Rating: 
Summary: Read How Dead Men Tell Tales
Review: "The new tools of forensic science are only as incisive as those who use them, which is why forensic pathology is in many ways as much an art as a science." Dr. Michael Baden was chief forensic pathologist for the investigation by the Congressional Select Committee on Assassinations into the deaths of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.Herb MacDonnell teaches a course on bloodstain evidence. He wields a hatchet, casting off drops of blood in the direction of his thrust and backswing (p.37). He is the world's leading authority on blood pattern analysis. He tells his students to save their homework for future reference. They didn't read about it in a book, this is firsthand knowledge (p.56). Page 62 tells the story of a couple who went wandering into the woods; the girlfriend never returned. When a hand was found, the boyfriend was indicted and tried for murder. Fortunately for him, she showed up at the trial with both hands intact! Some people are born with large arteries, which gives an advantage in longevity over people with narrow ones. This does not correlate with physical height (p.107). There is no study to see if this size is hereditary, or is the result of chance. Since 90% of what we eat moves out of the stomach in 2 to 3 hours, time of death is estimated from the last meal (p.109). After the Nicole Brown Simpson - Ron Goldman murders were discovered the medical examiner wasn't notified until ten hours later. By then critical evidence had vanished forever. Pages 150-153 discuss this topic. The low-velocity blood droplets on Nicole's back could have come from the killer, but were lost. A medical examiner doesn't know what he is looking for until he finds it. Certain bugs can tell us when and where someone was killed, and they do it with an accuracy that no man-made system will ever reproduce (p.162). Traffic deaths in NY resulting from people swatting at bees in their cars will disappear in winter and reappear in summer (p.163). Since the late 18th century when Paul Revere identified the body of Dr. Joseph Warren (killed on Bunker Hill), teeth have been used to identify bodies (p.212). Dental insurance has generated millions of X-rays and a database of identification for forensic odontologists. Pages 220-225 tell how faces are recreated from skulls, a technique that originated in 1960s Russia. English police are compiling the largest computer database of ear prints, and plan to use them like fingerprints in identification. This is a modernization of the Bertillon System, which measured specific parts of the body (p.224). Lip prints are also unique to each individual. Chapter Ten discusses the obverse side of this science. What if the forensic scientist cheats and lies about the evidence? Fingerprints can be created, a glove and blood evidence planted, etc. This shows the need for an assigned forensic scientist, like a Public Defender, for the indicted. Or an independent crime lab that can be trusted by both Prosecution and Defense. "Man prefers to believe what he wants to be true" said Francis Bacon. "Emotion in numerous, often imperceptible ways pervades and infects our understanding" (p.231). Forensic scientists, as humans, can be motivated by greed, stress, naivete, ambition, fear, money, or just following orders ("a team player"). Dr. Baden recommends using medical examiners in all counties of all states, who should all be forensic pathologists (p.235). This sounds true, but what if the low bidder chosen is like Fred Zain or Ralph Erdmann? All rules do not ensure equal results. Bad science can contaminate evidence by creating an assumption of guilt. The real perpetrator will escape, and prosecution will claim the accused was "let off on a technicality"! As Randall Dale Adams, who spent twelve years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. "Forensic Animation" is used to recreate an event for viewing by a jury; but it is only as reliable as its assumptions. It can be manipulated as easily as any other evidence (p.246). A 1996 DOJ report said DNA evidence excluded 25% of those charged in rape and rape-and-murder cases! And other crimes do not involce DNA evidence. Prosecutors conceal evidence of innocence, or present knowingly false evidence, in many cases. This is a very readable and educational book. The first sentence of the second paragraph on p.167 has a misspelled word.
