Download or read book Tales from the Morgue written by Cyril H. Wecht and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Including the Scott Peterson and Chandra Levy CasesA certifiable genius, Wecht has earned degrees both in medicine and the law, but his great passion...is the ever illusive commodity, justice.... [I]f it's an objective opinion you desire, predicated on facts gleaned from forensic science, then Dr. Cyril Wecht is your man. If it's the truth you want in a murder case, he'll give you his conclusions without regard to politics or profit, in fact he often works pro bono. If I'm ever unjustly accused, he's the first one I'm going to call.- IntellectualConservative.comYoung people drawn to the broad fields of criminal justice, medicine, or science will be fascinated by the forensic findings presented here. The thought-provoking cases span 40 years of renowned pathologist Wecht's career....[T]his chatty yet analytical book is written to appeal to laypersons, and it does. Its whodunit aspect is magnetic.- School Library JournalDr. Wecht's evalutions of the evidence in the Gander Airplane Crash, which claimed the lives of 248 American soldiers, and in the police custody death of Jonny Gammage, as well as in the deaths of Laci Peterson and Chandra Levy, raise very troubling questions about compromised investigations that the country's leading forensic pathologist-attorney-coroner uniquely addresses.- Michael Baden, M.D., Former Chief Medical Examiner, New York City and co-author with Linda Kenney of the thriller Remains SilentDr. Wecht is a world renowned pathologist. Reading this book is like being on one adventure after another. For those interested in true crime, you must read this book!- Dr. Henry C. Lee, Author of Cracking Cases and Cracking More Cases and professor of forensic science at the University of New HavenWas Scott Peterson convicted of murdering Laci Peterson based upon circumstantial evidence alone? Did Washington intern Chandra Levy know her killer?In Tales from the Morgue, Dr. Cyril Wecht, one of the most sought-after forensic pathologists in the world, shares his insights and scientific expertise on nine cases that he has officially investigated - high-profile cases as well as other lesser-known but highly intriguing mysteries. Dr. Wecht takes the reader inside some of the nation's most bizarre and intriguing medico-legal investigations and shows how forensic scientists help to solve crimes - and why they sometimes fail in their efforts. His vast experience and his willingness to take on the establishment if necessary and provide proof that runs counter to popular opinion make this book a page-turner.Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., one of the world's leading pathologists, is the author of Mortal Evidence, Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?, Grave Secrets, Cause of Death, and hundreds of professional publications. He has served as president of both the American College of Legal Medicine and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and has appeared on numerous nationally syndicated television programs including NBC's Dateline, Larry King Live, 20/20, Burden of Proof, and many others.Mark Curriden is the senior communications counsel for Vinson & Elkins, LLP; the former legal writer for The Dallas Morning News and The Atlanta Constitution; and a co-author of Mortal Evidence.Angela Powell, former columnist and children's book reviewer for The Dallas Morning News, is now a freelance publicist.

Download or read book Tales of Forensic Pathologist written by Zoya Schmuter M.D. and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2009-02-27 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last 22 years in the New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Schmuter performed thousands of autopsies and testified in courts hundreds of times. Many of these cases present interest for a general reader, especially given the attention to this profession in the last decade in movies, TV shows and fiction books. The first chapter of this book is dedicated to the evolution of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner over the last 20 years, its transformation to one of the largest and best in the world. This tale is presented throughout the prism of the authors individual experiences and closely intertwined with her professional life. It lays the foundation for the following 25 chapters of challenging cases from the authors personal experience. Many of them include captivating stories of homicide investigation with court testimonies. The truth, however, is that the crime related deaths cover fewer than 15% of all cases performed by medical examiners. This book brings up and creates public awareness of many important issues beyond the traditional topic of homicides, among them drug intoxication death, child negligence and abuse, sudden death of young people, misdiagnosis, prophylactics of sudden infant death.

