Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death: Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation Review

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(More customer reviews)At first I was hesitant to spend $120 on a reference book I couldn't manually look through (aside from the pages available for viewing through Amazon), but I took a chance. As a forensic scientist who is new to death investigation, this reference is well worth the money. From front to back, this book is packed with well-written, thorough discussions of the different causes and manners of death. The written information, complimented by hundreds of photos and illustrations, is presented in terms that are comprehensible even to those without a background in forensic pathology or medicine. For the amount and quality of information packed into this large volume, $120 is actually a steal. I absolutely recommend this reference for anyone who has a role in death investigation. Students of forensic science, if you're too broke to buy this, put it on your wish list and hope you get it as a graduation gift. It's a must-have that is worth the three-digit price tag.

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Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a collection of question-and-answer columns that Dr. Lyle wrote for Mystery Writers of America newsletters, so it's not exactly a comprehensive reference: some information is presented briefly, some is covered at great length, and some is repeated. But he covers a wide variety of topics useful to writers of mysteries and other fiction -- everything from the effects of various wounds and poisons, to what happens during a miscarriage, to who serves as the coroner in a small town. So, unless your character is an extremely ingenious murderer or suffers from a rare disease, you can probably find the information you need to write a convincing description. Also, Dr. Lyle has a good grasp of the writer's perspective, so he's very helpful in pointing out whether an author has "wiggle room" or not; this distinction isn't always clear in medical reference material. The book is easy to read, lively, and often funny, and if you're fascinated by medical details (how can the M.E. tell if someone drowned in fresh or salt water?), you'll find it enthralling -- but if not, you can always skip to the next question. Three thumbs up! (MY character has an extra digit.)

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Cause of Death: Forensic Files of a Medical Examiner Review

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(More customer reviews)Never having watched CSI, I was curious about why the daily goings-on of a medical examiner would merit a book. I did not have to read far to realize that this was fascinating stuff! Cause of Death demystifies what happens behind doors that no one ever wants to go through, but all enevitably will.
Dr. Cohle and Mr. Buhk allow the reader to see and smell the county morgue from an "over-the-shoulder" view. The authors present a perspective that preserves the sanctity of life, but damns some of life's behaviors and actions. The book does not sensationalize the macabre and sometimes horrible circumstances and details of death; it does reveal the bizarre, the terrible, and sometimes humorously ironic details that man (and woman)does to himself or others.
The writing style of the book allows the reader to learn more about individual victim cases. The reader can go along for the victim's last car ride all the way to the victim's last gurney ride; The reader can get a taste of the victim's last choice of poisen or the authors' last choice of music; the reader can experience how interminably long ten seconds is when a baby is being shaken by an angry father; and the reader can sense that the cause of death is not a television show to be wrapped up during a sixty minute time slot.
Great read!

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The body of a woman floats to the surface of a lake with sixty pounds of cinder block and chain attached to her legs. Her killer faces the death penalty if the prosecution can answer one question: Did she drown? A worker for the only US plant licensed to produce anthrax dies, the victim of a heart attack. But what caused his heart to stop beating? Follow veteran medical examiner Dr Stephen D Cohle into the world of forensic pathology, as he solves these and many other cases. Written from an insider's view, "Cause of Death" puts the reader behind Dr Cohle's shoulder while he examines each victim. The cases range from exotic murder mysteries ripe for a CSI episode to everyday casualties of heart attacks and car accidents. Every victim, though, has a story to tell.

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