Rating:
Summary: Read How Dead Men Tell Tales
Review: "The new tools of forensic science are only as incisive as those who use them, which is why forensic pathology is in many ways as much an art as a science." Dr. Michael Baden was chief forensic pathologist for the investigation by the Congressional Select Committee on Assassinations into the deaths of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Herb MacDonnell teaches a course on bloodstain evidence. He wields a hatchet, casting off drops of blood in the direction of his thrust and backswing (p.37). He is the world's leading authority on blood pattern analysis. He tells his students to save their homework for future reference. They didn't read about it in a book, this is firsthand knowledge (p.56). Page 62 tells the story of a couple who went wandering into the woods; the girlfriend never returned. When a hand was found, the boyfriend was indicted and tried for murder. Fortunately for him, she showed up at the trial with both hands intact! Some people are born with large arteries, which gives an advantage in longevity over people with narrow ones. This does not correlate with physical height (p.107). There is no study to see if this size is hereditary, or is the result of chance. Since 90% of what we eat moves out of the stomach in 2 to 3 hours, time of death is estimated from the last meal (p.109). After the Nicole Brown Simpson - Ron Goldman murders were discovered the medical examiner wasn't notified until ten hours later. By then critical evidence had vanished forever. Pages 150-153 discuss this topic. The low-velocity blood droplets on Nicole's back could have come from the killer, but were lost. A medical examiner doesn't know what he is looking for until he finds it. Certain bugs can tell us when and where someone was killed, and they do it with an accuracy that no man-made system will ever reproduce (p.162). Traffic deaths in NY resulting from people swatting at bees in their cars will disappear in winter and reappear in summer (p.163). Since the late 18th century when Paul Revere identified the body of Dr. Joseph Warren (killed on Bunker Hill), teeth have been used to identify bodies (p.212). Dental insurance has generated millions of X-rays and a database of identification for forensic odontologists. Pages 220-225 tell how faces are recreated from skulls, a technique that originated in 1960s Russia. English police are compiling the largest computer database of ear prints, and plan to use them like fingerprints in identification. This is a modernization of the Bertillon System, which measured specific parts of the body (p.224). Lip prints are also unique to each individual. Chapter Ten discusses the obverse side of this science. What if the forensic scientist cheats and lies about the evidence? Fingerprints can be created, a glove and blood evidence planted, etc. This shows the need for an assigned forensic scientist, like a Public Defender, for the indicted. Or an independent crime lab that can be trusted by both Prosecution and Defense. "Man prefers to believe what he wants to be true" said Francis Bacon. "Emotion in numerous, often imperceptible ways pervades and infects our understanding" (p.231). Forensic scientists, as humans, can be motivated by greed, stress, naivete, ambition, fear, money, or just following orders ("a team player"). Dr. Baden recommends using medical examiners in all counties of all states, who should all be forensic pathologists (p.235). This sounds true, but what if the low bidder chosen is like Fred Zain or Ralph Erdmann? All rules do not ensure equal results. Bad science can contaminate evidence by creating an assumption of guilt. The real perpetrator will escape, and prosecution will claim the accused was "let off on a technicality"! As Randall Dale Adams, who spent twelve years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. "Forensic Animation" is used to recreate an event for viewing by a jury; but it is only as reliable as its assumptions. It can be manipulated as easily as any other evidence (p.246). A 1996 DOJ report said DNA evidence excluded 25% of those charged in rape and rape-and-murder cases! And other crimes do not involce DNA evidence. Prosecutors conceal evidence of innocence, or present knowingly false evidence, in many cases. This is a very readable and educational book. The first sentence of the second paragraph on p.167 has a misspelled word.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Put
Review: A very good book. Anyone who watches forensic or detective shows can learn alot and appreciate the science involved. Dr. Baden has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. This is the second book of his that I have enjoyed. He is upfront, honest and good at his calling.
Rating: 
Summary: Expected More!! Very disappointed.
Review: After reading Confessions of a Medical Examiner I eagerly expected Dead Reckoning to be better. (Wouldn't you?) Confessions was written in 1989 and Dead was written in 2001. Dr Baden proudly announces a few times how many autopsies he has conducted (20,000), yet he mostly talks about other people's accomplishments. He is green with envy over Dr Lee. (whom a lot of us have seen at lectures- Baden uses his jokes verbatim.) I don't mean to sound too harsh, as I did finish the book (at that $), but, I still expected more.. A large amount of information was given to us again (from Confessions), the Bugs and Heads chapters had some new stuff, the Junk chapter was interesting due to malpractices, and the Reno chapter gave one or two giggles. Overall, a 3 star rating is good for this book. Once again, "okay" for beginners, but redundant if your a forensic nut. (literally :) Now, I do want to say that he did a better job than I could have done,(not an MD), but check out his reading list "Sources". They make for some interesting reading.
