Customer Reviews

Forensic Detective: How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Mann's Forensic Detective gives us the best view--to date--of the scope and complexity of forensic anthropology. Well written. Nice Job.

I started reading this book yesterday and have not been able to put it down. I am half way through the book, but people need to know that this is an excellent read. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, about to graduate, and this has helped me lean toward a path that I may follow. Please note that I have met Dr. Mann and to then read this book is astounding. I will write more when I am finished with the book. For anyone who loves detective work or shows like CSI you have to read this!
I finished the book and it was excellent. Some chapters spooked me, some brought tears to my eyes and others just astounded me. I feel like I have worked side by side with Dr. Mann for the last 20 years. Jeffrey Dhamer sure was an interesting and obviously disturbed individual. Chapter 2 brought insight as to how Dr. Mann came to be. Although I felt like I could actually smell chapter 3 it was fascinating. From the mummy, to the man hanged from the tree, to the house of horrors (which it definitely was), to the flies disguised as curtains, this book offered many tips and tricks of the trade. Chapter 15 not only choked me up but actually brought a tear to my eye. I actually feel like a forensic anthropologist. I wonder after reading this tasteful recount of events how anyone could possibly feel like they could commit a crime and get away with it!

There are many fascinating books for the general public on forensic anthropology. What makes this one different from those that I have read so far is that, in addition to descriptions of efforts towards resolving murder cases, it contains several stories about the identification of the remains of soldiers who have died in various military conflicts, e.g., both World Wars, Korea, etc. The author has also included some honest and open-hearted autobiographical information. The writing style is friendly and engaging. The book should be of interest to forensics buffs, but especially those with a penchant for forensic anthropology. I enjoyed this book and, as such, I have rated it as above average for this subject category, i.e., four stars; but I don't think that it quite has the gripping edge that would make it five star material, as some such books that I have read do.

This isnt your huckleberry if you want to learn anything-much about death investigations. The author is skimpy about what it is he actually does or how he identifies people from their remains. This is a common problem in many books; the authors cant or wont reveal what it is they do. I suspect a lawyer was looking over his shoulder and breathing down his neck as he wrote the book. It has lawyer fingerprints and drool all over it.

It gets two stars because it's an interesting yarn. Too interesting. I'd leave out all the personal stuff about his hobo days and wanton youth. But he needed to fill the pages with something, because he says so little about what he actually does. So there are plenty of interesting digressions.

It's not a keeper, and in a year no one will remember it.

With the advent of CSI and similar TV programs, many of us have been drawn to the work of the 'crime labs..' even if Hollywoodized for common consumption. If nothing else, folks have come to see that there is much more to an investigation than what takes place in a sixty minute TV feature. Mann, in this work, takes us behind the scenes to more fully appreciate the work of 'bone doctors,' and other specialists as they seek to solve interesting cases.. some long after the fact of death. While other critics may not have appreciated Mann's early background, I found it fascinating to the extent which shows that persons, even later in life, can truly amount to something important.. even after they've tossed much of their life away on nonsense. This, hopefully, could encourage others to get back on track and do something important with their time on the planet. It is fair to say that this work won't go down as a long time classic but it should be read by anyone wishing to be more familiar with a work we so seldom appreciate.

Because I not only am a practicing forensic pathologist, I also teach the subject. I am always looking for books on the subject. Forensic anthropology is not my area of expertise, and I've read the memoirs of many forensic anthropologists. The TV series "Bones" has stimulated a lot of interest in the field. Forensic Detective, How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases will go a long way to killing interest in the field. I hat to stop reading it, because I was in too much pain, the book kept hitting me in the face as I fell asleep reading it. The chapter about how Dr. Mann got into the field was mildly interesting, and the bits about the politics of choosing the unknown soldier was also interesting. For the rest, I just couldn't finish the book. The material has been gone over before, and better, by other authors. Dr. Mann would have been helped by a better ghostwriter.

Bottom line, save your money.

I am 10 and i have a huge passion for Forensics and Sherlock H. and Doc. Watson are my rolemodels well male rolemodels any way i am a huge agatha christie sucker! She would be my female rolemodel! and i love learning about dead people and how the criminal thinks! i want to read about THE perfect crime... I find Jeffery Dahmer Very interesting and hes right he shouldve just went off to college and buy a fish tank he wouldve been very useful in forensics!

As a huge fan on CSI and Bones, I expected a lot from this book. The book is rather interesting but I find it places too much emphasis on the background story of the victims/deceased. It says a lot more background details about soldiers who died in wars. I'd prefer if the author gives us more details of the forensic processes instead. Could it be the author thought it might be too boring for the readers? I wouldn't know. But I couldn't help feeling a bit of disappointment when I finished reading the book.

Nevertheless, I have absolute respect to the author, who only continued his study after several years of decadance and then went on to become one of the top forensic anthropologists in the country.

There isn't anything really wrong with this book, but when it comes to books on forensics, this is a lesser work in the genre. Mann fails to include enough anthropological detail to make the book really interesting on that count, nor does he seem to have been INTERESTINGLY attached to many cases that are truly mysterious and dramatic, or independently famous (he worked on the 911 terrorism cases, but has nothing interesting to recount).

The book tries to make up for this by tying forensic work to its impact on people's lives, but this understanding can likely be taken for granted in a person who is interested in a book on forensics, or for that matter, true crime of other types. The space occupied by moralizing, justification, and attempts to spice up accounts of routine investigations with descriptions of the scenery would probably have been better put to use recounting more cases.

The strong point of this book would probably be in its coverage of war-dead recovery, which while not comprehensive, is not treated at all in many forensic accounts.

Generally, this book might be interesting to true-crime forensics completists, but other people with an interest in the subject can safely acquire other books on the topic without missing out on much.

For a person with a very limited knowledge of the world of forensic anthropology, Dr. Robert Mann's book cuts right to the chase and leaves you spellbound chapter after chapter. After finishing the book in just two nights, this carefully written roller coaster ride of a book gave me a greater insight and understanding of just how much is involved with this noble profession. I do take my hat off to all of the forensic anthropologists around the country who give of themselves daily to help solve some of the most difficult crime cases imaginable.
If it were not for the untiring work of forensic anthropologists one would have to think of just how big the list of unsolved cases would be from present levels. Thank you Dr. Mann for allowing people such as myself into your world and giving us individuals with a very limited knowledge of this noble profession of just how dedicated the men and women who choose this profession truly are.
I do highly recommend anyone considering a career in anthropology or anyone curious about this profession to invest the time and money into buying and reading this book. You will not be disappointed.
Dr. Mann and the men and women of the forensic anthropology profession your hard work and dedication is truly appreciated more than you could possibly know.