Scan barcode
A review by asourceoffiction
Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
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: Death, Child death, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, and Physical abuse