This is a very interesting book, and I will definitely be reading the first title by Dame Sue Black. She brings humor, history, and science into a perfect text that I couldn’t put down! It was compelling, and it puts into perspective how amazing her task is. I liked that each section was broken down by body part, and she delved into the subject matter. I’ll be purchasing this for my own collection when available. I highly recommend this to those interested in forensics and anatomy. Ever wondered how specialists on crime shows can find so much information from bones? This book definitely gives insights and anecdotes!

I have always had great interest in this area so I was excited to see that this book was available on Net Galley. That excitement drained away quite quickly. Why? At first I thought that maybe it was too technical in areas. But this would only work for a person new to the topic. Someone who wanted a mainstream introduction to this area. I, however, am not this and the book still failed to excite, so to speak. I also would not want her to have "dumbed-down" anything, for lack of a better phrase at the moment. The little stories that accompanied each chapter were interesting but failed to really grab me. I think overall it is that Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist, not a writer by trade. Granted she is an excellent forensic anthropologist. This does not always translate into a gripping storyteller. As much as I am interested in the subject the reading was dull and slow. This is not a knock on Sue Black, again, in her field she is brilliant. I think it is more of a "lost in translation" moment.

I love true crime and was excited to dive into this! I've seen glowing reviews on the author's previous book, and bones is a subject that fascinates me.

The contents were interesting and educational. However, I couldn't get into the book. I find the writing is a bit dry and overall it was too science-y for me. I was hoping for contents that lean more towards cases. I only read the first chapter and while it was educational, this book did not work for me.

Please do not get me wrong. There are a lot of good stuff in this book and you may enjoy this book. I am rating this book based on the contents although I did not finish it.

Pub. Date: June 1st, 2021

***Thank you Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for gifted review copy to read & review. ***

Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist and has gained quite a lot of fame and awards through her work. Her previous book, All That Remains, is popular but I haven't read it yet - I definitely will though! Written in Bone focuses on the human skeleton and how different bones tell a story of who you are. The book is divided into parts and sections and Sue Black goes through the skeleton from the skull down. She tells us how a fetus' bones start to develop and how age affects them through our life, which can be used to tell the age of an unidentified body. She focuses on how violence leaves its mark on different bones and can be a telltale sign of the way a person has died. Throughout this book I was absolutely amazed by how much you can tell from a single bone, sometimes even just a tiny fragment of bone.

This is definitely not a light read and if you're at all squeamish or have a problem reading about certain topics, I would advice to (t)read with caution. Sue Black doesn't sugarcoat the crimes she writes about, and there are descriptions of murder, violence, torture and child abuse.

Thank you to the author, Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating look into the field of forensic anthropology. With so many TV series drawing on parts of this knowledge, we are constantly exposed to this subject - but the author goes further and explains what this involves in terms that the layman can easily understand. She explores the biology of bones, and what impact health, environment, nutrition and a myriad of other factors have on their development - and what an expert can deduce based on the smallest bits of bone. This is particularly effective when she recounts examples from previously solved cases, and also explains the limits of what is possible. I had not read her previous book, but ordered it immediately.

Even a layman can enjoy this tip-to-toe tour of the human skeleton. Using real cases Black takes us on a tour of our own structure and the tells it gives when one dies a not-so-simple death. The insight and reasoning is brilliant. The book very readable. Everything about it fascinating.

“…Our job is to squeeze every single piece of information out of whatever parts we do have…”

Dame Sue Black’s Written in Bone is an insightful non-fiction book that traverses the human skeletal system from development to demise. Section by section, Black describes the information and methods used by forensic anthropologists, and to some extent forensic pathologists, use to identify bodies, both living and dead. This book is a wonderful combination of scientific information and methodology, relevant case material and even highlights Black’s own experiences of being a victim of crime herself.

Black’s ability to find her broad audience and write to them is undeniable. The book did a fantastic job at describing even the most scientific information in easy to digest terminology and the individual cases were treated with a respect for the deceased and their families. This book handles incredibly heavy topics (definitely check trigger warnings) and is certainly not for the faint of heart or fans of unrealistic crime show forensics.

Overall, this book was an incredibly written memoir for every true crime and forensic fan. A must read non-fiction.

AUTHOR

Professor Dame Sue Black DBE, FBA, FRSE, FRCP, FRAI

SYNOPSIS

Written in Bone could be the best non-fiction book you will read this year. A colorful non-fiction dive into the anatomy of crime and all that remains.

Dame Sue Black’s outlines her career as a Forensic Anthropologist (FA) investigating human and non-human remains as well as her work as a professional expert in criminal cases. She cleverly utilizes the skeleton as a roadmap of clinical and not so clinical facts in her investigations. She references historic accounts, such as the one involving Doctor Buck Ruxton who murdered his wife and housekeeper. The investigation that followed utilized some seminal forensic techniques, a number of which are still utilized today by forensic anthropologists.

