The Law Society Gazette 103/23 June 2006
MURDER MOST FOUL AND TEETHING TROUBLES
Combining the grisly details of murder, sexual assault and forensic pathology with eccentric humour, narrative colour and an eye for the absurd is, one would think, the preserve of the fiction writer- and a gutsy one at that.
It should come as no surprise, therefore, to learn that Persephone Lewin is also pursuing the elusive goal of thriller writing success. Her eccentric and sometimes downright odd asides lifts the mood of what would otherwise be a dry tome. Her ability to give narrative drive and colour to the cases in which her husband, David Lewin, uses his increasing ability as a forensic odontologist to identify murderers, weapons and their victims is burgeoning rather than fully fledged, but she is very readable.
Bite to Byte is, in essence, a short history of forensic dentistry - more accurately called forensic odontology as it has evolved from simply identifying people from dental records. The book s thrust is the notion that people like Mr Lewin, in their forensic work, match patterns that happen to be made by teeth, and this pattern matching has many other possibilities.
In a neat progression, Ms Lewin starts with matching toothmarks on a victim, moves to identifying victims by their teeth, then takes us through matching an ashtray used as a murder weapon, an axe linking two murders to one assailant, a button on a pair of jeans, before finally returning to teeth on a zipper.
Ms Lewin writes with touching affection and occasional hyperbole for her dentist husband, slaving over a hot laptop or a cold corpse. She tries desperately to keep herself out of the book, although she only makes it half-way before throwing caution completely to the wind. But she is a welcome companion, and worth the attention. Who else would write the following chapter footnote?
Some people have a thing about bow ties worn outside of formal occasions. Their plus point is that, unlike ties, they are highly practical in places such as mortuaries, where ties can dangle into the products of decomposition. The minus side is that folk tend to distrust their wearers.
Bite to Byte is filled with asides, comical descriptions and matter-of-fact, sensitive writing when describing the truly awful things human beings do to each other. Ms Lewin has written a personal book, and it is this personality that drives the reader through what could become tedious stuff indeed.
It is difficult to imagine someone who invents a bizarre patron saint of odontology, which features as an occasional character in a book rooted in academic fact, not staring wide-eyed at the products of the evil that men do, while trying to apply putty to a corpses mouth and it is this connection she makes with the reader that makes Bite to Byte the unexpected pleasure to read that it is.
Rupert White
British Dental Journal Vol 200 No 10 May 27 2006
BITE TO BYTE
This book is an interesting mix of case histories that help to map the progression of forensic dentistry into the realms of tool mark work with a splash of humour from the author to lighten those darker moments.
It is not intended as a how to do manual, but tracks the development of bite mark analysis from the subjective direct tracings of the biting edges of the teeth of a potential biter to the more objective, reliable and reproducible computer-generated overlays. It is then a short hop to adapt this technique to other patterned injuries. However, getting this evidence accepted in the courts proved to be an epic battle and required team work from David Lewin (Forensic Dentist and husband to the author) and Mrs Lewin.
It is also a personal look at some of the milestones encountered along the way by David Lewin and covers some of the most well known cases that he has assisted, including identifications in the Newall murders in Jersey and bites by politician Alan Clark s dog. Each case is carefully described and researched to give the reader fascinating insight into the unfolding case, complete with characters and court proceedings along with the relevance of the dental procedures. However, no dental degree or computer qualification is necessary to enjoy the book.
It is a most interesting read and is suitable for all those interested or involved in the forensic world a mixture of scientific technique, forensic dental history, personal achievement and reflection. Although over 300 pages, it is definitely something to get your teeth into (sorry!).
J. Hinchliffe
