Helpful Score: 3
This book was what triggered the TV series and jump-started the forensic anthropology field. Very fascinating.
Helpful Score: 2
This book reminded me of The Cases That Haunt Us by Douglas and Olshaker; in this book, Maples applies his science, forensic anthropology, to historically significant cases such as the deaths of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and of Zachary Taylor, once President of the United States. In The Cases That Haunt Us, Douglas applied his science, criminal profiling, to historically significant cases such as Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden. In both books, the stories told were fascinating.
Helpful Score: 1
well.... this was an awesome book- as far as subject matter, composition, materials, expertise, interest, all that- excellent.
where this author fell short for me was his writing style... it is very well written. he has an excellent command of the english language. i think this sometimes gets in the way of the materials he is trying to convey... as far as style goes- i was able to finish it so it was not that bad, only mildly annoying.
but i would not let this stop you if this is a subject that interests you. this man had been in the field basically since its inception as a modern science... awesome knowledge
where this author fell short for me was his writing style... it is very well written. he has an excellent command of the english language. i think this sometimes gets in the way of the materials he is trying to convey... as far as style goes- i was able to finish it so it was not that bad, only mildly annoying.
but i would not let this stop you if this is a subject that interests you. this man had been in the field basically since its inception as a modern science... awesome knowledge
Helpful Score: 1
This was very good, albeit a little dry and full of lots of esoteric vocabulary. It's to be expected from a scientist, I guess. It's fascinating to see how his life is so centered around bones, but even more interesting is how much information they can provide in a crime. The goriness of the crimes he reviews are lessened by his academic approach, which is a good thing. If you are interested in the history of forensics this is a great book.
Helpful Score: 1
excellent read. written very well. this book makes you hope your friends read it so you can talk about it; and even if they have not read it, you can't help telling them about this book. truly enjoyed.
If you've ever wondered about what a forensic anthropologist is and does, this is THE book to have. Mr. Maples shares his experiences dealing with the discarded remains from such high-profile murder cases as the Gainesville murders all the way to the brutal annihilation of the Romankovs in 1918.
This book was very interesting, if a bit dry. I thought it would be more case studies but what case studies there were in the book were interesting and absorbing. Plus, I have tons of useless knowledge I can pull out of my head to win trivia contests!
I found this book to be fascinating. It was a quick moving book. I found none of it to be slow or boring.
