Book Review

Interest in forensic neuropsychology has grown exponentially over the past 10 years. Clinicians increasingly find themselves being asked to participate in civil and criminal litigation of one type or another. Somewhat surprisingly, the increase in demand for forensic expertise does not appear to have generated an equivalent increase in texts addressing clinical, legal and ethical issues in forensic neuropsychological practice. Consequently, Heilbronner’s edited volume is a welcome edition to the existing literature. In the preface, Heilbronner discusses why he selected a case study approach. As stated, a case study approach is somewhat unique in forensic neuropsychology texts and such an approach should help readers to integrate theory and practice. According to Heilbronner, the authors were selected for their forensic expertise and the topics (cases) were selected to provide a cross-section of forensic neuropsychological practice. Both civil and criminal case studies are included and the book includes a somewhat unique section devoted to ‘Ask the Experts’. While the case studies selected certainly provide a broad perspective on forensic neuropsychology, the breadth of the book may also be a weakness. Whether readers would be interested in a more in depth analysis and discussion of clinical presentations most commonly encountered in clinical practice as opposed to a cross-section of cases remains to be determined. In any case, readers interested in understanding the breadth of forensic practice in neuropsychology should be pleased with the coverage provided. The book leads off with nine adult, civil case studies including cases focused on electrical injury, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, sports concussion, toxic exposure and so on. In general, the writing is clear and the cases are formatted similarly, which helps readers to move from one topic to the next in an organized manner. Each case includes some form of background information, case progression, neuropsychological data test scores (in most cases) and the author’s clinical impression. A rather nice touch is the inclusion of a ‘lessons learned’ section at the end of each case. In many ways, these lessons could be a book in and of themselves. All of the cases are interesting, and there are commonly encountered situations, such as complications dealing with brain injury and co-morbid chronic pain (Martelli) as well as much less commonly encountered issues related to the chronic effects of sports concussion (Lovell). After the adult civil cases, four paediatric civil cases are presented, although Craig’s ‘On the Far Edge of the Last Frontier’ is much more than a paediatric case study. Craig gives an inspiring and figuratively if not literally chilling description of the Alaskan frontier and cross-cultural issues in forensic practice. This chapter makes for some fun reading whether or not you are interested in forensic neuropsychology. There is a nice review of the forensic process in Lynn Blackburn’s chapter on ‘The Evolution of a Forensic Case’. Dr Blackburn provides insight into the things that happen in depositions, pre-trial meetings and the trial itself. The insight that expert witnesses are only able to tell as much of the truth that opposing counsel allows is a valuable lesson for all of us. Again, the lessons learned sections are very valuable, but there are many lessons embedded in the text as well. The next section of the book deals with criminal cases. Barr reviews a case of considerable interest for readers who practice or plan to practice in criminal settings. Barr provides a perspective on approaching cases that highlights not only the emotional and intellectual intensity needed to do this work, but also the sheer energy and effort. Sullivan’s case on ‘Competence to Confess’ is probably something only seasoned forensic clinicians have experienced, but Sullivan offers several ‘lessons learned’ that all of us should heed. Finally, Denny’s case (Chapter 17) leads readers through a case that is instructive in many ways, including how to approach unruly attorneys. The lessons learned here are also very helpful for those clinicians faced with competency questions in criminal proceedings. The final section of the book is a section dedicated to ‘Ask the Experts’. Three forensic experts (Sweet, Greiffenstein and Lees-Haley) respond to questions regarding bias, training, requests for raw data, undisclosed consulting, flexible batteries, malingering and so on. Sweet, Greiffenstein and Lees-Haley responses converge and diverge on some topics, but readers will find their perspective and approach to common problems encountered in forensic practice to be informative and practical. This section of