The Water Book
Book
Water is the most every day of substances. It pours from our taps and falls from the sky. We drink...
Final Girls
Book
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back...
Harry Potter: Page to Screen
Book
From the acquisition of the film rights to the casting of Harry, Ron, and Hermione and the assembly...
The Face of Britain: The Stories Behind the Nation's Portraits
Book
Simon Schama brings Britain to life through its portraits, as seen in the five-part BBC series The...
An Autobiography
Book
Agatha Christie's 'most absorbing mystery' - her own autobiography, with new exclusive CD containing...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist in Books
Oct 17, 2020
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.
For the Love of Rivers: A Scientist's Journey
Book
Rivers and streams supply our water and capture our imaginations. We seek the more pristine ones to...
The Girls Are All So Nice Here
Book
Two former best friends return to their college reunion to find that they’re being circled by...
psychological thriller dark fiction
Dangerous Crossing
Book
*NOW A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK 2017* Shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown 2017 A...
Sarah (7798 KP) Oct 18, 2020
AJaneClark (3975 KP) Oct 18, 2020