Customer Reviews

Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist

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I bought a copy of this book when it first came out and it remains one of my favorites. Dr. Maples presents the story of his life in this book: how he became a forensic anthropologist, clues on how people are identified and his most famous cases. The cases that come to mind are his identification of the Tsar's family, his investigation into the death of President Zachary Taylor and his thoughts on the Elephant Man. His dedication to solving impossible problems makes fascinating reading. Along with the riveting detective story quality of the book, you come to know Dr. Maples, and an interesting man he was. I count my interest in forensic science from the day I read this book; it is the kind of book that you stay up to 3 in the morning to finish.

As a victim's sibling in one of Dr. Maples' cases, I know first-hand what excellent work he did to make sure the case was solved based on forensic evidence, not assumptions. The book also helps survivors understand the hard work it takes to learn the truth-- and ease one's mind.

Dr. Maples' legacy is that he helped families cope with tragedy, and his book is good medicine for the soul. It was an honor to know him.

For nearly a century the science of forensics has grown from a barely understood art to a marvel of modern science. From development of finger printing in the early 1900's, to DNA gene matching of today, forensic pathology and anthropology have blossomed into the law's best weapons against criminals that stalk our world. In `Dead Men Do Tell Tales' we enter the world of Dr. William Maples, PhD of the C A Pound Human Identification Center in Gainesville, Florida-an often brutal and ghoulish realm of dismembered corpses, hastily torched cremains of hapless victims or those dumped in septic tanks to rot and putrify in the other detritus of man's remains. Dr. Maples' own study is the field of forensic anthropology-the study of the human skeleton, and this man's expertise in that field has cemented my interest in amateur study of forensics.

Told in the first person, Maples comes across as brilliant and personable, if a little supremely confident in his own abilities as an investigator. And like Stephen Hawking's `A Brief History of Time', isn't afraid to admit when he has erred. Where the book shines, aside from its plethora of information, is in the presentation of that information-Maples never uses terms that he doesn't explain, knowing full well that the book is going to be read more by laymen like me than a peer within the profession. So do not expect detailed treatises on anatomy, pathology or pages of chemical breakdowns. Instead, Maples presents an easy to understand work that is surprising in its level of detail, and a credit to himself and his co-author, Michael Browning, for making it understandable.

Though it is a book on anthropology, one cannot write about one subject without at least touch on the pathology end, since the two are intimately related. After explaining his own origins from his birth in Dallas, Texas, his schooling and odd jobs he held in order to pay for his college-mostly that of riding shot gun in an ambulance while working for a mortuary as they sped from accident to accident, trying to scoop business away from competing funeral homes. He majored in English, but took a course on anthropology on a lark at the suggestion of his university counsellor. In so doing he met Tom McKern, who impressed Maples with his skill as a teacher, mentoring himself to the older professor.

Past the first chapter we enter Maples' job, past his trapping baboons in Africa in 1960s to his eventual relocation as Gainesville and the C A Pound offices there. Florida, he describes, is a living organism with highways making up its arterial system, and a place where criminals, like blood cells, pass through, dumping their often mutilated cargo of human debris. In many ways I believe he softened the blow in his descriptions of finding the body of man in a septic tank where it had been for over a decade or that of three murdered drug dealers near a golf course who had been executed by fellow criminals then unceremoniously tossed into a pit to be buried. Mere words cannot describe these gruesome atrocities, but he makes it clear that while it doesn't bother him anymore, it does turn even the hardest cop green with nausea.

His affinity with tools, since they are so often used as murder weapons, has led him to collect quite an assortment of hatchets, crow bars, hammers, saws-and could often be found in the hardware department at Sears looking at tools, trying to find the right one that matches the damaged bone. His expertise in this field enabled him to study John Merrick's remains-the Elephant Man of the 19th century, and even to Russia where he examined the skeletonized remains of Tsar Nicholas and his family, almost seventy years after they were murdered by Bolsheviks during the 1917 revolution. All of this experience-almost forty years before his death in 1999, has set Maples in his ways. He possesses a strong, passionate belief that there is true evil in the world, and that somehow the world is better off without certain murderers around. Though this is tempered by his own research into the most humane ways to execute someone.

`Dead Men Do Tell Tales' is a fascinating, enjoyable read-captivating in its insights in forensic pathology and anthropology in a language that everyone can understand. It gives the novice reader in the field a general understanding of the chemical changes our bodies go through as they decompose, the organs and other bodily system are rendered down in the earth-by insects and animals, and how evidence is gleaned off bones-chisel marks, bullet holes, little nicks and scratches that can tell the investigator what tool was used, and a little insight from Maples' point of view of the people who used them. It is a fascinating, engrossing book that anyone with a reasonably strong stomach should be able to enjoy. A fitting testimony to a highly skilled man who is sadly no longer with us. Thank you, Dr. Maples.

