Rating: 
Summary: Not As Interesting as You Might Expect
Review: I snatched this book off our New Books cart at the library, certain that I would be staying up all night ripping through riveting text similiar to the writing in the book "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" by William Maples.However, I was disappointed. The book starts out in a promising manner with the description of an unexplained death and the beginning of an autopsy. The mystery of what goes on in an autopsy room is explored, and some interesting tidbits of information about hospitals and law enforcment officers are tossed out to the reader. However, the book soon slides into a confused and jumbled collection of segues about the main author's early life, laboriously detailed descriptions of the classes forensic experts take, too-precious inside jokes, half-baked and unsatisfying attempts at summarizing the history of forensic science, and chapters based on themes that sound good ("Bugs") but are somehow rendered tedious by the syllabus-like writing style and the lack of a connecting narrative. The main author could not resist dragging in a yawn-inducing discussion of the O.J. Simpson evidence scandal. He also spends an inordinate amount of time yapping on and on about a boring Russian murder case from the early part of the twentieth century that, for some reason, commands great interest in his family but is as dull as a butter knife to the reader. When we finally find out what happened to the murder victim who was introduced like bait at the beginning of this strange and awkward book, we don't care. The authors make no real attempt to humanize the victim, who was killed by his lover, and actually make the murder victim an unsympathetic character by detailing the handful of Viagra pills found in his pocket, his HIV-positive status, his unemployment, and by not describing what drew this unfortunate man to a lover who would kill him during a sex act. The authors need to go back to writing school and hope to get Ann Rule for their teacher. If you want to spend your evening courting a dull headache reading about autopsies and forensic science told NPR/Internet message board style, this is the book for you. If you want a really good, fascinating book about forensic science, pick up "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" ... or just about anything else.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Details
Review: I think I read this book over a weekend. It just kept me glued to the chair; the book was just that interesting. The book talks about what the medical examiner does to determine the cause of death and what evidence he / she can gather from the body. The book is not for the very week at heart, but it is not overly graphic or gross. The author just details so many interesting procedures and processes that you want to learn more. If you are interested in true crime or even the fictionalized versions this is a must read book. Even general reader's will like this book, it is that fast paced and gripping.
Rating:
Summary: Just downright BORING!
Review: I was a huge fan of Dr. Baden's HBO series on crime and forensic pathology, so it was with eager anitcipation I waited for this book. Once I received and read it I was dumbfounded. The chapters contain very little that is interesting, or better yet, entertaining. Overall, many, many references and indictments of the poor job done by the LAPD in the OJ trial! It's everywhere in the book!!! Over and over he harps on it. Not much more tothis book than a soapbox for him to complain about OJ, and bland stories of other experts in the field.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing read
Review: I was expecting stories of true crime and how they were solved through forensic pathology. Baden's book describes some aspects of forensics, but doesn't tell good stories. He boasts about himself, and his wonderful colleagues who are geniuses, and, yes, he complains repeatedly that we'll never know who killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, "those poor innocent people." Baden sometimes tries to make a teaser statement at the beginning of a chapter or section, to keep you reading, but there's no payoff. Here's an example: Baden writes, "Five years ago a woman in a small town in Alaska began her day by stepping into her white cotton underpants. Now those same panties are under the magnifying glass held by Dr. Henry Lee . . . " This is a prelude to a discussion of what a hell of a scientist Dr. Lee is. I never did find out about the woman in Alaska. Baden apparently didn't find her case interesting enough to recount here. Who was she? How did she die? Why did they send her undies to Lee? What did he find? What difference did it make? Why mention the underwear at all? Isn't Baden exploiting the victim just a tad here? I didn't see much interest here in the victims or their families, or even in the crimes. It's a self-congratulatory book about what a great job Baden and his buddies are doing, partly by keeping all their emotions tidily in check. Emotions and conflict and human feeling make for more engaging prose.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for paperback; better ones out there
Review: I was very disappointed in this book, especially after reading Baden's first book. This book is dull and has too much information about Baden and his own life. The text is also wordy and drags out and could have used more case studies. Also, I have lost a lot of respect for Baden after his claim of not being a hired gun when compared to his involvement in the OJ Simpson trial. I have seen more in-depth presentations into this trial the public has never seen and all the evidence points to OJ Simpson. For example, Baden should tell people that F. Lee Bailey's claim of police officer's sprinkling blood in his vehicle was a blatant inaccuracy. Any person with a basic understanding of blood spatter interpretation knows and sees the Simpson vehicle will quickly know that the many stains in the vehicle were way beyond that of someone sprinkling blood. Also, Baden leaves out that in the photographs taken of Simpson and provided to the Civil trial revealed Simpson had fingernail marks on one of his hands. There are better books out there on these subjects. For example, Dead Men Do Tell Tales, The Fly For the Prosecution, Bones, and Bone Voyage. Save your money and give these a try instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Could not put it down
Review: I'll admit it. On Tuesday nights, I am glued to Discovery to watch the forensic scientists at work. I am not in law enforcement and am not a scientist, I just love how they do the job of catching criminals. Dr. Baden's book is one of those that you have to keep reading once you get started. It is full of science, but doesn't overwhelm you. It is full of interesting people like Dr. Henry Lee. It is full of criminals and how they were caught or how the innocent were set free using science. I was so impressed, that I immediately ordered four more books on the subject, including one of Dr. Badens. This is a must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Kind of like an episode of CSI
Review: I'm glad I got this book out of the library instead of buying it. It's written in a breezy, conversational style, with each chapter covering a different topic. If you're looking for entertaining factoids about forensic science, this is the book for you, but it really doesn't go into any depth at all about the sciences concerned. I don't have a formal science education, but I like to read intelligent popular science books that convey complex topics to people like me. This book really disappointed me in that regard. It was fun but basically fluffy, like an episode of the TV show C.S.I. (Crime Scene Investigation). In fact, I seem to recall an episode about a smothered gambler that was probably taken verbatim from one of the cases described in this book. The book won't tell you anything you don't already know from all the shows on The Learning Channel that you probably already watch if you came to look at this book.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and imaginative read!
