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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist in Books

Oct 17, 2020  
Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist
Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist
Richard Shepherd | 2017 | Biography, Crime
9
8.2 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fascinating
I don’t often choose to read non-fiction books, I’m not entirely sure why except for the fact that I prefer escaping the real world. However there are some real life topics that really grab me, and forensic pathology is definitely one of those areas.

This book is truly a fascinating read. It’s an interesting mixture detailing Richard Shepherd’s personal life and the many cases he’s had involvement in over the years. It balances these two aspects very well, and I found I was as interested in his personal life as I was in the cases. It is the cases though that take precedence in this book and Shepherd really has left no stone unturned. There is an immense amount of detail in this about the deaths, bodies, medical terms and outcomes of the cases, and by the end of the book you feel completely satisfied that nothing has been missed.

Shepherd has had a truly impressive career, spanning a number of decades and quite a lot of high profile cases and inquests; Stephen Lawrence, Princess Diana, 9/11, 7/7, Derrick Bird, Harold Shipman. His involvement in all of these cases is impressive and with some, I’ve learnt a fair amount that I’d never known previously (i.e. Diana’s cause of death and the pathology side of 9/11). Shepherd is obviously a very knowledgeable and respected pathologist and it shows from his experience and his writing.

I may be biased as forensics, crime and pathology have always been an interest of mine (I did my dissertation at university on alternatives to traditional post-mortems), but this book is engaging, intriguing and beyond fascinating. I’d liken it to This is Going to Hurt by Adam McKay, obviously this is a lot more serious without the funny anecdotes but if you enjoyed the medical side then you’d probably enjoy this too.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Sarah (7800 KP) Oct 18, 2020

Ooh thank you, I've never even heard of it so I'll give it a go 🙂
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AJaneClark (3975 KP) Oct 18, 2020

I have been reading a lot of this style of book, and stumbled across Corrupt Bodies in the Works. Definitely an eye opener
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Hunting Prince Dracula in Books

Feb 1, 2018  
Hunting Prince Dracula
Hunting Prince Dracula
Kerri Maniscalco | 2017 | Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.8 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hunting Prince Dracula is the second book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, which is a fantastic Victorian-era forensics mystery that takes its readers on a harrowing journey with its main characters. In Hunting, Audrey Rose and Thomas travel to Romania to study at one of Europe's foremost schools on forensic science. Although they expected to examine cadavers, they never thought the bodies would belong to victims of a killer in the midst of their spree.

I found the plot of Hunting Prince Dracula to be more enjoyable than its predecessor, Stalking Jack the Ripper. There was a new cast of supporting characters which brought a depth to the storyline that wasn't as prevalent previously. There were more characters that had been introduced and developed that you formed bonds with or questioned their intentions - could they be the killer or the next victim?

By far my favourite aspect of the series was the Holmes/Watson-esque relationship between Thomas and Audrey Rose. Thomas' quips and barbs were the most enjoyable parts of the book, despite his sometimes rakish manner. He was my favourite character in both the first and second book. It was nice to see his emotional development over the course of the novel as he had previously been hiding that aspect of himself.

Audrey Rose continues to monologue incessantly in her head, both chastizing herself profusely for her feelings and reliving the events of Stalking Jack the Ripper. It is clear that she is suffering from a traumatic event, but is unable to determine how to deal with it. It was interesting to see her attempting to cope, yet sometimes falling prey to fits of her imagination as she was unable to process the events completely. Stalking pushed Audrey Rose in ways that she was not equipped to deal with and her struggle throughout the book feels authentic.

I felt that the mystery was very well done and the culprit wasn't obvious from the first few pages, rather you questioned everything up until the very end. Our heroes conclude the story with the news that they will be traveling once more and Escaping from Houdini in the third book in this series.