Uncovering the Mysteries of Death: A Look into the Work of a Renowned Forensic Scientist and Their Impact on Solving Crimes

Andantelle: This is truly a one-of-a-kind book. The subject matter—cadavers—would never be on my reading list. But I purchased this book based on a positive review.
The author Susan Black is an expert in the field and writes passionately on this delicate subject. She and her colleagues treat the deceased with dignity while studying the magnificent human anatomy.
Her many personal stories give levity to the text and many I-didn’t-know-that moments. I was most impressed when she sent a letter to the Prime Minister advocating for the identification of deceased remains in a conflict. Bravo on a job and book well done!

United States on Dec 28, 2023

Keri McManusKeri McManus: I am absolutely obsessed with this book. I literally cannot put it down. All I want to do is indulge in the contents of its pages, while I am snuggled up in a warm blanket.

If you love anatomy, true crime, don't mind the topic of death, and love a good read, I highly suggest this book!

United States on Nov 06, 2023

Carolyn: This is a great Sue Black book. Because of her job she deals with death and trying to identify remains of bones. She does this with great kindness to the bones and hopes to find answers for relatives. People want to know how someone died. She deals with consideration she shows this by her writing.

Naturally her job has taken her to Kosovo to try and identify remains.

She comes across as a considerate person with a job most of us would not want to do.

This is well written and in a style that can be read easily.

United Kingdom on Oct 23, 2023

Scarf lady: This is about the hardest job, told with honesty and humor, emphasis on the difficulty, the purpose, and excellence of the men and women who do it. You don’t have to work in the field to learn a lot.

United States on Jun 07, 2023

motype: Though I could not ever be an anatomist (my heightened perception of smell makes many things impossible for me), the subject is fascinating, educational and maybe one day I’ll even be able to use one of the bits of knowledge I learned here to answer a question that comes up in my daily senior citizen life as a library clerk. Or to liven up a boring evening out with friends. (I love Sue Black’s sense of humor.)

United States on Apr 06, 2022

Bill Babichuk: The writer writes with a steady hand, slowly revealing her admirable self as she simultaneously introduces her craft by taking our hands and leading us through her own introduction to it. Thoroughly engaging.

Canada on Apr 29, 2021

Salima: Sue Black is an amazingly gifted writer! I could not put this book down. It's written professionally, scientifically, with immense respect both for the wonders of life, and for the intricacies and changes that occur to our bodies after death. Sue Black advocates for how important it is to help medical students by pre-planning (if wished) one's own body as a donation to science, and she describes in introspective detail the gratitude felt by anatomy students who examine a deceased corpse, as they learn about the incredible intricacies of the human body. Sue Black vividly and humbly recalls her own experience as a medical student when she first learned how to dissect a donor cadaver, and learned about the human body, and the deep relationship of awe, humility, respect she developed with the cadaver she was assigned to.

This whole book, even though it deals all the time with bodies and body parts (rotting, to a certain extent, most of the time), is never gross. The author is methodically descriptive, never offensive, and -- at least for me as her reader -- she really helped me think about my own mortality in realistic terms, as just one more fact of life, the terminal fact of...

United States on Feb 07, 2021

Deada: Ho scelto di comprare quello usato, con un costo ridotto quasi il doppio del prezzo. La spedizione è stata molto puntuale e le condizioni del libro erano ottime...non saprei neanche distinguere uno nuovo. Grazie!

Italy on Oct 12, 2020

Eme: As a person very interested in medicine, this book has been great. I found it’s written in a very realistic and down-to-earth way. Thank you very much, Dr. Black!

Germany on Apr 01, 2019

Tiffany Lima: Do jeito que eu esperava! Perfeito

Brazil on Jan 05, 2019