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titanic's review against another edition
2.0
I was seriously let down by this book. I was expecting so much more.
When it came to the details of the crimes, I was expecting more, and I understand they can't give to much away but I feel like I started reading this under false pretences. With a title like How to Solve a Murder, you'd envision, or at least I did, more than just a free tour of Guy's Hospital and the occasional morgue story. It was more 'here's my life with a little hint of murder' and it was a serious let down for me.
Either way, thanks to NetGalley for giving me an Arc of this book.
When it came to the details of the crimes, I was expecting more, and I understand they can't give to much away but I feel like I started reading this under false pretences. With a title like How to Solve a Murder, you'd envision, or at least I did, more than just a free tour of Guy's Hospital and the occasional morgue story. It was more 'here's my life with a little hint of murder' and it was a serious let down for me.
Either way, thanks to NetGalley for giving me an Arc of this book.
craigmaxwell's review against another edition
3.0
The title of this book had me SO excited to read this! I love anything to do with true crime, and especially those who have actually worked behind the scenes in this niche job as most people could never do this sort of job so it’s so intriguing to read about.
There all some real stand out parts of this book, some real interesting facts when doing post-mortems that are genuinely fascinating.
If your expecting lots of case by case stories like I was I think you will be disappointed unfortunately. The title of the book gave me the expectations that we would be following several cases, going really in depth alluding to the title. There is glimpses of this, however it’s overshadowed by random tangents.
“How to Solve a Murder” reads like two books in one. One half reads like fiction the other non-fiction. I think the execution would’ve been stronger if just one angle had been picked.
The book is all about Derek and Pauline’s careers, these sections read like fiction. It reads like the authors going off on a tangent at a dinner table after a few wines and everyone is lost and a little bored.
I did enjoy but I wish there was more actually real life experiences about “How to Solve a Murder”
There all some real stand out parts of this book, some real interesting facts when doing post-mortems that are genuinely fascinating.
If your expecting lots of case by case stories like I was I think you will be disappointed unfortunately. The title of the book gave me the expectations that we would be following several cases, going really in depth alluding to the title. There is glimpses of this, however it’s overshadowed by random tangents.
“How to Solve a Murder” reads like two books in one. One half reads like fiction the other non-fiction. I think the execution would’ve been stronger if just one angle had been picked.
The book is all about Derek and Pauline’s careers, these sections read like fiction. It reads like the authors going off on a tangent at a dinner table after a few wines and everyone is lost and a little bored.
I did enjoy but I wish there was more actually real life experiences about “How to Solve a Murder”
jennylo's review against another edition
3.0
Some interesting stories and information on forensic techniques. It seems more a memoir of their lives, rather than a book on forensics. I also HATED the blasé discussion of the sexism experienced by Pauline as part and parcel of her job; at one point Derek lists her qualifications from when she started working with him, one of which is “attractive”. Much preferred Unatural Causes.
helenephoebe's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting exploration of the development of forensic medicine through the careers of a couple who met through work and continue to work in forensics today. From a head in a bucket and a vat of acid to the modern forensic imaging and graphic design, through some famous cases and some obscure ones, this is a fascinating look at a field constantly developing.
Some of the scientific and forensic terminology went over my head so I don't think I got as much from the book as I potentially could have done, but it was intriguing how much things seem to have changed in a short space of time and how even something tiny can turn out to have such a huge impact.
It feels a little disjointed in places, jumping from story to story, but I guess it is more like a collection of short stories connected by the authors and their lives, so it didn't bother me too much. The ending was also a disappointment as it didn't end on anything about forensics, which is what the book is about, but on the achievements of their children. That could have been left out, as it didn't add anything and, in fact, detracted from what had been quite interesting.
Some of the scientific and forensic terminology went over my head so I don't think I got as much from the book as I potentially could have done, but it was intriguing how much things seem to have changed in a short space of time and how even something tiny can turn out to have such a huge impact.
It feels a little disjointed in places, jumping from story to story, but I guess it is more like a collection of short stories connected by the authors and their lives, so it didn't bother me too much. The ending was also a disappointment as it didn't end on anything about forensics, which is what the book is about, but on the achievements of their children. That could have been left out, as it didn't add anything and, in fact, detracted from what had been quite interesting.
francat92's review against another edition
Audiobook - found second narrator unlistenable.
beccakatie's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been a fan of true crime for years. Watched the documentaries, listened to the podcasts, asked for the t-shirt for Christmas (my mum thought it was tasteless so refused to buy it). So I was so excited to read a behind the scenes account of forensics, to gain an insight into how these murders are solved.
There were highlights throughout this book, but overall I was quite disappointed. The best bits were definitely the actual forensic content, including the identification of boot prints and different injuries. But all too often these chapters were brought to a quick, even abrupt close. It left me feeling like I’d missed something.
I could have done with far less (in fact, absolutely none) discussion about Pauline’s short skirts and how determined she was to keep her nice high heels on. It just felt like inclusion for the sake of giving Pauline something more to say, and was so unnecessary. Although they did help me identify which bits had been written by her, as it did get confusing sometimes as there were no clear ways to differentiate other than context clues and figuring out halfway through the second paragraph.
All in all, this book had a lot of potential, but I feel like it under delivered in terms of actual content.
There were highlights throughout this book, but overall I was quite disappointed. The best bits were definitely the actual forensic content, including the identification of boot prints and different injuries. But all too often these chapters were brought to a quick, even abrupt close. It left me feeling like I’d missed something.
I could have done with far less (in fact, absolutely none) discussion about Pauline’s short skirts and how determined she was to keep her nice high heels on. It just felt like inclusion for the sake of giving Pauline something more to say, and was so unnecessary. Although they did help me identify which bits had been written by her, as it did get confusing sometimes as there were no clear ways to differentiate other than context clues and figuring out halfway through the second paragraph.
All in all, this book had a lot of potential, but I feel like it under delivered in terms of actual content.