'This book recounts some of the more significant instances of grief, tragedy and sorrow I encountered throughout my crime scene investigation career. Along with some relevant snapshots from my earlier frontline policing, they offer an inside glimpse into how this strange world shaped my view of life and living and provide an insight into the hard-earned lessons I learned, both professionally and personally, along the way. I seek to show how these experiences ultimately led to a transformation in my understanding of the true nature of death.'

Despite an intense fear of death, Ciaran Prior became a garda crime scene investigator, a job that exposed him to the very thing he had feared most as a child. 

In this remarkable and revealing memoir, Ciaran sensitively details his work on some of Ireland’s most shocking murders, giving the reader behind-the-scenes access to real crime scenes and a unique insight into the role of forensics in modern-day policing, as well as the impact that constant frontline encounters with death had on Ciaran’s health.

More than just a forensic police procedural, Traces of Truth is both a fascinating glimpse into crime scene investigation techniques, the character instinct and judgement required to see justice done, and a moving reflection on life, death and the traces that a career spent dealing with mortality leave on a man’s perception and psyche.