Customer Reviews

Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook

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This is one of the most interesting books I've read in a long while. It's about forensic anthropology. If the title sounds boring, don't be mislead. Ubelaker has done a masterful job of interweaving the science of forensic anthropology with some really interesting detective stories. The result is a wonderful blend of story telling, murder mystery, and science rolled into one.

One of the first things I liked about this book is that Ubelaker talks to the reader using the same correct anatomical names of bones that you'd expect from one of the foremost experts in the field (which he is). That's not to say the text comes across stuffy or condescending. On the contrary. I got the feeling that even though I'm a complete novice in this area Ubelaker has treated me, the reader, with enough respect to speak to me in correct terms, while putting at my disposal the means to catch up with his vocabulary. For example, he put a glossary of terms at the end of the book, and a simple sketch of a human skeleton, so you can look up the funny sounding words and find out what they mean. The ulna and radius, for example, are the two bones in your forearm. The talus is one of the bones in your ankle. I always appreciate an author who educates me. Someone who makes me learn something new. But I especially appreciate that person when they make the learning process interesting and natural. Not all authors do that, and fewer still do it well.

You might expect a book on forensic anthropology to be laid out in topical chapters. One chapter might tell you all about the names of the bones. Another might discuss characteristic marks on bones from knives, etc. Still another might discuss the technical details of decomposition. Well, Ubelaker does all that, but he does it without you actually realizing that it's happening. He does it by constructing virtually the entire book out of case histories from his personal experience. These case histories are grouped, roughly, into chapters that each teaches a different concept. But he does not teach by recitation of fact and rot memorization. Instead, these case histories are laid out like miniature crime mysteries, with Ubelaker walking the reader through the story, showing how the bones hold the key to the mystery, and explaining how they tell their story.

This isn't a textbook, though I wouldn't be surprised to find it on a list of recommended reading for an anthropology class. Rather it is a book meant to introduce first-time readers to the subject in an interesting and informative manner. It's meant to both initiate interest in the subject as well as to inform.

I learned a lot of interesting things from Ubelaker's book. For example, I had no idea that anthropologists can tell different human groups apart from their skeletal remains. I'd always assumed that we look pretty much the same under our skins, but that's not the case. Telling men from women is pretty easy, and telling the difference between European, Mongoloid, and African origin is not too difficult, either. Little clues about which bones have fused together, the size of nasal openings, and the widths of certain bones allow anthropologists to make remarkably accurate determinations when they have a well-preserved full skeleton. And, depending on circumstances, they can even tell age with a pretty good level of confidence. Even when the amount of bone is very limited, I was surprised at some of his examples of the wealth of information that could be inferred.

Some of the case stories involve especially poignant human tragedies (every human death is a tragedy, but the stories of some of the victims tear at your heartstrings a little harder than do others). At first Ubelaker seems a little detached in his telling of some of these stories. But as I worked my way through the book it became clear that he is a first-rate professional, and that beneath the academic exterior there is a kind and compassionate heart that understands the human component of his work, and treats it with the utmost respect and dignity.

This book is about death, and the application of science in determining the cause of death based on examination of corpses. Some of the descriptions are graphic, and there are definitely some chapters you won't want to read during a meal. One of the questions that puzzled me during the beginning of the book was how scientists are able to determine, based on the degree of decomposition, how long a body had been dead. Science is based on experimentation, you know, and this area is no different than others. Make sure when you read that chapter you're not eating a sandwich.

The book has about 300 pages and it's illustrated with black and white drawings and a few black and white photographs. I found it very engaging. I picked it up at the Portland airport just before a trip to Boston. Five days later, when I returned to Oregon, I'd finished it. If you like a good mystery, practical applications of the scientific method, and if you have some interest in crime, forensics, or anthropology, I think you will be as fascinated by this book as I am.

Looking at my shelves I see I have a fairly substantial collection of what might be called forensic pathology or forensic anthropology books. And this one is by far the dullest of them all... an inherently fascinating and compelling topic reduced to painful tedium. A typical account, without much exaggeration, goes like this: "I was sent a hand with the fingertips and thumb missing, severed at the wrist. After a while I reported it was with 70% probability the hand of a female, between the ages of 15 and 45. The case has never been solved." Repeat this, with minor variations, for 200-odd pages, and you have this book. Many of Ubelaker's fellow practitioners devote whole chapters of their books to a single complex case, and give us a real feeling for just how the information they provide fits into the big picture of the crime. Ubelaker, on the other hand, seems unwilling to devote much more than a page per crime, which means that to fill out the book he basically dumps the contents of his card indices onto the printed page. The result is less interesting to read, by far, than a stamp album!

There are, as Sherlock Holmes would say, some points of interest here but they come few and far between, and one would need the patience of a forensic anthropologist presented with a huge garbage bag of bone fragments, mixed animal and human, and none more than an inch long, to ferret out those points.

I've read this book several times and find new items of interest in it each time. The insight into method is as fascinating as the author's joyous interest in physical and forensic anthropology. BUT if you have it already and were hoping that this edition has been expanded --take a look through the new edition before you buy it. Another reviewer says it's exactly and no more than the old in a new jacket.

