The Blood Says Otherwise

Absorbing true crime account of years at the frontline of crime scene reconstruction – from cold-blooded killings and gang wars to cold cases revived by a single clue.

A compelling account of Ruben Miller’s years working as a forensic scientist, visiting crime scenes and gathering evidence. His detailed descriptions of what he sees are often heart-breaking. The behaviour of the people he meets – lawyers, police, the media and even the occasional suspect – is always fascinating and occasionally hilarious. Insights into the techniques of forensic science give a fascinating view of what it can and can’t do vs what the public, and even legal experts, expect.

With unflinching honesty and flashes of dark humour, Ruben takes readers beyond the police tape to the questions that hang heavy in the air and the small details that change everything.

Part true-crime and part memoir – this is what it really takes to face the darkest scenes, and still walk away.

Author Biography

Ruben Miller is a forensic scientist who spent 22 years working on crime scenes across Aotearoa New Zealand. He specialised in reconstructing crimes and collaborated closely with police on high-profile and challenging investigations. From Cape Reinga to the Kaimanawas, he has been invited into New Zealand homes for all the wrong reasons. In 2023, he left his job after accepting that it had taken a considerable toll, an experience that prompted him to reflect more deeply on the human cost of frontline forensic work.

He lives in Auckland where he writes, gives talks, reviews criminal cases for New Zealand courts and tries to stay curious.