Review: I've read a few books on forensic science. Because I am biased for reading science anyway, I tend to like it when a scientist can manage to write a book which uses language well and who can do it with a sense of humor towards himself and his fellow scientists. Baden and Roach do this very well in this book. I inhaled the book, rather than merely reading it. It isn't the smallest tome on this stuff that I've picked up, but it definitely is the quickest I've read one of these. That I was disappointed at the end because it wasn't enough indicates the
wealth of the writing and the abilities of the authors. Along with other reviewers, I really got a kick out the forensic entomologist in Indiana. He sounds like my kind of scientist. Anyone going into this field had better have a strong stomach and a good sense of humor. Apparently the field is loaded with practical jokers, which doesn't surprise me. Having been in classes in the morgue with a doctor who loved to torture my sign language interpreters...I totally understand the need for humor in these situations. This entomologist sounds like subject matter for a book of his own. I also enjoyed the section on Henry Lee, probably the most famous forensic criminologist. I'd read his stuff before, and it was not as enjoyable as this book. But I gained a lot of respect for his talents from Baden's obvious admiration for the man. This book is an excellent educator. This is an expanding field of endeavor for several reasons, not the least of which is more people equals more deaths. And our society is not getting any less violent. I think the happenings of September 11th and the subsequent need to be able to identify the victims of terrorist attacks has made it clear we need more scientists in this area. I would wish that Baden and his colleagues who are able to write well and speak well would make themselves available to speak to large groups of young people. He treats his 'patients' and their families with respect. We need that respect filtered down to high school and college students, to perhaps make them think more carefully about their life choices and the impact they have on others. Great book!...
Rating:
Summary: Gruesome but informative
Review: Like sex and psychology, we all know something about death. As a forensic pathologist, Baden is an expert. He shares his expertise and fascination with cause and mode of death in this enthralling book. As a frequent expert-witness in his field, Baden has mastered the art of expressing his science in easy-to-understand terms, without patronising the reader. His passion for his subject spills onto the page like so many bodily fluids seeping inextricably into the text. Our authors revel in the gruesome and grotesque subspecialties of forensic pathology. The reader is invited to the Blood School where practising crime investigators go to learn about the ballistics of blood splatter. The course includes esoteric experiments where participants find themselves blowing mouthfuls of blood at each other to demonstrate what evidence may result. The squeamish among you may have your stomachs turned by a weekend trip to a leading forensic entomologist's ranch, where pigs are slaughtered and then, later, are re-examined for evidence of insect activity: this science helps to estimate the time since death of a corpse. As a source of many clues, heads warrant a chapter of their very own: the skull may be subject to facial reconstruction; dental histories can lead to identification of the deceased; DNA and evidence of drug use or poisoning can be extracted from hairs from the scalp. All of these stories are told with zeal, but also with an underlying gravity. Our authors take the scientific processes of collecting and preserving evidence seriously - experience tells them that any evidence may turn out to be essential in the examination an unnatural death. Vitally, it is truth that the investigator seeks here - regardless whether he has been employed by the prosecution or defence for a case. Baden and Roach take a potentially interesting subject and make it fascinating - and highly readable. The breadth of fields studied in the search of truth, and subsequently justice, is broad and continues to evolve. I wonder what form evidence will be found in next? Baden and Roach are surely qualified to tell us.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great
Review: Marion Roach and Michael Baden take you into the autopsy room and lives of a foensic pathologist, while teaching and educating
readers the fascinating (and gruesome) aspects of forensic medicine. The book is a fascinating mix of humor, philosophy, history and science, ending in an odd, but appropriate chapter on the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of pathologists, criminalists and scientists at a convention in love with a craft the public finds both gruesome and fascinating. Their writing collaboration brings out the best of Roach and Baden in a surprising well written, and sometimes poetic, passionate recount of forensic cases carefully chosen to illustrate the science. Several chapters were dedicated around top experts in the fields of entymology and blood spatter evidence literally taking the reader to school under the tutelage of some entertaiining teachers
True crime buffs and pathology groupies will not find the
material old hat-and novices to this growing area of literature
will feel the passion and philosophy of the doctor who 'listens'
to the dead to help learn what happened during their life,and
more particularly how they came to their end.
Along the way ,you'll learn the personal history of both both Baden and his good friend, the legendary henry lee. Their stories as to how these legends arrived who and where they are
today makes great reading.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest at all in forensic pathology and the lives of those whom the
science and search for the truth about the dead is their passion---with one caveat for the faint of heart--- be aware
of maggots . . .
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