Black manages to weave scientific fact with legal imperatives against the backdrop of horrific violence that leaves its mark on the bones. A work that is simultaneously chilling and compelling in equal measure. Written in Bone is a skillfully constructed dissection of the human skeleton from zygote [DIPLOID] to birth and on unto death. Black’s book divides the skeleton into three sections beginning with the head, followed by the body, and finally the limbs. She further sub-divides the sections into their constituent parts. Using forensic techniques both new and old, she was a member of an international scientific team that investigated some of the most horrific crimes in our time; including the War Crimes in Bosnia, and the tortures and executions in Syria.

Written in Bone by Sue Black is a fascinating look into the world of forensic anthropology written by an expert in her field. The book is organized literally from top to bottom starting with the cranium and ending with the feet. Ms. Black provides a lot of scientific knowledge as well as anecdotes from her illustrious career. I could see some more squeamish people being put off by the sometimes graphic details, but if you are a true crime/forensics enthusiast, this book is pretty standard fare as far as the level of gruesomeness. Also, the author is from the UK and her British humor comes through often. All in all, I found this to be an educational and enlightening read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Written in Bone by Sue Black is the perfect companion piece to her wonderful earlier book, All That Remains. In this book the author takes us on a tour of the human skeleton, from skull to toe, and quite the fascinating journey it is. As well as outlining how and why the bones grow and develop as they have evolved to do, she uses her history as a prominent forensic anthropologist to illustrate how even the smallest fragment of bone can be of value in an investigation, be that criminal or academic.
Written in an almost conversational style, the science is clearly laid out in a way that is easy for the reader to understand without needing a background in biology. There is plenty of detail , but because it is so well presented it never seems overwhelming or uninteresting. The personality of the author shines through, and I enjoyed the small moments of humour that were scattered throughout the book, especially since it is not without its harrowing scenes, such as the descriptions of injuries sustained by an abused child, or the tragic discovery of infant remains. I suspect that the author would not approve of my saying this, but fans of tv shows like Bones or CSI will enjoy this behind the scenes glimpse though it is far more realistic and far less glamourous and dramatic than it seems on television. She often compares the real life scenario to how it might be portrayed , but does so with a sense of humour..
I would highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in science or forensics , its a fascinating and compelling book, both intense and entertaining.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

With hundreds of helpful ratings and reviews already out there, I'll just recommend this to interested in science and bones, and maybe even crime. This is book is highly informative and incredibly enjoyable. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

If you're a fan of any of the following, you should read this book: Bones, CSI, 20/20, My Favorite Murder, Crime Junkie--and MORE. If you enjoy watching shows or movies, listening to podcasts, etc., that have anything to do with figuring out what happened to a person before/during/after their death, you will find this book fascinating.

I don't read a ton of nonfiction, but this was right up my alley, and I would go so far as to say is research for my next book. Thea author shows us the human skeleton and explains how what happens to us shows up on it. It's absolutely incredible, including illustrations that help to make her points and make the material easy to understand. Highly recommend!

Written in Bone Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black.
Huge thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

First things first, I'm a huge fan of Sue Black's work, absolutely loved her previous work All That Remains: A Life in Death. I'm also a huge fan of detective stories and true crime. When I read the synopsis of this book I knew I had to read it. It is sensational, incredibly well written, as I'd expect, and it's really engaging. The book is also very informative while not expecting you to have a scientific background to fully understand it. There are passages in the book that are graphic, certainly not for the faint hearted but personally I enjoy reading that level of detailed description. Dame Black is a fantastic narrator, her writing manages to be respectful while still maintaining an absorbing tone for the reader. If you have any interest in forensics then I'd wholly recommend this book. It's absolutely fascinating.

Great science writing and humor

I loved this book. It has everything I expect in good science writing: written in a conversational tone, with the science clearly explained, and topped off by a sense of humor. I did find parts of the book morbid, as the author is an anatomist and forensic anthropologist, and used crime scenes and human remains to set up the discussion of the various bones of the body. The humor in the book came from the author’s personal anecdotes, and incorporating this humor in a tasteful way is an incredible accomplishment. This book is well worth the read. Thank you to Netgalley and Arcade Publishing, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, for the advance reader copy.

My first thought when I picked up this eARC was that Sue Black's career was like the real-life version of the TV show Bones.

Like Dr. Temperance Brennan from Bones. Black is a forensic anthropologist who is often called upon to investigate human remains and assist in criminal investigations.

Black draws upon various interesting (and often gruesome and violent) murder cases and walks us through the process of excavating the remains, properly identifying the bones, analyzing them, and presenting the facts to the authorities and to the court.

