All That Remains

I bought this book when I was doing some research for a project, expecting it to be very dry but was happily surprised at the humor and style of her writing. She is extremely knowledgeable about her field and has helped solve hundreds of cases, but you won’t hear any humble bragging. She is all about the teamwork that goes into solving criminal cases, which makes me respect her even more.

I learned so much more about anthropology from this book than I did working at my job, and in a thoroughly entertaining way. This is easily a book I… show more.

I was drawn to this book initially because Baroness Sue Black, formerly professor of Anatomy forensic anthropology at Dundee where I did an MLitt degree in crime fiction and forensic investigation.

It was an unexpected pleasure. Not at all macabre or gruesome – alright maybe in bits. But essentially, I loved this book because it’s such a personal reflection of life from someone whose daily business is to deal with the dead. I found her descriptions of how the body works and in the end the processes that happen when we die fascinating.

Humane, compassionate, and thought provoking. A great… show more.

I loved this book, as it confirmed for me the importance of forensic anthropology as a specialty, helping us access information from human remains, to assist in disentangling a person's history after death.

It was heartening to feel the respect shown to the dead ooze from every page and it reminded me of 'Albert' (that's what I named the gentleman who had kindly donated his body to science for me to learn human anatomy as a medical student).

I planted a tree in his memory. It was fascinating, informative, and entertaining in good measure. I am a psychiatrist, but I… show more.