This book was required for our "De-Cal" student taught university class on Forensic Anthropology. I found most of the chapters quite fascinating. I picked up the book to read and finished it in one night (when we're only supposed to read one chapter), dispite the fact I had a math test looming over my head the next day. The first part of the book takes you through the life of the author; how he decided to go into the field when he was in college, some related part time jobs he had as a university student. Later, we follow the author as he goes on the case (including the Anastasia myth...). This is my favorite part of the book. Certain cases might be more interesting to some. Presidential buffs would enjoy the chapter when when an ex US president is exumed and examined. True crime enthusiasts would enjoy the gang related murder he had to dig up, literally dig up! Conspiracty theorists would have a "scratch your head" time with the murder/suicide mystery in the case about the woodin cabin.

This is an outstanding book -IF- you can stomach reading about things like insect larvae implanted in human decay. Dr. William Maples (1937-97) was a forensic anthropologist who examined bone and tissue samples to determine a person's age, gender, if they'd given birth, cause of death, etc. Imagine testifying at a murder trial while the killer stares at you. Dr. Maples did, knowing that if the jury acquitted the killer might seek revenge. When historians questioned whether angry slaveholders had secretly poisoned President Zachary Taylor in 1850, they called in Dr. Maples for the answer. Maples also investigated the bones of Russia's murdered Czar Nicholas II and family, in part to determine if their Bolshevik executioners might have spared young Anastasia and Alexei. This book has many such authentic tales.

Maples and co-author Michael Browning wrote personable, easy prose that never loses the reader in jargon. DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES is an excellent read for the non-squeamish.

Prior to his death in 1997, Dr. Maples was a forensic anthropologist at the University of Florida. Forensic anthropology is a thrilling science in which you determine from skeletal material how somebody died, when he or she died, and who the person was. Forensic anthropologists are often called in to investigate bombings, plane crashes, war crimes, and crime scenes where the body is substantially decomposed.

In this book Dr. Maples takes the reader into the Human Identification Lab and tells her about the most celebrated cases of his career.

While an anthropology student at the University of Florida I had the opportunity to meet and get to know Dr. Maples. His love for the science was touching and he inspired me more than any other teacher or professor I have ever met.

This book is excellent reading for anyone with an interest in how crimes are solved with forensics. Dr. Maples walks the reader through each case explaining how bones really DO TALK.

Every once in a while I come across a book that I can't put down and curse myself when sleep overtakes me and interrupts my read! This was such a book. A fascinating man talking about a fascinating subject. Billy Maples is the best forensic anthropologist alive and he also has a gift for writing and conveying his thoughts in a clear and entertaining manner. This subject won't interest everyone and many will be put off by some of the gory details, but Maples doesn't glamorize or exaggerate, he tells it like it is. Eventually, we will all come face to face with the subject of this book, and learning about what happens is an eye opening education.

I have always enjoyed reading and hearing about the ways in which a crime is solved and this book told extremely technical and medical information in a way in which anyone can understand. Besides that, the subject matter itself was fascinating and enriching. Dr. Maples is one of the most amazing forensic anthropologists. He has worked on cases ranging from the family of Tsar Nicholas II in Russia to that of President Zachary Taylor. This man is highly respected in and outside of his field. I was captivated from the moment I read the first chapter and I read all 283 pages in 3 days. I couldn't put it down. In fact, why do you think I'm here? I'm looking for more books on this subject because Dr. Maples made it so interesting. There are a couple of instances which some would find stomach-turning, but not many. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this type of matter.

I read other reviews and still bought this book anyway. I found that a lot of the book is more of a memoir or autobiography rather than a forensic book. The cases mentioned, while interesting, are skimmed over rather quickly with the only real 'in-depth' look being the Tsar case.

Mostly this book is just a light read, nothing substantial, nothing really memorable. While the author claims not to be bias towards the famous cases, these are the only ones he really goes into. Generally the cases are mentioned in one or two lines in between the author's life story.

If you are buying this book because you think it's a detailed forensic book, you will be disappointed and I suggest the Bill Bass books instead. However, if you're getting this as an interesting read, because you want to learn more about the author, or you're not really 'into' the scientific side of forensics, then you will probably enjoy it.