Every Contact Leaves a Trace: My Life as a Crime Scenes Investigator

Enter the fascinating world of crime scene investigation with this chilling memoir from a senior investigator.

For most people, dead bodies are horrifying. They are the physical representation of everything we’re afraid of - our own mortality, the unknown, the inevitability, and lack of dignity of the end.

But for Jo Ward, a dead body is absolutely fascinating...

For Jo, a normal day’s work involves getting up-close and personal with the dead - generally the murdered dead - exploring every inch of their battered and bloody bodies and finding the clues that will lead the police to their killers.

Every scene teaches her something new. Every murder is a chance to obtain justice for the dead. Because every contact leaves a trace... Jo Ward is part of a generation of pioneering women who lead forensic investigation around the world. She investigates high-profile crimes- murder, domestic killings, infanticide, and rape.

If you’re a fan of Sue Black and Patricia Wiltshire, Every Contact Leaves a Trace is for you. It’s a rare glimpse into a formidable woman and the world of forensics, chronicling some of Jo’s toughest and most groundbreaking cases, and offering insight into how she copes despite seeing the most shocking excesses of humanity.

Jo Ward is a senior forensics specialist in the West Midlands. She investigates high profile crimes, including murder, domestic killings, attempted murder, infanticide, and rape. Jo has been working in crime scene investigation for nearly twenty-six years. Her life and work have been the topic of a BBC Two television documentary, Forensics - the Real CSI.