What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
Awaking the Dead
SOLVED: Non-Fiction
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SOLVED. Non-Fiction about Forensic Pathologist who works on Waco incident. [s]
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I would have read this at least 15 years ago.
Not quite 15 years old, but could this be it?
While it seems like it could be the book, reading the excerpts on Amazon this book seems to talk more about the Kenwick Man than anything else, which is something I just don't remember. It also seems to miss in his lead up to the work the whole "I worked in a beer factory making sure that the 'returned' beer is clean enough to resell" bit - unless someone can confirm otherwise?
Just a guess, but perhaps Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook by Douglas Ubelaker?I'm a True Crime buff and I don't recognize the book from your description, but this one I haven't read.
If not, try looking over the list at the link below.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/simila...
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He's written a bunch of books so you'll probably want to look at the full list.
His wiki page says he was a consultant on the Branch Davidian case. Don't know about the beer.
It's funny the beer thing is such a weird detail to remember. I also remember reading this after a Scarpetta novel (Patricia Cornwell).From what I've googled, it must be 'No Bone Unturned' or 'Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook', just because nothing else fits, but I think I'll have to read both to find out.
Debs wrote: "It's funny the beer thing is such a weird detail to remember. I also remember reading this after a Scarpetta novel (Patricia Cornwell).Not so weird. A while back I was trying to figure out which forensic book I had read. The most striking thing I remembered was that the author had spent time traveling as a hobo. The book was "Forensic Detective: How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases", if anyone is interested.
Forensic Detective: How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases
Just as some info that may help, the autopsies of the Branch Davidians were done by Dr. Nizam Peerwani, who also testified at the government proceedings. Dr. Michael Baden is another renowned forensic pathologist who has done a lot of high profile work.
Thanks Railyn. I did see Dr Michael Baden when researching what the book might be, but I'm pretty sure it's not Dr. Peerwani (plus I can't find any references to written or biographical works from him).
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"The book I'm looking for I read at least 13 years ago now - probably more. I think the author was a forensic anthropologist who fell into the job. I remember (s)he discussed Waco - I think they discussed other cases they worked.
The main thing I remember from the book is their early career. First, how they used to work in a brewery - when pubs used to be able to sell back beer to the brewery their job was to check the clarity of what was sent back to them as the pubs would collect *everything* to send back in the hopes of getting more money back. They then somehow went into forensic ballistics testing (I think) - I remember that they said they had to stop because the repeated shotgun testing was causing long-term damage to their shoulder.
Somewhere after this they moved into forensic anthropology I think. I know it was at least forensics of some sort."
Hi all. Sorry for the repeat post I totally forgot that I had already started a thread a couple of years ago! I thought it felt a little deja-vu-y. :SI've browsed through the openings of the two main contenders I noted before ('No Bone Unturned' & 'Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook') and I couldn't find the stories I remembered from what I read. Unless there's been multiple editions I don't believe they were the books I was after.
I've now read "Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook" and it definitely isn't your book. I'll keep your's in mind as I'm going through the Forensics books on my TBR list.
I've now read "No Bone Unturned" and it definitely isn't the book either. No working in a brewery or shotgun shooting.
This is a book I've had on my tbr list for a while. Could be the book you're looking for :) Dead men do tell tales: the strange and fascinating cases of a forensic anthropologist by William R. Maples
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Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist the click for Lina's suggestion. And can I just say--that looks very interesting to me..."I own that one. Again, no brewery or shotgun shooting in it.
Yes, I do read a lot of True Crime/Forensics books. :-)
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https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
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Teasing Secrets from the Dead: My Investigations at America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes
Lobstergirl wrote: "In case you got the gender wrong, this pathologist worked at Waco.Teasing Secrets from the Dead: My Investigations at America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes"
I've read that one as well. Again, no brewery or shotgun shooting.
Forensic anthropologist book bump.Note to self: solved, but not by me.
Finally managed to track down the library where I had originally borrowed the book years ago!Librarian suggested book might be either "The Killer Catcher" or "Awaking the Dead", both by Brian J Heard, who is a forensic scientist renowned for ballistics and had worked in a brewery. The career start sounds correct; librarian suggested I might be misremembering parts of it (such as what roles they played in investigations, what investigations, etc). The cover of "Awaking the Dead" does look familiar though.
Both are out of print, so I've ordered a 2nd hand copy of Awaking the Dead, trying to find The Killer Catcher. Hoping we might finally be able to mark this one as solved!
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- Awaking the Dead: The Memoirs of Britain's Top Forensic Scientist by Brian Heard
- The Killer Catcher: Britain's Top Ballistics Expert Reveals How He Hunted the World's Deadliest Criminals by Brian Heard
Hi all,After months I finally received the book - Awaking the Dead: The Memoirs of Britain's Top Forensic Scientist and getting into the first few chapters, this was the book I was thinking of.
I will add that reading into this, I am starting to remember now that I did in fact mix up a few of the forensic books I had read at the time. In particular, the Waco events I attributed to Awaking the Dead were I think from a book called No Heroes: Inside the FBI's Secret Counter-Terror Force by Danny O. Coulson and Elaine Shannon.
It's funny how much memory comes back from reading a few chapters of a book!
Either way - unless there's any objections I think this can finally be marked as solved. Thank you to everyone who joined in to uncover the mystery!!
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What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
No Heroes: Inside the FBI's Secret Counter-Terror Force (other topics)Awaking the Dead: The Memoirs of Britain's Top Forensic Scientist (other topics)
The Killer Catcher: Britain's Top Ballistics Expert Reveals How He Hunted the World's Deadliest Criminals (other topics)
Awaking the Dead: The Memoirs of Britain's Top Forensic Scientist (other topics)
Teasing Secrets from the Dead: My Investigations at America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Brian J. Heard (other topics)Cyril H. Wecht (other topics)
The book I'm trying to remember is about a forensic pathologist who worked on the Waco incident among others. The book seemed autobiographical in nature.
I remember he details his first job as working in a beer factory where his job was to test the cleanliness of beer, as at the time beer companies had a buy-back program from pubs and bars. He also worked in firearm forensics or something similar, but had to stop because the repeated gunshot recoil from shotguns was permanently damaging his shoulder.
Not sure if anyone is familiar with this non-fiction book? Any suggestions greatly appreciated!