Light on details but strong on personality. It reads more like an extended interview with the subject than with a chronological history of his career. It almost feels like each chapter could be read alone. The forensic details are interesting but only skim the surface of the science which I found disappointing.

Simple. Full of cases to read about. This is an indulging read. Nothing complicated in the language. Enticing stories of cases Holmes' encountered. This is a book to keep around to re-read the interesting findings from the multitude of cases.

I would have enjoyed the book much better if it had been in the first person. I think this should have been more of a memoir. I couldn't finish it for that reason

John Bateson has written an engaging book that grabbed my attention and kept it from the first page to the last. Ken Holmes was an excellent subject for the book. His humility and humanity were an excellent counterpoint to the often grisly nature of his job.
The cases that were featured showed how varied the day-to-day work of the coroner's office is. The politics of the office were often frustrating and made me appreciate Mr. Holmes doggedness in defending the importance of the work an independent coroner's office does.
Mr. Holmes's advocacy for the dead and their families was inspiring. His advice about grieving was sensitive and spot-on.
I recommend this book for anyone who has enjoyed a police procedural in any format - it is eye opening and worth reading

I thoroughly enjoyed this title. The subject matter is fascinating to a wide range of readers. It is detailed without being too gory and it is generally well thought out. I did find myself wondering a few times where the train of thought was going, but it ended up looping back around. Because this title is mostly split into chapters about certain scenarios, I found myself not reading through the whole book in a few sittings but rather reading a few chapters when I had time, which is a nice way to enjoy this type of often heavy subject material. I also found myself looking up memorial information for the deceased individuals named in this book to further understand their stories. Same goes for the locations or specific details.
Overall this was a fascinating read that I'm looking forward to recommending.

This was a fascinating look into the life of a coroner in Marin County, CA. Fans of Dr. Judy Melinek's Working Stiff will certainly enjoy it.

"The Education of a Coroner" is both a biography and a collection of crime stories. We're given details about how Ken Holmes got into a career as a death investigator (then coroner's assistant and later coroner), the training he received, and how he went about doing his job. We learn about the things Ken Holmes checked when he first came to a death scene, the importance of death certificates, and the difference between cause and manner of death. The author also explained how death notifications were done by the coroner's office, how they dealt with the media, how they interviewed people about the death, and many other aspects of Holmes' job.

We're also told about some of the cases he was involved in, from suicides and accidents to homicides. He talked about some big name cases, unusual or shocking cases, and about the many suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge. The accidents and murders were described with minimal gory detail and were more about the clues found while working the case. He gave more gory details about the suicides, though. I found the book very interesting and would recommend it to people interested in what a death investigator and coroner do and to fans of true crime stories.

I was very impressed with this book. It was a much more emotional book than I expected it to be. The stories were well told and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

A bit slow in the first third, but persevere! Definitely more interesting and engaging as you read further.

We've all seen plenty of coroners on TV. The Education of a Coroner offers a more accurate account of what the life and work of a coroner is really like. Bateson profiles veteran Marin County coroner Ken Holmes, who pursued the work after his grandfather told him that coroners got to work with human anatomy and science without having to go through a lengthy college program. While the structure of the book at times felt haphazard, and stories of specific deaths and investigations occasionally end abruptly, the anecdotes of Holmes's cases, his affinity for his work, and his ability to merge compassion with scientific inquiry will give you new respect for the position.

You'd think this might be disturbing and weird. Surprisingly interesting. Really enjoyed getting to know how they do their job and what kind of things they encounter. Sad at times, but its life.

The Education of a Coroner is an excellent edition to the ever growing pile of death positive books that have been coming out recently. John Bateson, who previously worked with coroner Ken Holmes on a suicide panel, takes his time walking the reader through the ins and outs of death investigations in Marin County while providing (often in graphic detail) case examples that Ken experienced during that time.

I really enjoyed reading this one and found Ken's perspective extremely valuable as I had previously only read books from those that had worked as embalmers or morticians. However, I did have some issues with this one. While I enjoyed reading the case examples, I don't think it was entirely necessary for suicide notes to be re-printed within the book. (The only way I would be comfortable with this would be if the remaining family members of the deceased had provided their consent and this was followed with a further conversation on suicidal ideation). So that part felt a little uncomfortable for me.

I also felt that some of the stories Ken shared were either slightly offensive or at the very least, unnecessary. His views on one particular woman that conspired to commit murder of her employer were upsetting (at one point she alleged attempted rape by her past employer to her boyfriend and Ken said that she wasn't the "type" to be sexually assaulted due to her looks/weight). Additionally, when describing a coworker and his general personality, Ken shared a story from a bar where the coworker faked a Middle Eastern accent until he annoyed the bartender. The dialogue from this interaction was then added and again it made me feel uncomfortable as a reader. I really feel like these two parts could have been omitted from the book and I would given the the book a higher rating.

I have been interested in the mortuary/coroner field for a long time. I read as many books on this subject as I can. This book is going to be high on my list for books to read on this subject matter. The cases that are used for this book is told in a very respectful way. Very interesting tidbits are also presented as for the administrative parts of the coroner that we never really think about. This book has a very good flow to it and it holds your interest. I was said when the book was finished. I could have read more about Mr. Holmes and his experience. This is a very good book, a must read. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.