Tremors in the Blood Murder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detector
Ratings3
Average rating4
15
Ratings3
Average rating4
A thrilling account of the creation of the so-called lie detector, exploring shocking murders and dramatic trials to uncover the true nature of the polygraph.
Henry Wilkens burst through the doors of the emergency room covered in his wife’s blood. But was he a grieving husband, or a ruthless killer who’d conspired with bandits to have her murdered?
To find out, the San Francisco police turned to technology, and a new machine that had just been invented in Berkeley by a rookie detective, a visionary police chief, and a teenage magician with a showman’s touch.
John Larson, Gus Vollmer and Leonarde Keeler hoped the lie detector would make the justice system fairer - but the flawed device soon grew too powerful for them to control. It poisoned their lives, turned fast friends into bitter enemies, and as it conquered America and the world, it transformed our relationship with the trusts on ways that are still being felt.
As new forms of lie detection gain momentum in the present day, this book reveals the incredible truth behind the creation of the polygraph. Touching on psychology, technology and the science of the truth, Tremors in the Blood is a vibrant, atmospheric thriller, and a warning from history: be careful what you believe.
Reviews with the most likes.
The use of the lie detector, or polygraph, has long been debated on the legitimacy of its findings. While there are many circumstances where one might be useful, there are very founded reasons as to why the results are not allowed to be admitted into a court of law.
The author takes the reader on a journey, keeping one enthralled until the last word. The invention of the lie detector, and the many different cases that it was used on during its inception was fascinating. There are many different cases presented, and the issues that those running the tests were finding.
I absolutely LOVED this read! It was fascinating. I have a better understanding of why the polygraph is not admitted into a court of law, but truly enjoyed the different cases that it was used on and the men that were responsible for the creation of the lie detector. It was interesting to hear how many began a career in which they had not initially thought about going into the police force, but their changes and many of the overhauls that they put into place are still used today.
Evocative Evisceration Of Everyday "Evidence". In this text, Katwala shows the origins and history of the polygraph "lie detector" device that has been banned from many courtrooms due to its unreliability yet which lives on in the American zeitgeist. Katwala tells the tale via narrative nonfiction that places the reader in the center of the action and cases in question, then follows the principle players throughout their lifetimes as they try to justify their life's work. In the process, Katwala does a tremendous job of showing how truly unreliable these devices are, and even includes a brief discussion of more modern successor technologies such as brain wave scanners. Anyone interested in the American justice system absolutely needs to read this history of this long-debunked zombie junk science. Indeed, the only negative here is that the bibliography is scant at just 12% or so of the narrative, compared to a more common 20-30% in my experience, and thus the single star deduction. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
