Identity, John Sweetman
Identity, John Sweetman
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

Identity
Murder, Fraud and the Making of a Garda Forensic Expert

Author: John Sweetman

Narrator: Aidan Kelly

Unabridged: 9 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/30/2024


Synopsis

When a violent incident in his stationed town led John Sweetman into the Garda Technical Bureau with incriminating evidence, the course of his life changed dramatically. As a young garda struggling with personal demons, he went from being on verge of leaving the force to finding his true calling.

John spent the next 25 years as a detective garda working on the frontline of crime scene investigations - as both a fingerprint expert and, in later years, a forensic handwriting and document expert. His natural eye for detail and tenacity led him to becoming involved in many criminal investigations and high-profile cases.

From the brutal murder of Marie Dillon in Finglas in 1998 to the gangland killing of Raymond Salinger in 2003, John was involved in the search for forensic evidence at these, and numerous other, crime scenes. He later employed his handwriting expertise in the investigation of fraudulence, threatening letters and counterfeit documents, as well as the investigations into the callous murders of Jasmine McGonagle and student Jastine Valdez and the horrific Hawe familicide in Cavan in 2016.

Identity is both a fascinating insight into specialist forensic fields - that peeks behind the curtain of how crimes are solved - and a bravely told story of a misfit detective in a remarkable career.

About John Sweetman

For over twenty-five years, John Sweetman worked as a Detective Garda attached to the Garda Technical Bureau in Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park. He qualified as a Fingerprint Expert and later as a Security Document and Handwriting Expert and has spent the bulk of his career examining crime scenes and scenes of crime exhibits for the purposes of presenting expert identification testimony in Irish Courts. As a dedicated member of the Technical Bureau, John was involved in numerous serious crime investigations over the years, up until his retirement from An Garda Siochána in 2023. A keen artist, with an excellent eye for detail, John put his talent to use in the meticulous and exacting field of forensic comparison and individualisation, using the skills he acquired during his service as a valued member of the Garda Technical Bureau. John lives with his family in North County Dublin. Identity: Murder, Fraud and the Making of a Garda Forensic Expert is his first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ieva on July 13, 2024

It was amazing. I really could not put this book down. Even though the topics that John writes about are heavy and complicated, he has described everything in such a manner that a simple bystander can understand just about everything without having any previous knowledge. It was also very sad at tim......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on June 04, 2024

A memorable and moving account of 30 years as a forensic detective with the Irish police force. The authors own story of well-being struggles is well woven into the procedural details. An excellent read, with appeal far beyond true crime fans.......more

Goodreads review by Niamh on January 12, 2025

Excellent and interesting read. The stories and descriptions of cases he worked on and of fingerprint/document/hand writing technology were fascinating. This, coupled with his honesty about his struggles with depression and finding his own identity in his career, made it hard for me to put the book......more

Goodreads review by Tom on August 26, 2024

A most readable and informative insight into a fascinating job from the personal perspective of an author who was involved in some remarkable cases, all the while going through and trying to deal with his own difficulties. Highly recommended......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on October 12, 2024

Felt the first half was a very procedural but it really strengthened in the second half. You can feel his frustration at the bureaucracy and obsession with international standards. A really interesting book in the end.......more


Quotes

Unpretentious but consistently eye-opening book about ... life as a garda forensic expert Business Post

Sweetman acknowledges the good and bad sides of law enforcement, in what is an insightful and not entirely complimentary glimpse inside our national police force Irish Times