Pointing from the Grave

A True Story of Murder and DNA

By: Samantha Weinberg

Narrated by: Nadia May

This is the true story of 35-year-old Helena Greenwood, a doctor with a Ph.D. in chemical pathology, who had recently moved with her husband from England to California. She was embarking on a new, exciting career in biotechnology when she was the victim of sexual assault in her own home. She survived and was scheduled to appear in court as the key witness against her attacker. But after moving to another town to escape her past, one morning she was found brutally murdered in her garden. Everyone believed the killer was her past attacker; but there was not enough evidence to convict him, until ten years later when a local District Attorney working the "cold cases" used Helena's own DNA research to finally bring her killer to justice.

Pointing from the Grave is not only a riveting true-crime story but also a fascinating history of the development of DNA research and its role in forensics, taking the reader on a virtual history of DNA with hard science presented in a very accessible and exciting way. It is also an unforgettable story about an unforgettable woman.

©2003 Samantha Weinberg (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"An expertly told, deeply satisfying account of a rotten crime solved by chemical sleuthing." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Fascinating stuff....a thoroughly researched account." (Washington Post Book World)

Perfect Book

This was the perfect audiobook for me--excellent writing, good subject, and great narrator. I learned about the history of DNA analysis as well as things about our justice system and human behavior. It was all couched in a gripping but tragic story about a woman scientist that kept me on the edge of my seat. It provided some technical details of DNA analysis but was not overwhelming or boring. I didn't want to turn it off. It was the fastest 12 hours of audio I have listened to in a while. Better than any work of fiction by a longshot.

GREAT BOOK - Riveting Story!

I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with a couple of the other reviewers here. First of all - this was a riveting story! I took the CD out of my car at the end of the day and listened in the house to see how it was all going to come out.

Although I agree with one reviewer that the narrator mispronounces a few locations, it had little to no impact on the book. Nadia May is one of my favorite narrators, and it's always a pleasure to listen to her.

While the historical background of the discovery of DNA and the subsequent discoveries regarding its forensic use may slow the pace of the book for some readers, there are others who will find this background information very interesting and inseparable from the story. Personally, I don't think we would respect an author who wrote a book of this type and didn't give us a moderate amount of background material on the technology that is at the heart of the story.

The one truth that really stands out after reading this book is the fact that while only one person was truly murdered, those close to the main characters in a murder often have their lives ruined as a result of one person's choice to take a life.

Can an audio book be a

I enjoyed this audio book, and didn't want to "put it down". Good work! I probably would not recommended this book for those who get bored with scientific discussions, however I felt the science was discussed in a very understandable way, and was appropriate to the story.

A little complicated

There was a lot of technical information that maybe was too in-depth for the overall story. I think it could have been told without some of it and I still would have been able to follow the premise of the murder case.

good listen!

I really enjoyed this book. I had to laugh out loud when you could hear a dog (or human) snoring in the background on occasion. It is technical but not so much so that a lay person would get lost or bored. It's interesting and I looked forward to getting in my car so I could listen again...I found the historical development of DNA as a forensic tool very interesting.