fascinating: botany being used to solve crime? I thought that was the kind of thing that only happened on Bones!

And, indeed, nature's vital role in forensic investigation was a subject that I definitely wanted to learn about. Wiltshire's exploration of her cases, her observations, and the science behind determining plant types, botanical subtypes, locations, proximity, etc, were utterly captivating. I was especially intrigued by the story of the missing girls and the case of the man found dead in his bed. The fact that dust and pollen could prove time of death, who was where, and whether something had happened? I was mindblown!

I just think this could/should have been shorter. While I understand - and, at times, even feel! - her passion for the details of her life's work, some details began to feel repetitive. It seemed like every case had her reiterating the same points about the need for specialists to communicate in an investigation and the importance of certain steps being taken in a specific order until it started to feel like she was beating me over the head with it. She did a fantastic job of communicating her own constant frustration, but the paragraphs upon paragraphs in each chapter could easily have been cut down to a few sentences each.

There were also parts of this book that were, essentially, the narrator reading a textbook out loud. While I appreciate the knowledge the author wants to impart to the reader, it's very dense for someone like myself, who is not in the same field. It seemed like Wiltshire wasn't 100% sure how to balance the writing for scientist readers vs. more casual readers, thus alternating between university-level overviews and the overexplanation of simple concepts.

I am, however, glad to have listened to this audiobook. I learned a lot and am definitely looking forward to seeing what forensic botany can uncover next! Also, if Netflix or Hulu or Prime wants to make her life into a TV show a la Mindhunter, I would definitely watch it.

Behind the scenes of the murders that plaster the headlines, behind the police officers who give the public briefings, are the dedicated forensic scientists who put together the most minute clues to gain justice for the victims. Wiltshire’s book takes readers behind the scenes to the very unglamorous world of these detail oriented professionals

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC. 3.75 stars
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True crime meets environmental biology in this fascinating collection of case studies by Patricia Wiltshire. As a forensic ecologist, Wiltshire uses her knowledge of nature (across a broad spectrum) to help solve horrendous crimes. Whether that’s finding holly pollen in a deep cut or matching mud samples to shoes, her expertise absolutely pulls at my scientific side and I can empathize with the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated field.

Now, I will be the first to say that I am not into...murder. That sounds weird, but it’s true! I hardly ever read thrillers and I prefer cozy mysteries -- I’ve never listened to a true crime podcast and I can’t get through an episode of Criminal Minds without feeling ill. In fact, I almost passed on this ARC! However, I decided to stick around because I knew it would interest my students and it was so connected to my academic passions.

That being said, the narrator’s lovely accent reminded me of my grandmother and made the content much more manageable.

I respect Wiltshire’s ability to delicately describe the stomach-twisting crimes and how her research intertwined. She often references her previous book and keeps the reader in tune with updated information such as COVID-changes, made-into-movie coverage, and scientific developments. What does stand out is the slight rambling and sometimes sour-tone in the writing about her co-workers.

True crime, environmental evidence, and...gossip? Without dropping names (and sometimes actually dropping them), Wiltshire exposes the highs and lows of what it was like to work alongside her colleagues. And I get it, really I do, but these sentiments didn’t exactly suit the rest of the book.
Overall, the production of this audiobook was excellent. I split it between walking my dog and hanging out at the local cafe, taking breaks when I needed to process the harder-to-swallow details. The writing is targetted for popular-science lovers and true crime virtuosos, and with some editing, it could have been stellar.

-- Instagram post: August 18th

As someone in the field of criminology I was immediately intrigued by this. I found the topic fascinating. Wiltshire is clearly a wealth of knowledge for her specialty. I really enjoyed hearing about the cases she worked on and how her testimony / expertise assisted detectives in their investigations. However, I felt that the attitude was rather negative at times. I know that nothing is more bothersome than seeing potential evidence contaminated, but it sometimes came off "no one can do anything right." or "must I do everything myself?"

I enjoyed the portion about courtroom testimony. I know how nerve wracking that can be even if you're an SME - sometimes that makes it more nerve wracking, knowing that your words could be pivotal.

Overall, it was enjoyable and I would be interested in checking out her earlier work on the topic. I feel like I was not already a part of the field, I may not have enjoyed the tone of the book. I kept listening because it directly relates to my every day professional life.