Unnatural Causes: Gripping true stories from the Sunday Times bestselling forensic pathologist

In one respect I was able to see through the eyes of a forensic pathologist and view what he sees in his job as he searches for answers in the death of each baby, child, woman or man. In another respect I could see into the home life of a dedicated doctor who also finds time to spend with his family. It definitely kept my interest.

It wasn't that this book took two months to read, I just was juggling a number of books. It started strong but then petered out toward the end as I really did not care about Shepherd's marital problems. I did like how he followed the thread of certain cases and their dispositions throughout his career and how the field treated them changed: SIDS, police brutality, mental health and more. Potentially due to his controlling the narrative in his memoirs, but he seemed to be ahead of the curve in the field in addressing these in a more whole way. An interesting read.

Dr. Shepherd gives his life to the world in many ways. Along with the rubber-neckers who can't resist the gore there are the few scientists, seekers of truth. Truth was a constant theme throughout, along with fairness and a will to progress and improve which seem almost ironic in the face of the actual "progress" that occurred later in his career. I award five stars as one who admires these values and the grace with which he pursued them and wrote of both his successes and his failures. Well done, Doc.

I read a review about Shepherd’s book in the London Sunday Times. I’m a sucker on the subject and bought the Kindle at an absurd price the same day. The first thing I noticed is that Shepherd is one hellacious good writer. From the first sentence and paragraph, I was reading a gifted writer. The writing just gets better as you progress. He incorporates his family, related social and technical debates in time and place, and everyday details in an extraordinary effective manner. He traces an increasingly vile trial evolution into withering defense 'personal incompetence' strategies. Shepherd grabs first sentence attention as he narrates his approach into Hungerford, England in his Cessna 170 in the current day. He has a panic attack. He writes one of the best written witnesses to an attack that I've seen in writing. Boom! He doesn’t call it a panic attack but that’s precisely what he describes I have the damn things at the strangest moments like this. After 30-some years as a leading forensic voice in some 28,000 autopsies, Shepherd begins here with his career recollection of his last visit to Hungerford. Shepherd writes his images precisely … first cadaver, first autopsy, etc. Fantastic fidelity. His style transports you into the seen without notice. A secondary theme is understanding the nature of "truth" and its perspective intensive demands to understand. "Truth" matures. Shephard is keen enough to notice the nuance. Here’s a genuinely unique 5-star read that's on the way to best seller. Here is the story of raw yeoman work. Life. Death. The author has the master skill of the storyteller and forensic expert. It’s a rare combo to produce such a grippingly interesting read. Surely among the years top non-fiction reads.

I didn't expect this book is a 50/50 biography and stories from his job. It starts slow and too much about his personal life. Otherwise, some of his big cases are interesting and I appreciate his narrative.

Dr Shepherd offers an engrossing look at the lives of cadavers. First, I thank Dr Shepherd for various tidbits about death: that the abdomen decomposes first, and that babies are more likely to mummify than adults. Shepherd also knows how to write, such as this sentence about the 9/11 coroners’ setup in NYC: “The bodies were treated with great respect and the trailers were kept clean and well ordered, the Stars and Stripes a reminder of the state and the containers of flowers a reminder of the people.” Unfortunately, Shepherd frequently lapses into the passive voice, making for poor scene setting: “However, my denials were ignored and my protests taken as somehow incriminating.” Had Shepherd focused on his wordsmithing, I might understand how he became a forensic pathologist instead of a coroner (and why that difference matters). His quests to help corrections officers better learn to restrain prisoners might have formed a nice arc, rather than meriting a few pages at the outset and an occasional mention thrown in thereafter. And perhaps, told in stronger words, his description of the privatization of forensic pathologists in the UK would have made sense to this American. I can’t fathom how the UK would ever need fewer forensic pathologists. Also, he taught at university? When did this happen? Finally, his experiments with meat, pillows, and knife wounds also eventually fizzles out. Why on Earth did he not apply for funding to create a lab devoted to splatter science? And why didn’t he spare a chapter to explaining (with diagrams) the basic science of knife wounds and blood splatter? That aside, the Shepherd’s life removed comes full circle in the last 10%.

A glorious book about what can happen when one cares TOO much about his profession. As an ER nurse (also with PTSD), I recognized the need to discover the truth about a case, often to the detriment of the rest of life. This book reads like a detective novel, yet it is about real case studies & the strange circumstances that make the medical profession vastly interesting. Thank you, Dr. Shepard, for a stellar read!!!

I was fascinated with this book. I enjoyed that the author brought the reader from his early stages of life, prior to medical school all through his career. The cases themselves were interesting but also how science and law enforcement have changed over the years. The book was a little slow to start but definitely made up for it as you went along. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in law enforcement!

Disappointing.

Interessantissimo

Interesting, the life of a pathologist is shown from his graduating to practicing, with the upheavals in personal life that followed. It definitely convinced me that I would not want to be a pathologist!

Got this for my cousin. She was happy receiving the book in good condition and was delivered one day before the actual delivery date.

Read this book if you are interested in criminolgy, forensics and the personal lives of those who find their career in these fields. It is an autobiographical exploration of forensics in practice by a highly respected name in forensic medicine in the world. I had recommended this book to a niece of mine when she was trying to enter MBBS. It opens your mind to the vagaries of human nature. It is a revetting read and gives you value for your money. It will educate you and empower you. So, go for it.