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Unnatural Causes Hardcover – September 20, 2018

by Richard Shepherd (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 20,878 ratings
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Included in The Times Books of the Year 2018

'An absolutely brilliant book. I really recommend it, I don't often say that but it's fascinating' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

'One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down' The Times

__________

Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd.

He solves the mysteries of unexplained or sudden death.

He's a detective in his own right.

And he has one, ultimate and pressing question to answer:

How did this person die?

Unnatural Causes is an unputdownable record of an extraordinary life, a unique insight into a remarkable profession, and above all a powerful and reassuring testament to lives cut short.

__________

Dr Shepherd has faced serial killers, natural disaster, 'perfect murders' and freak accidents, all in the pursuit of the truth.

And while he's been involved in some of the most high-profile cases of recent times, it's often the less well-known encounters that prove the most perplexing, intriguing and even bizarre.

In or out of the public eye, his evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads.

But a life in death, bearing witness to some of humanity's darkest corners, exacts a price and Shepherd doesn't flinch from counting the cost to him and his family.

The dead do not hide the truth and they never lie. Through me the dead can speak . . .

'Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel' Guardian

'Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing' Richard and Judy, Daily Express

'Heart-wrenchingly honest' Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains

'Fascinating, insightful, candid, compassionate' Observer

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Michael Joseph
  4. Publication date
    September 20, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.42 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0718182715
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0718182717
  8. See all details
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  1. Embarrassment is just the kind of worldly concern which I believe the dying relinquish, often perhaps with relief.
    Highlighted by 279 Kindle readers
  2. There are three ways a body can decompose: by putrefaction, mummification or adipocere, of which putrefaction is by far the most common.
    Highlighted by 204 Kindle readers
  3. And so, truth, that elastic commodity I once thought so immutable, becomes a question not of fact but of definition.
    Highlighted by 156 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Unnatural Causes gives a sense of the toll that dealing with so many dead bodies takes. It's a very human book that looks at the cases he has been involved with, from the Hungerford massacre to the murder of Stephen Lawrence - - The Times (Books of the Year, 2018)

One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down - - The Times

Fabulous . . . The UK's top pathologist investigating high-profile deaths such as that of Diana, Princess of Wales - - The Sunday Post

Heart-wrenchingly honest - - Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains

Partly an autobiography, but also a love letter to pathology. It's dignified and graceful and painfully honest about the human and emotional cost of so much time with the dead. Insightful, moving and mesmerising - - Marylebone Journal

Darkly fascinating - - Daily Mirror

Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel - - Guardian

Insightful, candid and compassionate - - Observer

Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing - - Richard and Judy, Daily Express

About the Author

Richard Shepherd trained as a doctor at St George's Hospital medical school at Hyde Park Corner, qualifying in 1977 and then completed his postgraduate training as a forensic pathologist in 1987. He immediately joined what was then the elite forensic department at Guy's Hospital. He has been involved nationally and internationally in the forensic investigation of thousands of deaths from unnatural causes, from headline-making murders to mass natural disasters, and many sudden and unexplained deaths that his investigations showed were from natural causes or due to accidents. His skills and expertise still remain in demand around the world.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Michael Joseph (September 20, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0718182715
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0718182717
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.39 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.42 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 20,878 ratings

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Richard Shepherd

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
20,878 global ratings
Good book, poor quality
4 Stars
Good book, poor quality
The book is great. Enjoyed it throughout. However, I purchased the book “new” and it not only arrived a week and a half after it was supposed to, it arrived with scratched/peeling covers and torn pages. If I’m paying for a new copy of a book, I’d like to actually recieve a new copy and not one that clearly is extremely secondhand. For almost $20 this was very disappointing and I’m thankful it was not for a gift.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amy M
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable!
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
Dr Shepherd, I enjoyed this book thoroughly. You taught me so much about forensic pathology and how it affected you personally as a human. You took us along an amazing journey across your entire career and it was fascinating. I applaud you for sharing your experience with PTSD, depression and slowly coming out of the darkness. Thank you for such a great book. I crave more!
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Fastidious Kingdoms
4.0 out of 5 stars engrossing
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2024
Verified Purchase
Dr Shepherd offers an engrossing look at the lives of cadavers. First, I thank Dr Shepherd for various tidbits about death: that the abdomen decomposes first, and that babies are more likely to mummify than adults.

Shepherd also knows how to write, such as this sentence about the 9/11 coroners’ setup in NYC: “The bodies were treated with great respect and the trailers were kept clean and well ordered, the Stars and Stripes a reminder of the state and the containers of flowers a reminder of the people.”

Unfortunately, Shepherd frequently lapses into the passive voice, making for poor scene setting: “However, my denials were ignored and my protests taken as somehow incriminating.” Had Shepherd focused on his wordsmithing, I might understand how he became a forensic pathologist instead of a coroner (and why that difference matters). His quests to help corrections officers better learn to restrain prisoners might have formed a nice arc, rather than meriting a few pages at the outset and an occasional mention thrown in thereafter.

And perhaps, told in stronger words, his description of the privatization of forensic pathologists in the UK would have made sense to this American. I can’t fathom how the UK would ever need fewer forensic pathologists. Also, he taught at university? When did this happen?

