The new book by Beverley East, Whose Signature is it Anyway – Complexities of Caribbean Fraud is a game changer and the first textbook published that addresses fraud from a Caribbean perspective.

Each chapter looks at document examination from a different perspective, i.e. examining signatures with no comparisons! Best practice is to have a known comparison, but when one doesn’t exist, Ms. East introduces a  methodology to assist in  identifying the signature. Ms. East has been successful in three cases where no exemplars were available for examination.

Throughout the book, Ms. East leaves no stone unturned. The book is filled with illustrations that demonstrate forty cases and how she was successful in her findings.

Having been in the field internationally for over 30 years, Ms. East has examined all types of documents where there was a difficulty with the examination that other textbooks did not adequately address. Ms. East thinks outside the box, reinventing methods of examination.

Beginning in chapter one she  addresses the misconceptions of handwriting identification. Chapter five address Examining without Exemplars – a method of working backwards.

A step-by-step guide in chapter eight examines illegible signatures and the relevance of movement in illegible signatures,  redefining the definition of the “master pattern” as habitual writing.

Chapter 14 covers the area of X marks. How does one know if a real X is genuine or not? Ms. East has created a formula that assists you to identify a genuine X from a non-genuine X and believes that chapter 14  is her best work.

In chapter 16 a multitude of sins surface — from Money Laundering, Matters of the Heart, Murder and Identity fraud can be observed.

She poses the question to  experts on what they believe the work they do is: “science or art?”

Three chapters cover the shared views of other expert examiners.  Why reinvent the wheel? Reed Hayes and Patricia Siegal introduce the reader to different methods of measuring signatures, and Sharon Hampton enlightens the reader about false knowns.

Ms. East completes the 400-page textbook with a glossary of words used in the industry including visual images for quick and easy reference.  This book is a real show and tell.

Ms. East hopes that more discussions will surface through lectures and future podcasts.

Available for purchase on Amazon, summer 2022.