Download or read book The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist written by Radley Balko and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2018-02-27 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A shocking and deeply reported account of the persistent plague of institutional racism and junk forensic science in our criminal justice system, and its devastating effect on innocent lives After two three-year-old girls were raped and murdered in rural Mississippi, law enforcement pursued and convicted two innocent men: Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks. Together they spent a combined thirty years in prison before finally being exonerated in 2008. Meanwhile, the real killer remained free. The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist recounts the story of how the criminal justice system allowed this to happen, and of how two men, Dr. Steven Hayne and Dr. Michael West, built successful careers on the back of that structure. For nearly two decades, Hayne, a medical examiner, performed the vast majority of Mississippi's autopsies, while his friend Dr. West, a local dentist, pitched himself as a forensic jack-of-all-trades. Together they became the go-to experts for prosecutors and helped put countless Mississippians in prison. But then some of those convictions began to fall apart. Here, Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington tell the haunting story of how the courts and Mississippi's death investigation system -- a relic of the Jim Crow era -- failed to deliver justice for its citizens. The authors argue that bad forensics, structural racism, and institutional failures are at fault, raising sobering questions about our ability and willingness to address these crucial issues.

Download or read book Dead Men Do Tell Tales written by William R. Maples and published by Crown. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a skeleton, a skull, a mere fragment of burnt thighbone, prominent forensic anthropologist Dr. William Maples can deduce the age, gender, and ethnicity of a murder victim, the manner in which the person was dispatched, and, ultimately, the identity of the killer. In Dead Men Do Tell Tales, Dr. Maples revisits his strangest, most interesting, and most horrific investigations, from the baffling cases of conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Vietnam MIAs to the mysterious deaths of President Zachary Taylor and the family of Czar Nicholas II.

Download or read book 18 Tiny Deaths written by Bruce Goldfarb and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2020-02-04 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A captivating blend of history, women in science, and true crime, 18 Tiny Deaths tells the story of how one woman changed the face of forensics forever. Frances Glessner Lee, born a socialite to a wealthy and influential Chicago family in the 1870s, was never meant to have a career, let alone one steeped in death and depravity. Yet she developed a fascination with the investigation of violent crimes, and made it her life's work. Best known for creating the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, a series of dollhouses that appear charming—until you notice the macabre little details: an overturned chair, or a blood-spattered comforter. And then, of course, there are the bodies—splayed out on the floor, draped over chairs—clothed in garments that Lee lovingly knit with sewing pins. 18 Tiny Deaths, by official biographer Bruce Goldfarb, delves into Lee's journey from grandmother without a college degree to leading the scientific investigation of unexpected death out of the dark confines of centuries-old techniques and into the light of the modern day. Lee developed a system that used the Nutshells dioramas to train law enforcement officers to investigate violent crimes, and her methods are still used today. The story of a woman whose ambition and accomplishments far exceeded the expectations of her time, 18 Tiny Deaths follows the transformation of a young, wealthy socialite into the mother of modern forensics... "Eye-opening biography of Frances Glessner Lee, who brought American medical forensics into the scientific age...genuinely compelling."—Kirkus Reviews "A captivating portrait of a feminist hero and forensic pioneer." —Booklist

Download or read book Autopsy written by Ryan Blumenthal and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2020-08-12 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a medical detective of the modern world, forensic pathologist Ryan Blumenthal's chief goal is to bring perpetrators to justice. He has performed thousands of autopsies, which have helped bring numerous criminals to book. In Autopsy he covers the hard lessons learnt as a rookie pathologist, as well as some of the most unusual cases he's encountered. During his career, for example, he has dealt with high-profile deaths, mass disasters, death by lightning and people killed by African wildlife. Blumenthal takes the reader behind the scenes at the mortuary, describing a typical autopsy and the instruments of the trade. He also shares a few trade secrets, like how to establish when a suicide is more likely to be a homicide. Even though they cannot speak, the dead have a lot to say – and Blumenthal is there to listen.

Download or read book Working Stiff written by Judy Melinek and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-08-12 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Fun…and full of smart science. Fans of CSI—the real kind—will want to read it” (The Washington Post): A young forensic pathologist’s “rookie season” as a NYC medical examiner, and the hair-raising cases that shaped her as a physician and human being. Just two months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Judy Melinek began her training as a New York City forensic pathologist. While her husband and their toddler held down the home front, Judy threw herself into the fascinating world of death investigation—performing autopsies, investigating death scenes, counseling grieving relatives. Working Stiff chronicles Judy’s two years of training, taking readers behind the police tape of some of the most harrowing deaths in the Big Apple, including a firsthand account of the events of September 11, the subsequent anthrax bio-terrorism attack, and the disastrous crash of American Airlines Flight 587. An unvarnished portrait of the daily life of medical examiners—complete with grisly anecdotes, chilling crime scenes, and a welcome dose of gallows humor—Working Stiff offers a glimpse into the daily life of one of America’s most arduous professions, and the unexpected challenges of shuttling between the domains of the living and the dead. The body never lies—and through the murders, accidents, and suicides that land on her table, Dr. Melinek lays bare the truth behind the glamorized depictions of autopsy work on television to reveal the secret story of the real morgue. “Haunting and illuminating...the stories from her average workdays…transfix the reader with their demonstration that medical science can diagnose and console long after the heartbeat stops” (The New York Times).