This entertaining and educational book is about a Smithsonian curator who helps to solve crimes as an FBI consultant, and uses this same science to uncover ancient secrets. A forensic expert's testimony can mean the difference between a conviction and a miscarriage of justice. Hunters and gatherers of crops have long been important for discovering lost bodies. Connecting found bones to a missing person does not always lead to a suspect. The rules of evidence in court require a witness to speak from his observations, not from other's reports. Archeology is closely related to forensic anthropology. Human skeletal identification was used during the Korean hostilities. Forensic anthropology can enable the bones to speak in police investigations! The analysis of modern violence can explain what happened centuries ago. Large samples of skeletons can be used to determine the frequencies of various diseases. The 33,000 skeletons in the National Museum of Natural History provide a standard of comparison. Statistics promote objectivity.

As a young student Ubelaker wrote a term paper on the femur. You could determine that it was human, the height, estimate the sex, age at death, ethnic origin, body weight, patterns of locomotion, clues to certain diseases, indications of occupation, and sometimes how he died (p.45).

About 10% of those executed for murder were subsequently proven innocent (p.63)! The low number of reported poisonings suggest that medical examiners should be more vigilant in identifying murder victims (p.62). An "accidental overdose" could be murder. Far more crimes are committed with paper and a pen (p.74). Chapter 6 tells about distinguishing human from animal bones. Chapter 7 tells of determining sex, size, race, and age at death. Chapter 8 tells that much may be learned from the environment where a body was found. Time since death can be estimated from the type of insects feeding on the corpse (p.108).

Tooth marks on bones can hide or destroy evidence, or create false clues. Insects, larvae, and mollusks can create signs of pathology. Issuing more hunting licenses can result in more found remains (p.120). Chapter 10 explains how "dreams" can help solve crimes. Chapter 11 says attempts to hide a murder by burning attracts attention to the crime, even if they destroy some evidence. Chapter 13 tells what can be learned from larvae in a body. Chapter 14 says sketches based on skulls are not too accurate, but work because they are close enough to get a response from someone 9p.169). The interpretation of evidence can be highly subjective, as when expert witnesses disagree (p.195). Do professional witnesses shape their testimony to please their clients (p.196)?

Chapter 16 shows Ubelaker misquoting that Borden jingle (p.208). Does the "alleged murder weapon" have a chain of custody? Page 221 tells of a skull drilled by a .25 caliber Black & Decker! "Children who are loved grow faster than those who are not" (p.228). The big challenge is to distinguish between evidence of foul play from other environmental changes (p.298). If other people know of a murder, eventually they will tell (p.258). Chapter 21 explains why there are so few serial killers around. A lot of murders go unrecognized (p.263). Chapter 22 tells of murderers that almost got away with it. The murderer of a Swansea Mass girl was named as a suspect, confessed to at least six of his friends, but wasn't prosecuted until five years later. Chapter 24 tells of the need to keep a certain distance from cases to preserve objectivity, and any emotional drain.

I have read Dr.Ubelaker's book and I have to say that it has been the most informative book on homicide investigation I have ever seen. Being a student in Criminal Justice, I have read many textbooks on homicide investigation. Only Dr.Ubelaker's book gives you the viewpoint of the investigator, leading you through his thought processes and conclusions, as he works to solve the identity of murder victims. This book was truly a fascinating piece. I would recommend it to anyone looking to pursue a career in law enforcement, medicine, and (of course) forensic anthropology

As a graduate student in forensic science, I enjoyed this book. It had real case studies in forensic anthropology. If you are looking for a reliable source on the subject, Dr. Ubleker is a perfect candidate. He is the curator of the anthropology section at the Smithsonian, works on cases with the FBI and teaches a class in Forensic Anthropology at George Washington University. The book holds the readers interest and explains scientific methods/terminology in Forensic Anthropology.

As much as I like Doug personally and as much as I enjoyed his book when it came out (and the several times since that I have read it), I was dismayed to see, when my order arrived, that this is the same book he wrote several years ago dressed in a new "jacket." I wish him every success but I wish to warn others that this is not a new book!

Dr. Ubelaker describes, very well, the work involved in forensic anthropology. Although I have interests of my own in this field, this book helped me to see many of the aspects involved in looking at human remains... it's not just nice clean bones! Anyone tinkering with the idea of becoming a forensic anthropologist themselves will benefit from reading this highly entertaining, if not educational book.

I was engrossed from page one! Dr. Ubelaker brought it down to an obtainable level yet taught valuable lessons in not only forensics but also the human condition. It was poignant,informative, at times humorous (the chicken bone experiments!), and above all, captivating. My original copy is worn out! I suggest it to all my associates in the medical field. It will make you think twice about what appears to be an accident. I hope Douglas comes out with a follow-up

Although the authors are clearly very well versed in forensic anthropology, I was disappointed in the way they presented their material. The chapters weren't difficult to follow, but they read like memoirs of the authors' cases and I got the sense the authors were more interested in showing off than sharing knowledge with nonscientists. That made it tricky to isolate details, and frankly I've learned more from general crime scene books that devoted just one chapter to forensic anthropology. Bottom line: If you're looking for a solid reference book that you can turn to again and again, you'll probably find satisfaction only in the glossary at the end.