Perfect for fans of Mary Roach, "18 Tiny Deaths" puts an unexpected spin on the true crime genre with an inside look at early forensic techniques. A winner!

This nonfiction book is about Frances Glessner Lee, a woman who pioneered the study of forensics but who is virtually unknown by most people. I first read about her in Rachel Monroe's "Savage Appetites" and became fascinated. She was an extremely wealthy woman who became invested in revolutionizing the way murders were investigated. She used her money and her talents to devise miniature dioramas that could help police officers more effectively investigate crimes. She was incredibly important to developments being made in medicine and science - and none of the CSI franchises could have existed without her! The best part is that the majority of her work was completed after she was already advanced in age. She didn't let any obstacles stand in her way!

While I admire Lee in a huge way, I don't think this book really dove into her as a person as much as I would have liked. There were tons of tangents that left me cold, and I felt like too much focus was given to her male colleagues (and those sections were just not as interesting to me). There were sections of the book that I started to skim because I wanted to get back to Lee's story. I think this book could have been edited down in a major way. At the end of the day, someone should make a movie about Lee ASAP though!

. Many or most of the coroners lacked medical training or law enforcement training.

The 18 little deaths refers to a training device that Lee developed to educate law enforcement officers as to what to look for at crime scenes and build their powers of observation.

Very well researched but the writing tends to be academic in style. Nevertheless, Frances Lee’s extraordinary accomplishments and personality are well documented.

I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about Lee, and I was amazed at the story that unfolded, how crucial her work was in establishing American forensic science and the medical examiner system. Even before the book gets into her late-in-life development of the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death that she is best known for, I could not believe I had never heard of her contributions in my previous readings and study of forensics.

The first half of this book on her family and early life drags in the pacing, but kicks up considerably when Lee finally throws herself into her interest in legal medicine. I also appreciated the notes at the end about why the medical examiner system is still not adopted everywhere and the fallibility our forensic examinations even in the modern day to capture the full extent of the issues discussed in this book with honesty.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
18 Tiny Deaths was a fascinating read. I had not heard about Frances Glessner Lee prior to reading this ARC. I'm glad I had the chance to learn more about her and her contribution to the forensic science world.

18 Tiny Deaths by Bruce Goldfarb is part biography of Frances Glessner Lee and part history of medicolegal education in the United States. The title is a little misleading, as the “18 Tiny Deaths” portrayed in Lee’s Nutshell Studies are described briefly and late in the book. In her lifetime, Lee accomplished far more than just creating the Nutshell Studies. She helped found and sponsor the department of legal medicine at Harvard and coordinated a medicolegal course for police officers known as the Harvard Associates in Police Science. I listened to the audiobook, and I truly enjoyed Goldfarb's account of the remarkable Lee and the people she worked with in the medicolegal field. It was fascinating to learn what Lee achieved with her wealth and leadership despite having no formal education. I think she would have been pleased by Goldfarb’s book, which is a testament to a woman ahead of her time.

I enjoyed learning more about Frances Glessner Lee and her role in pioneering forensic science. I did find myself skimming through some of the dryer sections. That didn't diminish the quality of information or the value I found in the book.

This book was slightly disorganized and wordy. It was difficult to read and did not engage the reader.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you are a true crime fan in any way, I suggest having this book.

I actually quite liked this book but I don't think the reality matched the title or the blurb so much which is why I have given it 3 stars. There is remarkably little about the later years when Lee was involved in the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard. Was it that there wasn't much information available or was the author biased or discouraged from writing overly negatively about Lee given he was involved with the dioramas' maintenance? The history about the family was interesting from a social history perspective however it wasn't relevant to modern forensics. This book would have got more stars had it had a better title or blurb however the main focus of the book wasn't on the subject mentioned in the title.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I adored this look into Frances Glessner Lee's life. She has always been an person of curiosity for me. I originally wanted to be a forensic pathologist when I grew up but life led me on a different path to librarianship. This was a honest and fascinating portrayal of a fascinating lady. I one day want to be like her "an elderly woman with a cause"

The history of forensics was quite interesting to read about. The coroner system was quite inadequate and defunct. I had no idea that a woman spearheaded forensic studies.

18 Tiny Deaths is a fascinating read for true crime enthusiasts. Super detailed writing helped you feel like you were right there with Frances. Although at times the writing was a bit dry, it was still an interesting look on forensics history and how it was established.

This book was interesting as well as informative. I don’t know if it was my interest in true crime but it kept me engaged. Goldfarb really takes the time to tell you about Francis and explain why her innovations were important. I’m interested in reading more about the subject from this.

I really liked this book. It's a good insight into the birth of forensics. True crime addicts that enjoy the more scientific side of investigation may really like this title. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

I was interested how this society woman came to have such an interest in forensic science and how she of all people came to revolutionise it.

For starters this is an "... extremely detailed and thoroughly researched biography ...", so much so that I think it detracts from the object at hand - how and why forensics. I get that we know to know something of her background, but felt that this could quite easily have been condensed into one chapter. Another chapter could have been devoted to the history and current standing of forensics in the US before we then embark of Frances' sourjon into crime.

Alternately, this could have been a compelling look into the study and emergence of forensics in America, with a feature of Frances, as this tome does tend to veer off course with the introduction of a number of other influential characters.

Look, all in all, an interesting topic - and further reading up on the "Nutshell Studies" is highly warranted.

What an interesting book. The author did an awesome job of laying out the path that modern day forensic science has taken. Mrs. Lee was not only a huge factor in paving the way for the forensic science but was also a huge support of women's rights. The ideas that she fought for and against at the time a male dominated culture are amazing. Mrs. Lee was a force to be reckoned with and succeed in getting almost everything she wanted. Today's world of unexplained deaths and homicides could still learn a lesson or two from this book. This was a very informative and hard to put down book. There are many in today's criminal justice system that have Mrs. Lee to thank for the training and procedures they not receive for their job. It is also sad to see that many of our academic establishments and government bodies still do not see the importance of the ideas that Mrs. Lee outlined. For someone that has always had an interest in the fields of criminal justice and medicine this was a wonderful book that shows how they can work together for the betterment of both fields.

I enjoyed most of the book. It was well researched, and a fascinating portrait of a fierce and intelligent woman. For the rest, it was a history of the birth of modern forensics in the United States.

In many instances there was way too much detail and a bunch of extraneous information. Part of one chapter relates the events of a dinner at Frances Glessner Lee’s parents home where they entertained the Flonzaley Quartet. It goes so far as to describe who sat next to whom at the dinner table, which was completely irrelevant to the overall narrative.

In other instances, the narrative veers completely away from Frances Glessner Lee, and it takes some time for it to become apparent how these threads connect back to her.

The narrative a bit dry in places and I found myself skimming parts in the middle section, but ultimately everything is pulled together again in the last third of the book. I’m happy I read 18 Tiny Deaths, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is particularly interested in the history of forensics in the United States.

What a fascinating book. I've long been interested in Francis Glessner Lee and this told me everything I wanted to know, and more.

DNF'd this title at 17%. I work in forensic science and I had a hard time connecting with the story. Even at 17% I felt like the story was more about Lee's father than the woman herself. I do realize it could change significantly across the rest of the book but it just doesn't hold my attention.