Download or read book The Life and Deaths of Cyril Wecht written by Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D. and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-09-18 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For six decades, Pittsburgh-based forensic scientist Cyril Wecht has been an outspoken authority when horrible things happen to everyday people--murders, childhood deaths, tragic accidents and police brutality. His expertise and testimony have been called upon in high-profile cases, including the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, JonBenet Ramsey, Laci Peterson and others. As a criminal defendant, in 1979, he was acquitted on charges of personally profiting from his office as Allegheny County Coroner; a federal public corruption charge was dismissed in 2008. Both cases, his attorneys argued, were politically motivated. Wecht's memoir describes his work on famous cases, his life in the public eye and his legal battles with determined and powerful authorities, from his hometown DA to a U.S. Attorney and the FBI.

Download or read book Incredible Shrinking Son of Man written by Robert M. Price and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2009-09-25 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book should be mandatory reading for all scholars concerned with Christian origins ... nothing of comparable importance has been written for at least a decade." - Freethinker For more than a century scholars have been examining the Gospels and other traditions about the life of Jesus to determine their historical accuracy. Although the results of these scholarly efforts are sometimes controversial, the consensus among researchers today is that the four Evangelists'' accounts cannot be taken at face value. In fact, a team of more than 100 scholars called the Jesus Seminar has come to the conclusion that on average only about 18 percent of the four Gospels is historically accurate.An active member of the Jesus Seminar, Dr. Robert M. Price presents the fruits of this important historical research in this fascinating discussion of early Christianity. As the title suggests, Price is none too optimistic about the reliability of the Gospel tradition as a source of accurate historical information about the life of Jesus. Indeed, he feels that his colleagues in the Jesus Seminar are much too optimistic in their estimate of authentic material in the Gospels. After an introduction to the historical-critical method for nonspecialists and a critique of the methods used by the Jesus Seminar, Price systematically discusses the narrative and teaching materials in the Gospel, clearly presenting what is known and not known about all of the major episodes of Jesus'' life. He also examines the parables for authenticity as well as Jesus'' teachings about the Kingdom of God, repentance, prayer, possessions and poverty, the Atonement, and many other features of the Gospels.Written for the general reading public in a lively and accessible style, Dr. Price''s highly informative discussion will be of interest to anyone who has wondered about the origins of Christianity.

Download or read book The Quick and the Dead written by Cynric Temple-Camp and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-07-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: True stories of life and death from a New Zealand pathologist From the number-one bestselling author of The Cause of Death comes a book about the unlikely, extraordinary, obscure and often tragic ways humans meet their end. A dead body without a trace of trauma; alien parasites; worms of the brain; crocodile attacks and bizarre eating disorders ... In The Quick and the Dead, pathologist Dr Cynric Temple-Camp takes readers into a world of disease and death as he seeks answers for those who were unlucky, and those still alive to tell the tale.

Download or read book The Poisoner s Handbook written by Deborah Blum and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-01-25 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie." —The New York Observer “The Poisoner’s Handbook breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties.” —Financial Times “Reads like science fiction, complete with suspense, mystery and foolhardy guys in lab coats tipping test tubes of mysterious chemicals into their own mouths.” —NPR: What We're Reading A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice. In 2014, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE released a film based on The Poisoner's Handbook.