Finally, his experiments with meat, pillows, and knife wounds also eventually fizzles out. Why on Earth did he not apply for funding to create a lab devoted to splatter science? And why didn’t he spare a chapter to explaining (with diagrams) the basic science of knife wounds and blood splatter?

That aside, the Shepherd’s life removed comes full circle in the last 10%.
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Sotto voce
5.0 out of 5 stars Unnaturally superb writing too
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
I read a review about Shepherd’s book in the London Sunday Times. I’m a sucker on the subject and bought the Kindle at an absurd price the same day.

The first thing I noticed is that Shepherd is one hellacious good writer. From the first sentence and paragraph, I was reading a gifted writer. The writing just gets better as you progress. He incorporates his family, related social and technical debates in time and place, and everyday details in an extraordinary effective manner. He traces an increasingly vile trial evolution into withering defense 'personal incompetence' strategies.

Shepherd grabs first sentence attention as he narrates his approach into Hungerford, England in his Cessna 170 in the current day. He has a panic attack. He writes one of the best written witnesses to an attack that I've seen in writing. Boom! He doesn’t call it a panic attack but that’s precisely what he describes I have the damn things at the strangest moments like this. After 30-some years as a leading forensic voice in some 28,000 autopsies, Shepherd begins here with his career recollection of his last visit to Hungerford.

Shepherd writes his images precisely … first cadaver, first autopsy, etc. Fantastic fidelity. His style transports you into the seen without notice.

A secondary theme is understanding the nature of "truth" and its perspective intensive demands to understand. "Truth" matures. Shephard is keen enough to notice the nuance.

Here’s a genuinely unique 5-star read that's on the way to best seller. Here is the story of raw yeoman work. Life. Death. The author has the master skill of the storyteller and forensic expert. It’s a rare combo to produce such a grippingly interesting read.

Surely among the years top non-fiction reads.
24 people found this helpful
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E
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
What an amazing life story. We owe people like this man so much respect for the care they show the dead. What a difficult career to pursue.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Professional memoir meets personal issues
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book was an interesting read.
The documentation as regards his professional work, his patients, their stories and the processes behind his work is fascinating and really interesting. The author is very good at explaining his involvement in prestigious cases, and new processes in his field and I learnt a lot from reading this book, but I would argue there's a lack of responsibility throughout the book when he writes about things that didn't work out so well (his marriage, some difficult cases, etc)
I didn't particularly enjoy learning about his personal life, and the more he discussed it the more frustrated I felt with him (refer back to the ownership comment above).
I also felt uncomfortable when he was discussing colleagues of his and felt like he used this opportunity to complain about them.
6 people found this helpful
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Caroline Genius
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, poor quality
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book is great. Enjoyed it throughout. However, I purchased the book “new” and it not only arrived a week and a half after it was supposed to, it arrived with scratched/peeling covers and torn pages. If I’m paying for a new copy of a book, I’d like to actually recieve a new copy and not one that clearly is extremely secondhand. For almost $20 this was very disappointing and I’m thankful it was not for a gift.
Customer image
Caroline Genius
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, poor quality
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023
The book is great. Enjoyed it throughout. However, I purchased the book “new” and it not only arrived a week and a half after it was supposed to, it arrived with scratched/peeling covers and torn pages. If I’m paying for a new copy of a book, I’d like to actually recieve a new copy and not one that clearly is extremely secondhand. For almost $20 this was very disappointing and I’m thankful it was not for a gift.
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Mary V.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Read
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
My interest in forensic pathology started when I was a little girl and the only reason I didn't pursue it as a career is because I later found out just how much schooling and training was involved. Nope, not for me.

I found Dr. Shepherd to be such a likeable person and a gifted author. I loved the way he wove his own personal life into the book and the story kept me on edge from page one. I'm an avid reader who rarely gives five stars to any book, but this one certainly earned them.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Robert Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly Unusual Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Dr Shepherd writes with penetrating insight about the life and world of a highly successful and popular Forensic Pathologist. His selection of cases is spot-on, providing salient and easily digested technical information along with more general observations.

His vast experience of the highs and lows of the profession and his hard-won ability to reflect upon his personal development, both professionally and as a human being, bring to the book an added - and most unusual - dimension, helping to elevate it to a position above the current slew of similar titles.

A thoroughly good read!
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Naómi
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! Read it in one sitting!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on February 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
We need more professionals like Dr Shepherd to share their knowledge! The forensic insights, pathology as a career and professional burnout - all beautifully captured in this stunning read.
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Tina Sjöstrand
2.0 out of 5 stars Besvikelse
Reviewed in Sweden on November 16, 2022
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Trodde boken skulle handla om rättsläkarens fall och sökandet efter dödsorsaker. Men ded är mer en biografi om författarens liv fända rån barndomen. Väldigt ointressant och jag läste bara typ en tredjedel.
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Hilary
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and honest insight into the work of a forensic pathologist
Reviewed in Germany on September 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
Well worth reading this personal, detailed account of a career as a forensic pathologist. Not just about the job, also the effect it has on the family and the price paid for witnessing so many terrible ends to life.
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TMM
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in Canada on August 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
This was a fascinating look into the career of a forensic pathologist. The medical terminology wasn’t too hard to understand for a lay person at all and the details were embedded into the story. I found it interesting and not dry at all.
Excellent.
One person found this helpful
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