Customer Reviews

Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology

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I am biased--Stan Rhine was a professor of mine at UNM. His book reads much like his delivery in class. Stan is an excellent storyteller and a solid forensic anthropologist. His 30+ years as a forensic investiagtor have led him into many adventures. The best of these he relates in this book. I myself have handled the skeletal evidence from some of these cases. While his investigations lack the notariety of say, Clyde Snow's or Bill Maples', the experiences are no less entertaining. I heartily recommend this book for its subtle humor and educational value.

"Bone Voyage" is absolutely one of the best books on Forensic Anthropology that I've ever read! I was very impressed with the detail, and every base was covered, from balistics to the examination of the criminal mind. This book had some pictures, I would have liked more, but with the descriptions given by the author, I guess more pictures would not have been necessary. The book was broken down in to a lot of short chapters dealing with one case per chapter, unlike several books I've read where it's just one long run on of several different cases. This book was very organized in its writing and its reading. I've read a lot of books on the subject of Forensic Anthropology, and this book is definitely worth another reading. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED.

For those of you interested in working in the field of forensics (a seemingly popular job choice in recent times), this book is a must read. Rhine engages the reader by telling a number of tales; for example, the puzzling discovery of a body that looked female, but wearing male clothes, and how he determined the sex of the individual. He even tells us in a quite funny essay how he made enemies of the museum staff by boiling off the soft tissue of a body and causing people to vomit on the museum floor.

All in all, a very practical view into the field. Rhine does not attempt to romanticize the profession; he merely tells his stories the way they should be told- very matter of factly. The book is funny at times, but his humor does not overshadow the information conveyed here.

Books on forensic anthropology are favorite reading of mine, so I was looking forward to reading this book by Stanley Rhine. I was somewhat disappointed by the book and found it a cross between a telling of Mr. Rhine's experiences as a forensic anthropologist and a textbook. The chapters are put together in a sequence that I would have changed. A chapter on the history of forensic anthropology occurs in the middle of the book. There is more technical information, such as the named of the bones of a skeleton, than I needed to know. The case histories tend to blur into each other and I found some not explained as fully as I would like. The kinds interesting cases that Dr. William Maples and Clyde Snow were involved with are not similarly present in this book. However, Mr. Stine has some interesting experiences to relate. What I most remember are the problems he encountered when the police think they know more than he does. The book is rather wordy and I thought that a good commercial book editor needed to put this book in a more interesting form.

This is a thoroughly interesting and entertaining book about Rhine's experiences as a forensic anthropologist in the state of New Mexico. Anyone interested in forensic anthropology forensics in general should give this book a try...I may be biased because Stan Rhine is a professor emeritus of the University of New Mexico, where I am a student, but this book is absolutely wonderful!

Well, if you are a member of the "Good-Old-Boys" club in New Mexico, this is the exact book for you!! Other than that, this book only flashes occassionally with interesting notions and bright ideas. Though I really wanted to enjoy this book [and tried to do so regardless of the Self-Absorbed blather] it was somewhat of a struggle. Perhaps if the author had left out all the back-slapping self congratulatory drivel, this would have been a top-quality presentation. SIGH, you must read between the drivel to get to the content. The content is nice but too cluttered for my taste.