(My library has 45% of them)
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating for the novice
Review: Baden is a great guy. If you like HBO's autopsy, you should read the book. It is a fascinating exploration of science that I found enlightening and engaging. It is great for those, like me, who know very little science. I find investigations into crimes endlessly fascinating and this volume just adds to the intrigue of crime literature. The last two chapters are not as good as the rest of the book, but still worth your money.
Rating:
Summary: VERY interesting and informative book!
Review: Baden was entertaining, informative and - - it was just a really good read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in forensic pathology. I would point out, however, that he gave NO new information on the JonBenét Ramsey case, barely touched on the subject. The only thing he said (in three places in the book) was that the Boulder police didn't properly protect the scene and evidence was damaged. That's IT! SOOO - if you are looking for a Ramsey book, keep looking - but if you just want to spend the day with a coroner and really see what happens... this book is very, very good.
Rating:
Summary: Gore, Gore and more Gore
Review: Dead Reckoning is not a book for the faint of heart. Forensic examiner Michael M. Baden doesn't shy away from the facts; he tells his readers EVERTHYING about what his job consists of. The book has various chapters, all of them written with great care and professionalism. But the book is always fun to read. The best chapters are the ones on maggots, on heads and on the autopsies themselves. Baden recalls his experience while on the OJ Simpson case and during the autopsy of a corpse that could have been Princess Anastasia. He tells us about the strangest and dumbest things he has seen during his very long career, all the while sharing every single gruesome detail with his readers. This is a great nonfiction book that tells us a lot about this strange and fascinating profession. It's also a great true-crime collection of anecdotes and stories. A must for any fans of the true crime genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful writing!
Review: Excellent book if you're interested at all in forensic pathology. Written by someone who has done hundreds if not thousands of autopsies, this book gives a first-hand account of several interesting cases. You'll learn about "bug school," where students are taught how to determine the time of death by examining the types of bugs that invest the corpse. You'll learn about "blood school," where students are taught to reconstruct a crime scene by looking at blood patterns. These are just a couple of examples of the topics in the book. It's not written like a textbook, though--it's very readable and kept my attention well.
Rating:
Summary: Gruesome but informative!
Review: Excellent book if you're interested at all in forensic pathology. Written by someone who has done hundreds if not thousands of autopsies, this book gives a first-hand account of several interesting cases. You'll learn about "bug school," where students are taught how to determine the time of death by examining the types of bugs that invest the corpse. You'll learn about "blood school," where students are taught to reconstruct a crime scene by looking at blood patterns. These are just a couple of examples of the topics in the book. It's not written like a textbook, though--it's very readable and kept my attention well.
Rating:
Summary: If you love a good book, You will love this one!
Review: Fasten your seatbelts. Get ready for the exciting trip into the world of a medical examiner, who is known for having a part in the investigation of some of the country's most recent and most publicized criminal cases. There is nothing better than reading an excellent book, capable of sending chills down your spine. In this informational, attention-grabbing paper-back, Dr. Michael Baden walks us science lovers through various crime scenes and popular crime cases, throwing us readers into a frenzy as we try to speculate the truth. With the help of Baden's colleagues, this book gives an amazingly interesting insight into crime scene investigation and "the new science of catching killers". As part of our human nature, there is some part of us that finds the death of a human somewhat intriguing. Especially me, a freshman in college, hoping to one day become a forensic pathologist myself, the readers' mind is almost over stimulated with the cracking open of this piece of work. I could barely wait to turn the page to absorb the interesting facts reiterating the importance of blood stain patterns and even bugs to the determination of time of death or even the solving of a crime case. I must admit, this grisly text is almost guaranteed to churn the stomachs of the weak and frighten away even the average medically-curious individual. Dr. Baden seamlessly depicts images of corpses and their appearance after the decomposition process has begun. He is not ashamed to throw at you the monstrous illustration of a single head apart from its being. Even for those readers that have no prior interest in forensics, this book is capable of quickly persuading the minds of the vulnerable. Things that one may have once found horrid and gruesome may now be the motivation to read on. This book is an open door that provides the reader an enormous opportunity to explore a completely new world in medicine. For those that are even slightly intrigued by the disgusting but amazingly tempting tone of this book, it is a must-read. But beware; the journey might be a rough one. Be sure you are wearing your seatbelts.
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