Black also draws important distinctions between a real-life forensic anthropologist's duties versus what you see in TV shows and constantly emphasizes that their job is only to analyse. They cannot speculate or confirm the cause of death (that's the forensic pathologist's job) or solve the crime (that's the police's job) - their job is only to analyze the bones and identify the victim - not the murderer! They often don't get updated on the outcome of the crime until it's reported on the news.

This was such an interesting and educational book. I ended up learning a lot about human anatomy and the field of forensic anthropology which, prior to Bones, I did not know was an actual job. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I wasn't even sure Temperance Brennan's job was real until I read this book. In fact, it also turns out that forensic podiatrist is also a real profession!

I was fascinated to learn that forensic podiatrists can tell from footprints at a crime scene if people were standing, walking or running. I further learned that toe prints can be used to identify people (ex. in the 2004 tsunami, footprints from around family homes were used to match with bodies of children). This means keeping a foot/toe-print database can be just as useful as fingerprint registry before feet tend to survive disasters better than hands (due to protection from shoes).

I really enjoyed reading this book and drawing comparisons with what I've seen on Bones. For example, the use of flesh-eating beetles (dermestid) is actually a thing and is used for "gentle defleshing" to preserve cut marks on bones!

From the TV show Bones, I never really fully understood how forensic anthropologists were able to determine sex and age by looking at a bone but Black explains in detail how different bones develop with age and how specific bones can help a forensic anthropologist identify a victim. For example, aside from looking at teeth and other parts of the skeleton, the clavicle alone can help the anthropologist narrow down the age of the person. Meanwhile, the pelvic bone is useful for determining sex after puberty (turns out the sex of children cannot be determined from the pubic bone since female hormones/oestrogen during puberty significantly changes the shape of the pelvis). Isn't that fascinating?

I'm really grateful for having been able to read the eARC but hope that the final published copy includes a lot of illustrations and diagrams. I think this book would greatly benefit from visual aids. As I'm not the most well-versed in human anatomy, I often found myself turning to Google and looking up most of the bones mentioned. I even ended up searching up seal hand skeletons to see what they looked like (since seals are also pentadactyl/have 5 digits and are often mistaken for human when they wash ashore)

This book also draws a lot of comparisons between baby skeletons and adult skeletons. Did you know that babies have more bones than adults? Baby bones eventually fuse as we grow older. I think it'd be interesting if diagrams and pictures were also provided to show a visual comparison of the two.

Overall, this was a very interesting true-crime/science book that I really enjoyed reading.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars.

This was really interesting! I really loved how this providing information, and then a real life case to show how important that information is. It's like 1 part educational anatomy 1 part true crime. As someone who primarily studied anatomy (granted, it was more about muscles than bones) I really appreciated the educational/informational bits. But it does come off a bit textbook sometimes, which not everyone (myself included) will enjoy, which is why this is only 3.5 star. The true crime bits were my favorite part of this. Some cases were more graphic than others, and I wasn't too bothered by it, but again, not everyone will enjoy that part either. All in all, pretty solid read for something that I wouldn't have picked up if it weren't for Netgalley offering it

What a delightful book. It may sound surprising given the topic, but the author’s wit and cheerfulness guarantees a pleasure experience. You will find here many fascinating facts about human (and animal) anatomy and some great crime stories. Highly recommended for those interested both in biology and in forensic science.

I only hope that in the final version of the book there will be some anatomical tables included - the author does an excellent job in describing complicated things, but it would be easier to understand some parts with appropriate illustrations.

Thanks to the publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

If you have an interest in forensic science, you’ll most likely find this to your liking. Otherwise it may be triggering as the topics are quite graphic. They’re written from a forensic anthropologists prospective, be warned. It’s not for everyone.

TW: rape, child abuse, murder, torture, and house fire cases mentioned (as you’d expect).

I have not read Sue Black’s previous book, All That Remains (though it’s been on my TBR list for a while), but I have always been interested in anatomy in general.

This book is a fascinating journey through the human skeleton from a forensic anthropologist’s point of view. Each part of the structure is discussed, how it functions, and examples of how it has been useful in court cases given. The result is, for the most part, easy to read. It is well written, and the mentions of criminal cases talked about in a matter of fact way. I did find one or two of them to be difficult to read, distressing accounts of child abuse and other violence. However, these are brief, and it is very interesting to read how marks left on the bone allow experts to work out what has happened to a person. Sue Black expresses herself clearly and succinctly throughout.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the subject, but do be warned that some of the examples are a little upsetting.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

I really appreciated this authors honest, sometimes amusing, true stories of being a detective of the bones. I thought that this was well written, personal, and I learned a lot.
I liked that the author divided the book into the different parts of the body. She focused on how the bones develop as we age, whether or not there might be deficiencies ,and how the police or courts have used the bones to solve crimes.
This was such a heartfelt book, you could see (read) the way that the author carefully selected cases, talked about her own insights and even went into her personal accounting of a crime that had happened to her.
This is a great book and one that everyone should read who is interested in true crime or dead bodies.