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megankateabraham's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book! Loved it! William Maples is a fascinating man, who has studied and offered his expertise in some incredible cases. Well worth the read.
shamajuju's review against another edition
1.0
One star because I finally gave up. Like others have mentioned, he is insufferably arrogant. I normally find these types of books interesting, but the stories were not worth the price of admission. I’ll be checking out Bones by Ubelaker instead.
foofers1622's review against another edition
3.0
Like a lot of the other readers, I couldn't get past how full of himself the author was. I understand you've worked on some great cases but damn tone it down a bit! Besides that, it was interesting to see what a forensic anthropologist does day to day.
lconrad15's review against another edition
4.0
Didn’t think I would learn too much as I have consumed quite a bit in forensics between documentaries, books and podcasts, but this book was fascinating and I did learn quite a lot. The work requires the patience of a saint, but the rewards are immeasurable. It’s unfortunate that it’s so poorly funded and undervalued.
scotia_mullin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
An excellent read. Marples and Browning provide excellent and interesting accounts from the world of forensic science and forensic anthropology.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Death
johnbreeden's review against another edition
4.0
I've see several reviews that mention Maples' air of self-importance in the field. Having done the audiobook version of the book, I must say that the narrator's voice makes this come across even worse. Nevertheless, this was a good book now that I am looking at future study in this field. Given his experience, a little bragging (or a bit more) is understandable. I did enjoy the vignettes into his experience. There is some science and procedural information here, but that is not the focus of this book.
midwinteraz's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't realize how old this book was when I started reading, and parts of it felt a bit dated. The epilogue left on a melancholy note, with Dr. Maples reflecting on dwindling funding, retirements, and closing collegiate programs, but I have a feeling the premiere of the CSI TV shows (and Bones!) gave a boost to funding and interest in forensic anthropology. Maples' stories show the amazing variety of cases one can encounter in forensic anthropology, and the chapters are told with an engaging and entertaining voice. I took a human osteology graduate course in 1998 and have profound respect for the experts who can "read" the evidence left in tiny bone fragments. I'd love to see a contemporary author's take on the subject, to see how scientific advancements have changed the field since 1994.