One of the more interesting aspects of forensic science, at least for me, is the study of forensic anthropology.  It entails the analysis of human skeletal remains that is within the context of a legal investigation. 

During my academic studies, I took forensic anthropology as one of the requirements for my bachelor’s degree in police forensics.  I thoroughly enjoyed the class and it made me view skeletal remains in more of a scientific way.  I was surprised how I learned to establish the gender of a skeleton from major bones, such as the femur, cranium, mandible, and pelvis.    

In both of my novels, Compulsion and Dead Game, the heroine Emily Stone unearths human remains in some of her investigations.  In a few different chapters of both books, Emily tracks down the serial killer and the rural burial grounds of the victims.  She uses her ingenuity and experience to carefully…