Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Gil Reavill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2007

Now in paperback, a look into the disturbing but fascinating new field of bio-recovery, as a critically acclaimed crime writer rolls up his sleeves and delves into the world of Aftermath, Inc.

The best way to understand the world of Aftermath, Inc. is to imagine life before it. Grief-stricken families of suicide or homicide victims were left to cope on their own. Sometimes police would leave a can of ground coffee behind to soak up the mess. Sometimes local church groups offered to help with the horrific chaos of the scene.

Into this void stepped Tim Reifsteck and Chris Wilson, who filled a desperate need by founding their bio-remediation company. Gil Reavill traces their history, introducing us to their clients and employees, and the cops, coroners, and detectives they encounter in their work. Their stories are stranger than fiction, and utterly human and compelling.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this grisly, swaggering tale of gut-churning crime scenes and the men who clean them up after the forensics team is done, veteran true crime scribe Reavill (Beyond All Reason: My Life with Susan Smith) holds nothing back. From descriptions of crimes ("The fusillade of bullets tore through Johnson's body.... Blood, bits of flesh and bone fragments exploded everywhere") to hepatitis C "bleed-outs" ("All four walls of the bathroom looked like someone had taken a blood hose and turned it on them"), Reavill grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go. He follows the techs from Aftermath, Inc.—a bioremediation outfit in suburban Chicago—as they make the rounds of shotgun suicides, multiple murders and meth lab cleanups; dealing not only with the gross-out of the work but trying to stay sane doing it. While some black humor seeps in around the edges, Reavill mostly depicts a cadre of low-key, hardworking men doing a horrible job with respect and compassion. The narrative pace flags a bit in the last 50 pages when Reavill tries to connect Aftermath's work with larger moral issues, but otherwise, if anything can get CSI watchers to flip off the tube and pick up a book, this is it. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Thanks to the popularity of TV crime shows such as CSI and Law and Order, most people have a feel for what happens around a crime scene (a fictional one, anyhow). But once the body of the victim has been removed, who cleans up the blood, the guts, or--for that matter--the couch? Reavill, a crime writer by trade, pursues the answers by signing on with a company called Aftermath, which specializes in "bio-remediation"--the removal of bio matter from scenes of violent death. Despite his chosen vocation, Reavill never had encountered an actual crime scene and felt it was time to get his hands dirty. Working with the cleanup crews of Aftermath, he enters residences where atrocities have occurred, sees the grisly remnants, and, finally, helps clean them up. He tells the stories leading up to the bloodshed with compassion for both sides as he comes face-to-face with humanity's messiness. His eye for morbid details and grasp of forensic science are impressive, but it is his empathy for people that will affect readers most. Jerry Eberle
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (May 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592402968
• ASIN: B000Z4K4WU
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,049,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gross and engrossing, September 1, 2007

By 

S. Porretta (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home (Hardcover)

I first heard about this book on NBC's "The Today Show." It piqued my interest, as I had seen a documentary about this type of business a while ago. I have a morbid interest in this kind of thing and thought it would be an interesting read. I wasn't disappointed.

The book is written in an entertaining and even humorous manner, which is appreciated given its "grave" subject matter. The book provides graphic details about cases that the Aftermath techs have had to clean up, everything from shotgun suicides, to bleed-outs from diseases, to a guy who was chopped up in a jet engine. It is surprising to read in just how many weird and gruesome ways human beings can depart this Earth.

The Aftermath guys rarely see the bodies, but clean up what's left of them. If reading about body fluids, maggots, the process of decomposition, and the stench of decay is interesting to you, then this book provides details galore. It also gives a kind of sad commentary on the savage nature of humanity as it details grisly murders perpetrated by relatives against each other - son against parents and siblings, mother against children - and of course stranger upon stranger as well. Not only murders but unfortunate accidents and plain old deaths from natural causes are covered in the book.

Death is "the last taboo" and this book covers the topic unabashedly. It is really a fascinating read, written in a conversational style that is easy to read. It is a book for those who are interested in the physical process of death. There is nothing spiritual about it, though the cases are handled with the utmost respect in a dignified and business-like manner.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ok, I'm morbid, March 8, 2010

By 

Night Nurse (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home (Hardcover)

I'll admit it, I'm morbid. I like to learn about things that would have most people running for the hills (or at least the bathroom). I enjoyed this book. I was a little reluctant to purchase it due to the less than stellar reviews I had read here. But then I figured that sometimes, I find that I enjoy things that others might not, and I ordered it. I'm glad I did. I am not sure what the unhappy reviewers were expecting with this book. It isn't going to tell you how to start your own clean-up business, nor is it going to tell you how to run said clean-up business. And it isn't supposed to. What it does do, is follow the author on his journey of discovery and "job shadow"ing the technicians of Aftermath, Inc. This book includes plenty of "juicy" details, and it also offers quite a bit of something else. Maybe it's because he tries to let you see the effect working in this type of business has on the employees. As a nurse, I really appreciated the chapter on Hepatitis C, and as a psych nurse, I REALLY appreciated the take on suicide. This book really had me wanting to copy pages and hand them out...but then I realized that would likely be illegal, and I let that idea go by the wayside. I feel the author really wanted the reader to see the victims as not just a "human stain" but as a human. A person. Someone who had a life, loved ones, and feelings. Again, I really enjoyed this book, and if you're reading this, I would recommend that you not hesitate because of negetive reviews. Go for it, you might be surprised, as I was.

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Much Substance, June 28, 2007

By 

CatherCop (El Dorado Hills, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home (Hardcover)

This book was a bit of a tease. It starts off with a very interesting crime scene, but then tends to forget what the title implies the book is about. If you're interested in the actual nuts and bolts, day-to-day workings of a company such as Aftermath, Inc, you won't get it here. You will get a lot of the author's personal opinions of the work, an extended history of the formation of the company, and much discussion about the relationships formed. What you won't get, and what you hope for, is a study of the crime scene clean up crews and the work they do. This book was a disappointment.