Download or read book Forever Ours written by Janis Amatuzio, MD and published by New World Library. This book was released on 2010-09-24 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic pathologist Janis Amatuzio has performed thousands of autopsies. She chose her line of work in part because it allowed her to help unravel the mystery of each person’s death. She found that by listening and talking to the loved ones of the deceased, she could offer them some sense of closure. In the course of her work, she has heard extraordinary stories from grieving loved ones, patients near death, police officers, clergy members, and colleagues — stories of spiritual and otherworldly occurrences concerning the transition between life and death. From the experience of one of her first patients — who on the day of his death told of being “visited” by a friend who had been dead forty years — to incredible coincidences — such as two daughters thousands of miles apart experiencing unexplained sensations at the precise moment their father passed away — Dr. Amatuzio began recording the stories she heard and filing them away. Forever Ours presents these heartfelt accounts and honors the mystery of life and death, exploring the realms of visions, synchronicities, and communications on death’s threshold. Told in the voice of a compassionate scientist and medical expert who sees death every day, these stories eloquently convey the comfort Dr. Amatuzio has found in what she sees and hears.

Download or read book Dead Men Tell Tales written by Dr B. Umadathan and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2021-03-31 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can the dead tell their stories? In the hands of a good forensic surgeon, they certainly can. First published in 2010 in Malayalam as Oru Police Surgeonte Ormakkurippukal, this is the bestselling memoir of Kerala's most famous forensic surgeon, Dr B. Umadathan. Popularly known as the 'Sherlock Holmes of Kerala', Dr Umadathan revisits some of his strangest and most interesting cases, like the Chacko murder masterminded by Sukumara Kurup; the sensational Polakkulam case; and the baffling Panoor Soman case. Chilling, shocking and, at times, downright bizarre, Dead Men Tell Tales is unputdownable.

Download or read book Morgue written by Vincent Di Maio and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this clear-eyed, gritty, and enthralling narrative, Dr. Vincent Di Maio and veteran crime writer Ron Franscell guide us behind the morgue doors to tell a fascinating life story through the cases that have made DiMaio famous--from the exhumation of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald to the complex issues in the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Beginning with his street-smart Italian origins in Brooklyn, the book spans 40 years of work and more than 9,000 autopsies, and Di Maio's eventual rise into the pantheon of forensic scientists. One of the country's most methodical and intuitive criminal pathologists will dissect himself, maintaining a nearly continuous flow of suspenseful stories, revealing anecdotes, and enough macabre insider details to rivet the most fervent crime fans.

Download or read book The Cause of Death written by Cynric Temple-Camp and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spontaneous combustion and exhumation, drug mules and devil worshippers, a gruesome killing beneath the Palmerston North Airport control tower, a mysterious death in a historic homestead, a first-hand dissection of the infamous Mark Lundy case ... In The Cause of Death, provincial pathologist Dr Cynric Temple-Camp lifts the lid on the most unusual stories of death and murder he's encountered during his 30-year career.

Download or read book Ann Rule Presents Final Exams written by Cyril H. Wecht and published by Planet Ann Rule, LLC. This book was released on 2014-01-05 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Final Exams features four fascinating true crime cases from the files of Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., one of America’s most respected forensic pathologists. Coauthored by crime writer Dawna Kaufmann, Final Exams explores both the technical and the human side of murder. From the heartbreaking case of abducted child, Jessica Lunsford, held captive within shouting distance of her loved ones, to the peculiar story of a murder for hire with a most unlikely victim, Final Exams takes the reader behind the scenes. Secrets about the private lives of both predators and victims are revealed as the authors detail the events that turned rage to tragedy. Fans of CSI will appreciate how Wecht and Kaufmann share the real life process of solving crimes with clues left with the victim.

Download or read book The Chemistry of Death written by Simon Beckett and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2022-06-14 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seeking refuge from a tragic past, a forensic pathologist must search for a devious killer in a rural English village in this crime thriller series debut. Three years ago, Dr. David Hunter left London for rural Norfolk to escape the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. Giving up his career in criminal forensics, he now works as a simple country doctor in the village of Manham. But when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body, David struggles to remain uninvolved. As a newcomer, David finds he must join the investigation in order to avoid suspicion. When another woman disappears, the case becomes personal. This time, she is someone David knows—someone who has managed to get past the barrier around his heart. With the killer’s twisted methods screaming out to him and a brooding countryside beset with fear and distrust, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. As the clock ticks down on the young woman’s life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues—all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion. “Brilliantly original . . . Simon’s first crime novel The Chemistry of Death absolutely blew me away and he just gets better by the book!” —Peter James, UK No. 1 bestselling author