Finalist, Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award

During his forty-two-year-career he helped detectives in Vancouver, Victoria, and throughout BC solve hit-and-runs, safe-crackings, and some of the most sensational murder cases of the 20th century. Vance was constantly called to crime scenes and to testify in court because of his skills in serology, toxicology, and autopsy.

When Vance was first called to a crime scene in 1914, forensics was in its infancy. Vancouver was the first police department in Canada to have a scientist on staff and one of the few police departments in North America to use forensics in investigations. Vance's knowledge of poisons helped solved a sensational death case, while his work in blood analysis allowed him to distinguish human from animal blood--and thereby send a murderer to the gallows. His work in firearms examination was leading-edge, and Vance was able to bring his expertise in trace evidence and explosives to solve dozens of robberies, earning him front-page headlines.

Vance's skills and analytic abilities were so effective that in 1934 there were seven attempts on his life, and for a time, he and his family were under constant police guard from criminals afraid to go up against him in court.

Blood, Sweat, and Fear delves into some of the most notorious cases in BC's history while giving a sense of what life was like in Vancouver during the first half of the century. At the same time, it reveals the untold story of the personal struggle of John F.C.B. Vance, a scientist who never lost his moral compass in the midst of corruption that reached to the top of the police force and to City Hall.

Eve Lazarus has worked as a freelance journalist and writer for more than 15 years. Originally from Australia, she is the Vancouver correspondent for Marketing Magazine and the author of Frommer's with Kids Vancouver 2001 (John Wiley & Sons). She is a former newspaper reporter and has written for a variety of periodicals in Canada and the United States including the Globe & Mail, the Vancouver Sun, Style at Home, B.C. Business and Canadian Family magazines. In 2001, she won gold and silver awards at the Canadian Business Press KRW's. Lazarus has a communications degree from Simon Fraser University and a journalism diploma from Langara College. Since becoming obsessed with home histories, she has written articles on the subject for Style at Home; REM; the Globe & Mail, and Nuvo Magazine. Eve lives in North Vancouver with her husband, three kids and miniature Schnauzer.

Eve Lazarus' profile page

• Short-listed, Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award

John F.C.B. Vance is an unsung good guy from a lifetime ago -- a dogged forensic scientist determined to bring British Columbia's murderers to justice, regardless of threats to himself and his family. Eve Lazarus has written an important history book that reads like a thriller. -Michael Kluckner, author/artist of Vanishing Vancouver and Toshiko

A fascinating true crime story ... Cold Case Vancouver author Eve Lazarus fill us in on Vance's vastly ahead-of-his-time exploits in ballistics, explosives and blood analysis, which earned him plenty of headlines and the wrath of an underworld that set out to permanently silence this recurring star witness. -BC Living

Eve Lazarus has written a detective story based on her research about a fascinating individual who was a pioneer in forensic science in Canada. The book includes interesting specifics about many of the true crime cases that John F.C.B. Vance helped to solve. -Douglas M. Lucas, former director of the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Ontario

In Blood, Sweat, and Fear, Eve Lazarus rescues one of the most important actors in the history of forensic science in Canada from obscurity ... Lazarus writes in a highly readable style, demonstrating an ability to distill what was probably a tremendous amount of archival information into a narrative that does not overwhelm the reader with excessive detail. -Ormsby Review