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Skeletons in the Closet: Stories from the County Morgue
A mother calls 911 because her child, despite a fetal monitor, stopped breathing. She didn't know it, but the fetal monitor her doctor prescribed had a memory chip. Would the monitor's memory chip preserve evidence of a tragic accident or a murder?
A young couple's marriage is crumbling, but they decide to take one last family trip. She will never return home. A pool of b
...moreHardcover, 408 pages
Published
March 18th 2008
by Prometheus Books
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Jolee
added it
Hm....Well, I'd say "average." Some reviews dissed on Tobin's writing. I think his writing was "ok," but agreed -- a bit of better editing would have lowered the repetititousness througout. It was an interesting book, though, and I feel like I have had my head in the sand. All this stuff happened in Michigan???? Where have *I* been??
Well, I tried. Normally, this sort of thing would fascinate me, and I can see that the stories included in this book could make a good book, but this isn't it. I found it strangely disorganized, and filled with weird internal citations which were intrusive and distracting. I couldn't even finish. Blech.
For more than two decades, Dr. Stephen D. Cohle has been solving vexing forensic mysteries as the medical examiner for Kent County, Michigan. These are stories of more than 20 of his most famous, perplexing, and unbelievable cases. An interesting read, especially if you like Thomas Noguchi or the original body farm guy from Tennessee Bill Bass.
The bite-sized morsels this book offers up are nothing special and there are other books in the genre that are far more engaging. I gambled on the book for a couple bucks at our book sale at work and am quitting at page 150.
Dead Men Do Tell Tales and Death's Acre are far superior.
Dead Men Do Tell Tales and Death's Acre are far superior.
Bonnie
marked it as to-read
i looked through this book and it totally freaked me out. wayyyy too graphic and disturbing for me. believe it or not, the author tobin t. buhk was my seventh grade english teacher......told morgue stories every stinkin' day.
I'm a big forensic science fan (isn't everyone these days thanks to CSI and Law and Order-type shows?) so this appealed to me. Some of the stories are a bit graphic (like the one where the teenager cuts off a boy's head and skins it while being taped by a video camera...discusting) but it's a very good glimpse into the everyday goings-on of a morgue.
This book is definitely not for the faint hearted. From plain rage murders to complicated gruesome homicides, Buhk explains how each of these crimes unfolded to their conclusions. I would say that 75% of this book was intriguing with a few minor annoyances.
While the beginning of the book had an attention grabber, the random tangents broke my focus. It also irritated me that Buhk put cliched sayings throughout various cases. When a pregnant woman is killed by a jaguar, Buhk makes the...more
While the beginning of the book had an attention grabber, the random tangents broke my focus. It also irritated me that Buhk put cliched sayings throughout various cases. When a pregnant woman is killed by a jaguar, Buhk makes the...more
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Interesting! Stories in this book are set in Michigan, where according to the book jacket, there is room for crime and plenty of places to bury bodies.
But, what do all of these stories have in common? The authors of this book are exploring the everyday world of the Kent County Morgue in western Michigan. Most of the stories were interesting -- some were intriguing such as "No Tombstone for Jack".
It's interesting to "see" the processes that the doctor...more
But, what do all of these stories have in common? The authors of this book are exploring the everyday world of the Kent County Morgue in western Michigan. Most of the stories were interesting -- some were intriguing such as "No Tombstone for Jack".
It's interesting to "see" the processes that the doctor...more
Interesting cases as covered by the ME in Kent County Michigan, which were deaths I had read in my local newspaper and thus made the cases more intriguing. There is nothing left to the imagination regarding the autopsy procedures and if you are okay with that, then I would say you would find this book interesting as reasons are revealed for the cause of death in several cases.
It is interesting that these are all Michigan cases. Author bounces around a bit and is sometimes hard to follow; puts in unnecessary details. "Stiff" is a better book on a related subject. But I still enjoyed the book.
Hey, Mr. Buhk - I'm looking at YOU. Put down the fancy fountain pen with the purple ink. Seriously. (This is my snarky way of swaying that there is a great deal of what can only be called purple prose in this book.) The author's previous collaboration with Steven Cohle, Forensic Files, is better for its discussion of morgue operations. Like that one, this has graphic autopsy photos.
Okay, I just could not finish this book. I got to about page 50 and just couldn't stomach the descriptions any longer. (Don't even mention the pictures) So the 1 star isn't because it was a bad book, it is because it was a bad book for me.
Diana
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