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1.56k reviews for:
Holtak vallatója: Nagy-Britannia első számú törvényszéki kórboncnokának emlékei – avagy élet a halál közelében
Richard Shepherd
4.22 AVERAGE
1.56k reviews for:
Holtak vallatója: Nagy-Britannia első számú törvényszéki kórboncnokának emlékei – avagy élet a halál közelében
Richard Shepherd
4.22 AVERAGE
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
informative
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder
emotional
informative
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was absolutely fascinating. From the high profile cases to those that were completely unknown, Shepherd manages to find the perfect balance between clinical language and narrative prose, from initial examination through to court and conviction in some cases. He writes really well; the post-mortems are scientific enough to keep from being hard to stomach, but not so detached that you can't also feel empathy for the victims, their families and those involved in the deaths.
Some of the bureaucracy becomes so frustrating, and the toll it takes on Shepherd's personal life is awful. But he writes with such brilliant clarity and it's one of those rare non-fictions that reads enough like a novel I couldn't put it down.
Some of the bureaucracy becomes so frustrating, and the toll it takes on Shepherd's personal life is awful. But he writes with such brilliant clarity and it's one of those rare non-fictions that reads enough like a novel I couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Death of parent
This is equal parts fascinating and heartbreaking. It details the journey to becoming a forensic pathologist, trying to balance the pressures of the job with a growing family, and the heartbreaking nature of some of the cases. When 9/11 was mentioned it gave me goosebumps and a tear in my eye. I still to this day cannot imagine the absolute horror of that situation. It was sad reading about Princess Diana who basically died by a freak injury.
The fact PTSD is an inevitable outcome of this kind of work is also an eye opener to how many awful things this job involves, the bodies and the cross examinations on the witness stand!
A must read for anyone interested in forensics and to some extent death.
The fact PTSD is an inevitable outcome of this kind of work is also an eye opener to how many awful things this job involves, the bodies and the cross examinations on the witness stand!
A must read for anyone interested in forensics and to some extent death.
4.5 - 5 stars.
This was such an interesting and satisfying read. A balanced mix of clinical cases and Dr Shepherd’s personal life.
I thought the author’s voice was really strong in this (perhaps this is the case with all autobiographies, I’m not sure as I’ve not read too many). It was almost like I sat through a really long lecture about Dr Shepherd’s life and achievements.
Some of my favourite parts:
- getting an insight into how the criminal justice system works
- reading about some mass disasters and the response to them was interesting and emotive
- the cases - it was like watching episodes of Bones, so interesting and satisfying
- I loved how Dr Shepherd wanted to be involved in prosecution and his suggestions about how “expert” witnesses should play a bigger role in investigations - although I must admit I know very little about how small or big of a part they play in current cases
This was such an interesting and satisfying read. A balanced mix of clinical cases and Dr Shepherd’s personal life.
I thought the author’s voice was really strong in this (perhaps this is the case with all autobiographies, I’m not sure as I’ve not read too many). It was almost like I sat through a really long lecture about Dr Shepherd’s life and achievements.
Some of my favourite parts:
- getting an insight into how the criminal justice system works
- reading about some mass disasters and the response to them was interesting and emotive
- the cases - it was like watching episodes of Bones, so interesting and satisfying
- I loved how Dr Shepherd wanted to be involved in prosecution and his suggestions about how “expert” witnesses should play a bigger role in investigations - although I must admit I know very little about how small or big of a part they play in current cases
My husband bought me this for Christmas, and I wasn't sure about it at first. The beginning was a little slow, with a lot of detail about the author's early life, which at that point was a little wearing when I wanted to get into the "point" of the story. His reasons for including it do become apparent as the book progresses though. I have to admit to not liking the author much at first: he seemed very detached, particularly from his wife and family, despite the respect he gave to the bodies he examined. It seemed as if he cared far more for the dead than the living. (I was also a little irritated by him complaining about his poverty during his early working life. Whilst junior doctors in the 1970s probably weren't paid a fortune, I'm pretty sure he was relatively well off by most standards.)
I warmed to him however as the book progressed. Alongside the fascinating detail about many of the autopsies he performed, both on obscure individuals and victims of famous murder cases and disasters, he is very honest about his own personal life and failings. The details of his early life did seem to illuminate the way he reacted to family life and his scientific detachment which often seemed too much. By the end of the book, he seemed thoroughly human and vulnerable, which I appreciated.
The scientific/medical details and inside information about autopsies, murders and disasters were very interesting, and handled with respect and clarity. More than once, I found myself heading to the internet to find out more about the cases he covered.
Not exactly enjoyable, but a very worthwhile read. Recommended.
I warmed to him however as the book progressed. Alongside the fascinating detail about many of the autopsies he performed, both on obscure individuals and victims of famous murder cases and disasters, he is very honest about his own personal life and failings. The details of his early life did seem to illuminate the way he reacted to family life and his scientific detachment which often seemed too much. By the end of the book, he seemed thoroughly human and vulnerable, which I appreciated.
The scientific/medical details and inside information about autopsies, murders and disasters were very interesting, and handled with respect and clarity. More than once, I found myself heading to the internet to find out more about the cases he covered.
Not exactly enjoyable, but a very worthwhile read. Recommended.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced