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The Girl with the Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry
In The Girl with the Crooked Nose , Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. Then he is called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juarez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. In 2003, prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender reconstructs the faces of unknown murder victims or fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence where the line between criminals and law enforcement is blurry, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular–"The Girl With the Crooked Nose"–Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story–the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession–with the chilling story of the Juarez investigation. With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
“…[a] crackling account of a quirky, maverick forensics artist, Frank Bender, and his largely successful efforts in facial reconstruction of murder victims…. extraordinary is Botha's writing, with his unerring depiction of Bender's painstaking work and the eventual unraveling of the brutal crimes it solves…. the tales in this book accurately capture the dark motives and complexities of senseless murder, and even the most savvy true-crime reader will not be able to resist the author's insightful storytelling."-- Publishers Weekly
Someone is killing the young women of Juarez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. In 2003, prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender reconstructs the faces of unknown murder victims or fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence where the line between criminals and law enforcement is blurry, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular–"The Girl With the Crooked Nose"–Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story–the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession–with the chilling story of the Juarez investigation. With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
“…[a] crackling account of a quirky, maverick forensics artist, Frank Bender, and his largely successful efforts in facial reconstruction of murder victims…. extraordinary is Botha's writing, with his unerring depiction of Bender's painstaking work and the eventual unraveling of the brutal crimes it solves…. the tales in this book accurately capture the dark motives and complexities of senseless murder, and even the most savvy true-crime reader will not be able to resist the author's insightful storytelling."-- Publishers Weekly
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
October 29, 2019
After reading The Murder Room, which includes bits about Frank Bender, I was thrilled to find this biography. Frank was an artist, a photographer, and a man who was able to recreate the face of a dead person from looking at their skull. Amazing.
The book is not in chronological order, so, if that bugs you, you are forewarned. It does cover his personal life, his non-police work, and, of course, his sculptures for the police. He was a 'character' who lived life on his own terms, and that is a major part of his charm. His work with the skulls helped police solve several murder cases. There are lots of photos, too.
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
The book is not in chronological order, so, if that bugs you, you are forewarned. It does cover his personal life, his non-police work, and, of course, his sculptures for the police. He was a 'character' who lived life on his own terms, and that is a major part of his charm. His work with the skulls helped police solve several murder cases. There are lots of photos, too.
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
December 14, 2011
The Girl with the Crooked Nose
On a lonely evening on young girl accepts a ride from a stranger. As she decides whether to get into the truck with this man who has anything but good intentions in mind, she thinks about getting home to a warm bed and a good night’s sleep rather than waiting for the bus in the cold. Naïve, really not thinking about what could really happen she allows herself to be convinced to take this ride and the end result is what happens to a girl named Linda with an odd shaped crooked nose. But that is not where the story begins. It begins in 2003 with a man named Frank Bender remember a nightmare and recalling the death of a young child named Anna Duval that was murdered. Creating the face, the hair, the eyes and nose and reconstructing it was only part of what he saw in his dream.
Take the journey with me back in time to learn the facts about what happened to this little girl that started an investigation that would span decades. When Detective Ellis Verb requested the help of Frank Bender he answered the call without pause or question. Viewing the remains of this precious child was heart wrenching to say the least but something Frank was hardened too and could not let his inner emotions take control of. Who in their right mind would store a child’s body in a rusted steamer trunk under bridge? Why would two transportation workers pilfer the trunk before reporting that there was a body inside? After reconstructing the face and sending a sketch to the police to be released a strange thing happened that would change the outcome and the direction of the investigation. Frank had a nightmare where he envisioned the girl in a different light with an image that did not match the one he created on the photograph he sent out. Detective Verb did not question Frank’s judgment or changes and a new bust was shown on the television screen hoping for a response to finding the killer of what would be called the Girl in the Steamer Trunk.
So, how would this all connect twenty years later as once again he faces the demons of the meat market and is drawn into cases that will send him to Mexico to find a serial killer or killers that killed over 400 females starting in 1993. Chihuahua, Mexico is where are story really begins and the murdered victims were found. Faceless heads, decomposed bodies and angry people living in Juarez wondered why the police were dragging their feet and not doing anything to uncover what happened to so many? Threatening anyone who interfered with them Bob Ressler, famous in forensics, enlisted Frank Bender’s help to find the answers. Bringing us back to the girl in the introduction called Girl in the Sewer. How does this all relate to the murders of eight women in 2002, the arrest of an Egyptian and two bus drivers? In Mexico to attend a forensic conference this would be his chance to see first hand how they handled the cases there and what his role might be.
Although the first body or corpse turned up in 1993 the victim only 13 years of age, these murders span decades and the murderer or killers mutilated over 400 women. Alam Chavira Farel was her name. Who in their right mind would rape, sodomize and strangle a young child? The body count came to be known as the feminicidios. Amnesty International stepped in after estimating the death toll of victims killed in Juarez. Poor young workers working in the informal sector or maquilas plants as did her victim with the crooked nose in our introduction. These women meant nothing to the government and their deaths insignificant. This is where Frank and Bob became part of the investigation. The organization focused on find the killers and called the murders more than just intolerable. The Mexican government was chastised for doing nothing to find the killers and many other groups presented their viewpoints but to no avail. As you take the journey back in time hear the voices of the victims cry out for justice and the inner thoughts, mind, and views of the one man enlisted to find the answers, Frank Bender.
Imagine being able to recreate the face of a dead person using his artistic skill to give a skull life. Imagine the families of these victims being able to bring their loved one home and find peace and closure for themselves and their loved one. Ted Botha allows the reader to enter the world of Frank Bender, forensic sculpture to help identify some of the feminicidios killed. Alternating between the past and the present the author allows the reader to understand Bender’s career and love for what he does from its inception. Would you spend days in a hotel trying to decipher what is left of skulls that could fall apart in your hands with the slightest touch? A police department that would rather let sleeping skulls lie dormant like a dead volcano never breathing fire of lava again, death threats and infections from tainted water while trying to give life to the blank faces staring at him. Each victim is named for where she is found or something related to her death or a feeling he has about her when he sees the skull. Each victim will become real to the reader and haunt your dreams making you one in the same with Bender, seeing things directly through his eyes and hearing the voices of those hoping to be laid to rest. This book brings to light class discrimination, corruption of a police force and the way the poor, indigent and needy are taken advantage of. Why would the police do nothing unless they were guilty of something? Mexico is known for having drug cartels so powerful that they often have men on the force as contacts making sure shipments get across many borders. So, who did the killing and who did the rape? Just how far into the beds of the drug lords were the police? Some answers will be revealed others might never be resolved as I review this outstanding true crime novel The Girl With the Crooked Nose.
Finding his way to Mexico, meeting the Attorney General and getting an invitation from the Governor to join the investigation is quite telling. However, the Attorney General did not seem pleased by the Governor’s invitation or the fact he offered to allow him to take heads/skulls back home with him to reconstruct the faces. Just why would the Attorney General not really want his help and how are all the connection going to be made? The police work into this case was substandard, the governor appeared to want to find the answers and yet the Attorney General Solis, seemed to have an entirely different agenda. When Frank returns home and receives as SOS call from Governor Esparza that another woman’s body has been found he needs to find a way to get down there as fast as possible. But there would be a definite snag in his travel plans until everything he needed was bought and in place. With his wife Jan’s support Frank was on his way to solving the numerous cases of his career and life.
Let’s now go to the Beginning where his life as a forensic sculpture began, his biography and then let’s meet some of his first victims as he gives them names and Anna Duval who haunted his nightmares and dreams. Will her killer ever be found? When Frank saw the face of Anna Duval even before she was identified something drew him to her and he made a concerted decision to find out who she was and created what the Philadelphia police department would recall their first forensic sculpture of a corpse. So vividly done, described and with the help of his mentor Greenwood and others, he brought Anna Duval to life thus beginning a career that would span many decades. No longer was she tag No. 5233. Next a young man burnt so badly beyond recognition. The corpses and the disembodied souls that needed a place to rest and the determination that he had to find the answers for the police but more important for the victim’s family and for the victim were his trademark. As Frank came to a project and started to recreate a face his inner 6th sense and insight kicked in and the face itself took on life and meaning. The emotions emitted from the eyes, mouth and skin tone and what could still be seen from the hollowed expressions on their faces helped him in his work. But, the one factor that was the most pronounced were his nightmares that brought everything to light. The vision of the dead person in these nightmares often illuminated the face and the soul of the person as if he/she were reaching out to Frank to help him bring the person home. The faces tell their own private story and spoke to Frank through their eyes.
Back to the present and his work is about to begin with his first head. So, why the secret and why did the Governor instruct him to keep it to himself? Working in a hotel room, confined to a specific space was not easy but Frank would rise to the occasion since solving murders was paramount in his mind and finding out who killed the girl from Chihuahua first and foremost since this was his first head. More heads were found others looked into it and Frank was told he could join the search. Imagine working with a U.N. Team. Things changes and the media learned of the heads, the murders and much more. Secluding himself in his room to work on each the head, Frank was determined to find the answers no one else could. Threats came by way of his email. Protection was needed.
The author reverts back to the past to allow the reader to understand how Frank’s career started the many cases he worked on and the way his family became involved in his career especially Jan’s daughter Lisa. Frank had a wild sense of humor and the author tells how he created a head that glowed for Halloween and played many other practical jokes on his family. But, let’s get back to the case at hand and how he might be of assistance to solve these murders from decades ago and the one in the present.
The author presents the information in the present using a daily timeline to help set the stage for the final results. Families finding closure and others wondering just what the police in Mexico’s part in this was as Frank realizes the similarities among the last few heads which included the Girl with the Crooked Nose.
The author brilliantly ties up some of the loose ends in the last chapter where he explains which faces had names and which were never found. Corruption, deceit, lies, police that did not care, inept work, an evidence room that was substandard and one man who would never give up until he found the answers. Frank Bender gave life to dead and hope to those living. Murders that went unsolved, events that were bone chilling, spine tingling and graphically depicted in a biography and history of one man who made his mark as one of the greatest forensic artists and one author took the reader back in time a journey this reviewer will never forget. Look at the faces: Can hear their voices: Name Us!
This review is dedicated to all those who would have been forgotten if not for Frank, Ressler, one bold Governor and so many more and one Special Girl with the Crooked Nose.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
Thank you Ted Botha for writing this telling and compelling book and thank you to Penguin for giving me the honor of reviewing the life of a a great man.
On a lonely evening on young girl accepts a ride from a stranger. As she decides whether to get into the truck with this man who has anything but good intentions in mind, she thinks about getting home to a warm bed and a good night’s sleep rather than waiting for the bus in the cold. Naïve, really not thinking about what could really happen she allows herself to be convinced to take this ride and the end result is what happens to a girl named Linda with an odd shaped crooked nose. But that is not where the story begins. It begins in 2003 with a man named Frank Bender remember a nightmare and recalling the death of a young child named Anna Duval that was murdered. Creating the face, the hair, the eyes and nose and reconstructing it was only part of what he saw in his dream.
Take the journey with me back in time to learn the facts about what happened to this little girl that started an investigation that would span decades. When Detective Ellis Verb requested the help of Frank Bender he answered the call without pause or question. Viewing the remains of this precious child was heart wrenching to say the least but something Frank was hardened too and could not let his inner emotions take control of. Who in their right mind would store a child’s body in a rusted steamer trunk under bridge? Why would two transportation workers pilfer the trunk before reporting that there was a body inside? After reconstructing the face and sending a sketch to the police to be released a strange thing happened that would change the outcome and the direction of the investigation. Frank had a nightmare where he envisioned the girl in a different light with an image that did not match the one he created on the photograph he sent out. Detective Verb did not question Frank’s judgment or changes and a new bust was shown on the television screen hoping for a response to finding the killer of what would be called the Girl in the Steamer Trunk.
So, how would this all connect twenty years later as once again he faces the demons of the meat market and is drawn into cases that will send him to Mexico to find a serial killer or killers that killed over 400 females starting in 1993. Chihuahua, Mexico is where are story really begins and the murdered victims were found. Faceless heads, decomposed bodies and angry people living in Juarez wondered why the police were dragging their feet and not doing anything to uncover what happened to so many? Threatening anyone who interfered with them Bob Ressler, famous in forensics, enlisted Frank Bender’s help to find the answers. Bringing us back to the girl in the introduction called Girl in the Sewer. How does this all relate to the murders of eight women in 2002, the arrest of an Egyptian and two bus drivers? In Mexico to attend a forensic conference this would be his chance to see first hand how they handled the cases there and what his role might be.
Although the first body or corpse turned up in 1993 the victim only 13 years of age, these murders span decades and the murderer or killers mutilated over 400 women. Alam Chavira Farel was her name. Who in their right mind would rape, sodomize and strangle a young child? The body count came to be known as the feminicidios. Amnesty International stepped in after estimating the death toll of victims killed in Juarez. Poor young workers working in the informal sector or maquilas plants as did her victim with the crooked nose in our introduction. These women meant nothing to the government and their deaths insignificant. This is where Frank and Bob became part of the investigation. The organization focused on find the killers and called the murders more than just intolerable. The Mexican government was chastised for doing nothing to find the killers and many other groups presented their viewpoints but to no avail. As you take the journey back in time hear the voices of the victims cry out for justice and the inner thoughts, mind, and views of the one man enlisted to find the answers, Frank Bender.
Imagine being able to recreate the face of a dead person using his artistic skill to give a skull life. Imagine the families of these victims being able to bring their loved one home and find peace and closure for themselves and their loved one. Ted Botha allows the reader to enter the world of Frank Bender, forensic sculpture to help identify some of the feminicidios killed. Alternating between the past and the present the author allows the reader to understand Bender’s career and love for what he does from its inception. Would you spend days in a hotel trying to decipher what is left of skulls that could fall apart in your hands with the slightest touch? A police department that would rather let sleeping skulls lie dormant like a dead volcano never breathing fire of lava again, death threats and infections from tainted water while trying to give life to the blank faces staring at him. Each victim is named for where she is found or something related to her death or a feeling he has about her when he sees the skull. Each victim will become real to the reader and haunt your dreams making you one in the same with Bender, seeing things directly through his eyes and hearing the voices of those hoping to be laid to rest. This book brings to light class discrimination, corruption of a police force and the way the poor, indigent and needy are taken advantage of. Why would the police do nothing unless they were guilty of something? Mexico is known for having drug cartels so powerful that they often have men on the force as contacts making sure shipments get across many borders. So, who did the killing and who did the rape? Just how far into the beds of the drug lords were the police? Some answers will be revealed others might never be resolved as I review this outstanding true crime novel The Girl With the Crooked Nose.
Finding his way to Mexico, meeting the Attorney General and getting an invitation from the Governor to join the investigation is quite telling. However, the Attorney General did not seem pleased by the Governor’s invitation or the fact he offered to allow him to take heads/skulls back home with him to reconstruct the faces. Just why would the Attorney General not really want his help and how are all the connection going to be made? The police work into this case was substandard, the governor appeared to want to find the answers and yet the Attorney General Solis, seemed to have an entirely different agenda. When Frank returns home and receives as SOS call from Governor Esparza that another woman’s body has been found he needs to find a way to get down there as fast as possible. But there would be a definite snag in his travel plans until everything he needed was bought and in place. With his wife Jan’s support Frank was on his way to solving the numerous cases of his career and life.
Let’s now go to the Beginning where his life as a forensic sculpture began, his biography and then let’s meet some of his first victims as he gives them names and Anna Duval who haunted his nightmares and dreams. Will her killer ever be found? When Frank saw the face of Anna Duval even before she was identified something drew him to her and he made a concerted decision to find out who she was and created what the Philadelphia police department would recall their first forensic sculpture of a corpse. So vividly done, described and with the help of his mentor Greenwood and others, he brought Anna Duval to life thus beginning a career that would span many decades. No longer was she tag No. 5233. Next a young man burnt so badly beyond recognition. The corpses and the disembodied souls that needed a place to rest and the determination that he had to find the answers for the police but more important for the victim’s family and for the victim were his trademark. As Frank came to a project and started to recreate a face his inner 6th sense and insight kicked in and the face itself took on life and meaning. The emotions emitted from the eyes, mouth and skin tone and what could still be seen from the hollowed expressions on their faces helped him in his work. But, the one factor that was the most pronounced were his nightmares that brought everything to light. The vision of the dead person in these nightmares often illuminated the face and the soul of the person as if he/she were reaching out to Frank to help him bring the person home. The faces tell their own private story and spoke to Frank through their eyes.
Back to the present and his work is about to begin with his first head. So, why the secret and why did the Governor instruct him to keep it to himself? Working in a hotel room, confined to a specific space was not easy but Frank would rise to the occasion since solving murders was paramount in his mind and finding out who killed the girl from Chihuahua first and foremost since this was his first head. More heads were found others looked into it and Frank was told he could join the search. Imagine working with a U.N. Team. Things changes and the media learned of the heads, the murders and much more. Secluding himself in his room to work on each the head, Frank was determined to find the answers no one else could. Threats came by way of his email. Protection was needed.
The author reverts back to the past to allow the reader to understand how Frank’s career started the many cases he worked on and the way his family became involved in his career especially Jan’s daughter Lisa. Frank had a wild sense of humor and the author tells how he created a head that glowed for Halloween and played many other practical jokes on his family. But, let’s get back to the case at hand and how he might be of assistance to solve these murders from decades ago and the one in the present.
The author presents the information in the present using a daily timeline to help set the stage for the final results. Families finding closure and others wondering just what the police in Mexico’s part in this was as Frank realizes the similarities among the last few heads which included the Girl with the Crooked Nose.
The author brilliantly ties up some of the loose ends in the last chapter where he explains which faces had names and which were never found. Corruption, deceit, lies, police that did not care, inept work, an evidence room that was substandard and one man who would never give up until he found the answers. Frank Bender gave life to dead and hope to those living. Murders that went unsolved, events that were bone chilling, spine tingling and graphically depicted in a biography and history of one man who made his mark as one of the greatest forensic artists and one author took the reader back in time a journey this reviewer will never forget. Look at the faces: Can hear their voices: Name Us!
This review is dedicated to all those who would have been forgotten if not for Frank, Ressler, one bold Governor and so many more and one Special Girl with the Crooked Nose.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
Thank you Ted Botha for writing this telling and compelling book and thank you to Penguin for giving me the honor of reviewing the life of a a great man.
February 11, 2024
Such fascinating subject matter. When degraded human remains are discovered, it can be difficult to discern who the person was or what happened to them. The sculptor who is the focus of this book, Frank Bender, possesses an extremely specific skill set and talents that help him give victims "back" their faces in order to discover their names and stories.
May 16, 2008
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Crooked-No...
review by Luan Gaines
Although the primary focus of this book, the gruesome murders of low-income young women in Mexico, is never satisfactorily resolved, the author does a thorough job of introducing a fascinating character to the criminal investigation lexicon. Frank Bender, an unusual, driven man finds his passion in recreating the facial distinctions of victims by building plaster busts from the skulls of the deceased. Making his living in advertising photography, Frank takes sculpting classes to enhance his work; an artist since childhood, Bender uses his eyes and imagination to fashion the personal characteristics, the small tics and lines of individual faces. Then unexpected opportunity: Bender is brought into the cold rooms of a local Philadelphia coroner's department where he is challenged to recreate the facial features of a murdered woman for forensic identification, case number 5233. The die is cast- Frank Bender has found his purpose, committed his life to this amazing work.
Juggling photographic assignments with the cost-ineffective busts he creates for police departments, the FBI, US Marshals and America's Most Wanted, like any artist, especially one with a righteous cause, Frank's priorities are unbalanced by the amount of time he devotes to the higher cause. While this passion puts a strain on his home life and his financial security, there is a strong element of altruism in Bender's chosen field. When victims are recognized, criminals caught through Frank's unique application of art and forensics, families are given closure and murderers are brought to justice. Certainly, Bender is an exceptional individual, self-taught, confident and generous with his time, his mission a heady one when successful, painful when circumstances fail to support the evidence he offers to further such cases.
Botha does an excellent job introducing this character, reminding me of the addictive nature of such non-fiction. Throughout the book, Frank's reputation is built case by case, as identities are validated, cold cases solved and murderers reclaimed from the lives they have rebuilt after escaping the consequences of their violent crimes. Age progression is invaluable in Bender's work, perhaps as significant as giving human likeness to the skulls he carefully sculpts. But by far the most challenging and frustrating is Bender's time in Mexico, attempting to aid authorities in solving the murders of countless young women whose bodies have been found in Juarez and Chihuahua. In spite of his meticulous recreations, a majority of the busts remain unidentified (even the Girl with the Crooked Nose), due mainly to inefficient procedures and the bureaucratic warfare of the Mexican government. Over all, Botha paints a fascinating portrait of a dedicated man who literally changed the face of forensic investigation, a fine career in public service that is significant in its impact. Luan Gaines/ 2008.
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
In The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. Then he is called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juarez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. In 2003, prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender reconstructs the faces of unknown murder victims or fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence where the line between criminals and law enforcement is blurry, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular–"The Girl With the Crooked Nose"–Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story–the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession–with the chilling story of the Juarez investigation. With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
“…[a] crackling account of a quirky, maverick forensics artist, Frank Bender, and his largely successful efforts in facial reconstruction of murder victims…. extraordinary is Botha's writing, with his unerring depiction of Bender's painstaking work and the eventual unraveling of the brutal crimes it solves…. the tales in this book accurately capture the dark motives and complexities of senseless murder, and even the most savvy true-crime reader will not be able to resist the author's insightful storytelling."--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Ted Botha is the author of Mongo: Adventures in Trash and Apartheid in My Rucksack, and co-author (with Jenni Baxter) of The Expat Confessions. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, and Outside. He lives in New York City.
and Here's the blurb from the cover:
"In The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. In 2003, he was called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juárez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. Prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender has made it his career to reconstruct the faces of unknown murder victims and of fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science and art to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular – ‘the Girl with the Crooked Nose’ – Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story – the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession – with the chilling story of the Juárez investigation. The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned."
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Crooked-No...
review by Luan Gaines
Although the primary focus of this book, the gruesome murders of low-income young women in Mexico, is never satisfactorily resolved, the author does a thorough job of introducing a fascinating character to the criminal investigation lexicon. Frank Bender, an unusual, driven man finds his passion in recreating the facial distinctions of victims by building plaster busts from the skulls of the deceased. Making his living in advertising photography, Frank takes sculpting classes to enhance his work; an artist since childhood, Bender uses his eyes and imagination to fashion the personal characteristics, the small tics and lines of individual faces. Then unexpected opportunity: Bender is brought into the cold rooms of a local Philadelphia coroner's department where he is challenged to recreate the facial features of a murdered woman for forensic identification, case number 5233. The die is cast- Frank Bender has found his purpose, committed his life to this amazing work.
Juggling photographic assignments with the cost-ineffective busts he creates for police departments, the FBI, US Marshals and America's Most Wanted, like any artist, especially one with a righteous cause, Frank's priorities are unbalanced by the amount of time he devotes to the higher cause. While this passion puts a strain on his home life and his financial security, there is a strong element of altruism in Bender's chosen field. When victims are recognized, criminals caught through Frank's unique application of art and forensics, families are given closure and murderers are brought to justice. Certainly, Bender is an exceptional individual, self-taught, confident and generous with his time, his mission a heady one when successful, painful when circumstances fail to support the evidence he offers to further such cases.
Botha does an excellent job introducing this character, reminding me of the addictive nature of such non-fiction. Throughout the book, Frank's reputation is built case by case, as identities are validated, cold cases solved and murderers reclaimed from the lives they have rebuilt after escaping the consequences of their violent crimes. Age progression is invaluable in Bender's work, perhaps as significant as giving human likeness to the skulls he carefully sculpts. But by far the most challenging and frustrating is Bender's time in Mexico, attempting to aid authorities in solving the murders of countless young women whose bodies have been found in Juarez and Chihuahua. In spite of his meticulous recreations, a majority of the busts remain unidentified (even the Girl with the Crooked Nose), due mainly to inefficient procedures and the bureaucratic warfare of the Mexican government. Over all, Botha paints a fascinating portrait of a dedicated man who literally changed the face of forensic investigation, a fine career in public service that is significant in its impact. Luan Gaines/ 2008.
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
In The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. Then he is called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juarez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. In 2003, prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender reconstructs the faces of unknown murder victims or fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence where the line between criminals and law enforcement is blurry, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular–"The Girl With the Crooked Nose"–Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story–the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession–with the chilling story of the Juarez investigation. With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
“…[a] crackling account of a quirky, maverick forensics artist, Frank Bender, and his largely successful efforts in facial reconstruction of murder victims…. extraordinary is Botha's writing, with his unerring depiction of Bender's painstaking work and the eventual unraveling of the brutal crimes it solves…. the tales in this book accurately capture the dark motives and complexities of senseless murder, and even the most savvy true-crime reader will not be able to resist the author's insightful storytelling."--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Ted Botha is the author of Mongo: Adventures in Trash and Apartheid in My Rucksack, and co-author (with Jenni Baxter) of The Expat Confessions. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, and Outside. He lives in New York City.
and Here's the blurb from the cover:
"In The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. In 2003, he was called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juárez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. Prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender has made it his career to reconstruct the faces of unknown murder victims and of fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science and art to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular – ‘the Girl with the Crooked Nose’ – Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story – the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession – with the chilling story of the Juárez investigation. The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned."
September 10, 2016
I love this book. But I disappointed about the chronology of Bender's career. I hope there are more pictures.
January 23, 2016
I was surprised and delighted to realize that this is in effect a biography of Frank Bender, a man I really look up to because he has put faces on so many unidentified skulls and helped solve more than a few stubborn mysteries. This book explained that all my assumptions about him were wrong. The main focus of the book is his work on the Ciudad Juarez femicides, but goes far beyond that -- I am sorry to say, in a rather confusing way that skates back and forth between projects and decades without any sense of which end is up. By the time I got to the last page I had no real idea when anything happened in his life. But the information was interesting enough to make that a minor quibble.
January 18, 2016
Very good book. It is not just a true crime but a bit of a Biography of Frank a man who does forensic reconstructions.
January 24, 2012
This review originally appeared on Feeding My Book Addiction
Ted Botha's detailed account of the life of Frank Bender, artist, photographer, and forensic sculptor, is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Botha gives life to Bender, the missing people he sculpts in hopes of identifying them, and the ins and outs of law enforcement and government in this creative non-fiction account.
The Girl With the Crooked Nose focuses on Bender's work with the local police in the Mexican border town of Juarez as well as the Mexican government. He is tasked with giving faces to some of the women senselessly murdered in a string of violent crimes that have no witnesses, leads, or credible law enforcement on the case. Bender is brought down to Mexico twice to sculpt some of the murdered women in hopes that they will be identified or details regarding their demise may be uncovered. One of the women sculpted is the woman with the crooked nose.
Interspersed within the narrative detailing Bender's work in Mexico is the story of his origins in forensic sculpting, his artistic background, and his family life, which suffers as a result of his passion for forensic sculpting. The breadth and depth of the narrative give readers a well rounded idea of who Frank Bender was as a person as well as an artist. Bender had a one track mind when it came to his sculpting. The idea that one of his busts could identify a murder victim spurred him along, even when the jobs made him little to no money and scared off photography clients. Bender had his flaws, but Botha portrayed him as the average guy with a calling...and a great way to get the plumbers to do the job right the first time and quickly - have a head boiling on the stove when they arrive!
I enjoyed reading about Bender's exploits in the morgue, out on patrols with the US Marshals, and meeting with his group of forensic friends. The science and anatomy behind what Bender does fascinated me. I had no idea that so much information about what a face looks like can be gleaned from a skull or even a partial skull. I love reading books that give me factoids that I can drop into conversation and this book is full of them. I already told someone about the head boiling on the stove when the plumbers came!
The one thing about the book that I didn't enjoy was the narrative flow. Bender's life in forensic artistry isn't told in chronological order. The chapters detailing Bender's work in Mexico are intermingled with the portions of the book detailing his personal life, his work on cold cases in the greater Philadelphia area, as well as his national and international acclaim thanks to his busts appearing on America's Most Wanted. I had trouble putting events in order and was often jarred from the narrative because I was wondering where things fit chronologically. However, when I paused to give the narrative further thought, I realized that this would be a drastically different (and probably boring) book if Bender's story was told in chronological order.
Putting my issues with the narrative aside, I still enjoyed reading The Girl With The Crooked Nose. It was a quick read that captivated and educated me all at the same time. What more could I ask for, right?
Ted Botha's detailed account of the life of Frank Bender, artist, photographer, and forensic sculptor, is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Botha gives life to Bender, the missing people he sculpts in hopes of identifying them, and the ins and outs of law enforcement and government in this creative non-fiction account.
The Girl With the Crooked Nose focuses on Bender's work with the local police in the Mexican border town of Juarez as well as the Mexican government. He is tasked with giving faces to some of the women senselessly murdered in a string of violent crimes that have no witnesses, leads, or credible law enforcement on the case. Bender is brought down to Mexico twice to sculpt some of the murdered women in hopes that they will be identified or details regarding their demise may be uncovered. One of the women sculpted is the woman with the crooked nose.
Interspersed within the narrative detailing Bender's work in Mexico is the story of his origins in forensic sculpting, his artistic background, and his family life, which suffers as a result of his passion for forensic sculpting. The breadth and depth of the narrative give readers a well rounded idea of who Frank Bender was as a person as well as an artist. Bender had a one track mind when it came to his sculpting. The idea that one of his busts could identify a murder victim spurred him along, even when the jobs made him little to no money and scared off photography clients. Bender had his flaws, but Botha portrayed him as the average guy with a calling...and a great way to get the plumbers to do the job right the first time and quickly - have a head boiling on the stove when they arrive!
I enjoyed reading about Bender's exploits in the morgue, out on patrols with the US Marshals, and meeting with his group of forensic friends. The science and anatomy behind what Bender does fascinated me. I had no idea that so much information about what a face looks like can be gleaned from a skull or even a partial skull. I love reading books that give me factoids that I can drop into conversation and this book is full of them. I already told someone about the head boiling on the stove when the plumbers came!
The one thing about the book that I didn't enjoy was the narrative flow. Bender's life in forensic artistry isn't told in chronological order. The chapters detailing Bender's work in Mexico are intermingled with the portions of the book detailing his personal life, his work on cold cases in the greater Philadelphia area, as well as his national and international acclaim thanks to his busts appearing on America's Most Wanted. I had trouble putting events in order and was often jarred from the narrative because I was wondering where things fit chronologically. However, when I paused to give the narrative further thought, I realized that this would be a drastically different (and probably boring) book if Bender's story was told in chronological order.
Putting my issues with the narrative aside, I still enjoyed reading The Girl With The Crooked Nose. It was a quick read that captivated and educated me all at the same time. What more could I ask for, right?
April 21, 2012
In The Girl With The Crooked Nose, Ted Botha follows the career of Frank Bender and his forsenic sculpting work. Frank was a commercial photographer but his love was sculpting. As with most sculptors, he hired models to try to determine how human anatomy worked to make his pieces more authentic. This desire to know about human anatomy eventually led him to the Philadephia medical examiner's office. There he started to study corpses.
After several visits, the police approached Frank about a murder victim who was unidentified. They explained that they had mimimal luck with sketch artists producing a likeness in such cases that helped with identification, and wondered if Frank could produce a bust that would be better. Frank didn't know anything about forensics but was persuaded to make an attempt. He created a bust that led to an identification, and found his life's work.
Over the years, Frank worked on multiple cases. He was successful in finding identities in many cases. The ones that he was proudest of were the children, often found in suitcases or boxes, thrown away after being murdered. Frank's work was able to give them back an identity, and to let them be buried under their own name instead of being sent to an anonymous grave.
Frank's biggest case was that of the scores of Mexican women who were murdered in the early 2000's. The Mexican government brought him in, along with an FBI consultant, but it was soon clear that there were politics at play and forces that did not want this case solved. While Frank went back to Mexico several times and created multiple busts, the cases still remain a mystery, although many believe either the Mexican police or the military had a hand in these deaths.
Another area Frank's expertise was used in was age regression and advancement. He was the sculptor that created the bust of John List that was used on America's Most Wanted to identify this man who a decade earlier had killed his entire family and disappeared. That case led to the government using Frank for several other busts to identify fugitives who had been missing for many years.
Ted Botha has outlined the life history of a fascinating man. Bender loved the work he did, but never made enough money at it to support his family. He had to take side jobs throughout his life to make ends meet. Frank lived life on his own terms, and his work was so valuable that he was able to live life as he wanted while still fitting in with the highly structured world of police work. This book is recommended for readers of true crime and those interested in forensic work.
After several visits, the police approached Frank about a murder victim who was unidentified. They explained that they had mimimal luck with sketch artists producing a likeness in such cases that helped with identification, and wondered if Frank could produce a bust that would be better. Frank didn't know anything about forensics but was persuaded to make an attempt. He created a bust that led to an identification, and found his life's work.
Over the years, Frank worked on multiple cases. He was successful in finding identities in many cases. The ones that he was proudest of were the children, often found in suitcases or boxes, thrown away after being murdered. Frank's work was able to give them back an identity, and to let them be buried under their own name instead of being sent to an anonymous grave.
Frank's biggest case was that of the scores of Mexican women who were murdered in the early 2000's. The Mexican government brought him in, along with an FBI consultant, but it was soon clear that there were politics at play and forces that did not want this case solved. While Frank went back to Mexico several times and created multiple busts, the cases still remain a mystery, although many believe either the Mexican police or the military had a hand in these deaths.
Another area Frank's expertise was used in was age regression and advancement. He was the sculptor that created the bust of John List that was used on America's Most Wanted to identify this man who a decade earlier had killed his entire family and disappeared. That case led to the government using Frank for several other busts to identify fugitives who had been missing for many years.
Ted Botha has outlined the life history of a fascinating man. Bender loved the work he did, but never made enough money at it to support his family. He had to take side jobs throughout his life to make ends meet. Frank lived life on his own terms, and his work was so valuable that he was able to live life as he wanted while still fitting in with the highly structured world of police work. This book is recommended for readers of true crime and those interested in forensic work.
October 9, 2013
My only real gripe with this book is the way it jumped back and forth in time. I've read other books with that format but for some reason it really irritated me in this book. Otherwise, the book had interesting stories and details about one of the first forensic artists and his art. It would have been really cool to have more pictures included, especially a start-to-finish progression of working on a skull.
In The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. Then he is called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juarez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. In 2003, prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender reconstructs the faces of unknown murder victims or fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence where the line between criminals and law enforcement is blurry, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular–"The Girl With the Crooked Nose"–Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story–the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession–with the chilling story of the Juarez investigation. With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
In The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Ted Botha tells the absorbing story of Frank Bender, a gifted, self-taught artist who can bring back the dead and the vanished through a unique, macabre sculpting talent. Bender has been the key to solving at least nine murders and tracking down numerous criminals. Then he is called upon to tackle the most challenging and bizarre case of his career.
Someone is killing the young women of Juarez. Since 1993, the decomposing bodies of as many as four hundred victims, known as feminicidios, have been found in the desert surrounding this gritty Mexican border town. In 2003, prodded by local political pressure and international attention, the Mexican authorities turn to the United States to help solve these horrific crimes. The man they turn to is Bender.
Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Bender reconstructs the faces of unknown murder victims or fugitives whose appearances are certain to have changed over years on the run. The busts are based in part on the painstaking application of forensic science to fleshless human skulls and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.
Arriving in Mexico, Bender works in secrecy, in a culture of corruption and casual violence where the line between criminals and law enforcement is blurry, braving anonymous threats and sinister coincidences to give eight skulls back their faces and, hopefully, their histories. Drawn to one skull in particular–"The Girl With the Crooked Nose"–Bender gradually comes to suspect that perhaps he is not meant to succeed, and that the true solution to the mystery of the feminicidios is far more terrible than anyone has dared to imagine.
Ted Botha brilliantly weaves Bender’s story–the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession–with the chilling story of the Juarez investigation. With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
Read
September 9, 2008This isn't the usual type of book I find myself reading, but I saw a good review for it in the newspaper and thought I would check it out. It's about a self-taught artist that has a gift for sculpting faces onto skulls. It was really interesting to learn about the process and how each skull is unique and can really show you what somebody looks like. But his talent goes beyond that- there's a lot of intuition. He even reconstructed an I.D. on a skull where the whole face was missing. He has been able to help put an I.D. to unknown murder victims, and has also helped create age-progression busts of criminals that have helped catch some of them. This wasn't a really long book, but it could've been shorter- I found some things were repeated quite often. I was also really let-down by the ending and the 'resolution' for the Juarez murders ( as many as 400 unsolved murders since 1993- possibly by a serial killer- that he was called in to help solve). I enjoyed his frankness (I'm not sure if that's a word) and the honest way that Bender and his wife were represented. Pretty interesting to think about someone carrying skulls and even bodies on their harley or the public bus! Also, if you decide to read it, the first chapter kind of creeped me out- but that's not the mood of the whole story. One more thing- it is a little poorly organized, but it's interesting enough that I thought it made up for it.
April 19, 2012
Botha's biography of Frank Bender is for you if you have an interest in forensic reconstruction of faces from photos or skulls (Bender does both). Bender is an artist who first visits the medical examiner's office to learn anatomy. He begins sketching unidentified victims, then quickly moves into sculpting busts, beginning in the late 1970's. He is one of the first people doing this type of reconstruction in the U.S. He became involved with the "feminicidios" case in the area of Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas. Young women were being found murdered and decomposing in fields around Juarez. It was a long time before the police would even admit there was a case. Frank went to Juarez to create busts of the unidentifed girls, leading to identifications of several. Unfortunately, this case remains unsolved to this day. With no special training, Frank's ability to "see" the face that went onto a skull led to identification of victims and helped to solve their murders. He also assisted with the apprehension of fugitives by creating age-progressed drawings and busts of long lost fugitives.
There is a book about the "feminicidios" :
There is a book about the "feminicidios" :
August 2, 2014
Ted Botha gives us the interesting and somewhat quirky story of Frank Bender. It is the history of Bender's education and success in the world of forensic artistry. The book, aside from Bender's personal journey, outlines many cases and shows how cooperation, or lack of it, can really impact criminal investigation. Most interesting is Bender's journey to Mexico, at the request of profiling superstar Robert Ressler. Brought to the country to aid in the investigation of feminicidos in Chihuahua Bender has to re-examine how his work impacts various communities as well as face the harsh reality that the Mexican government may not actually be interested in solving the murders.
This book does leave some question unanswered and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I would say that this is a good introduction if you are interested in learning about forensics. It is not heavy with scientific language or technical terms, which makes this a quick read.
I read "The Murder Room" by Michael Capuzzo a few months ago. That book also featured Frank Bender, among other characters, and there was a lot of overlap in information about Bender and the cases he worked. I found it somewhat redundant but as "The Girl with Crooked Nose" focuses on Bender, I did get a more in depth look into his life and work.
This book does leave some question unanswered and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I would say that this is a good introduction if you are interested in learning about forensics. It is not heavy with scientific language or technical terms, which makes this a quick read.
I read "The Murder Room" by Michael Capuzzo a few months ago. That book also featured Frank Bender, among other characters, and there was a lot of overlap in information about Bender and the cases he worked. I found it somewhat redundant but as "The Girl with Crooked Nose" focuses on Bender, I did get a more in depth look into his life and work.
October 2, 2009
This is not your run-of-the-mill forensics story. The author is a self-taught artist, a biker, a regular guy who got caught-up in.....had a great talent for.....making eerily accurate busts from skulls and other fragments of unidentified murdered people. He was haunted by the people he resurrected. Here are a couple of gems from the book:
"Everything about Mexico said to give it up __ the warning e-mails, the margaritas, the messy evidence room at the Juarez police station, the secrecy over the Girl from Chihuahua, the incompetent local investigators, the juggernaut of an investigation __ but Frank couldn't. He had the 'feminicidios' under his skin."
"People called it intuition, a special gift, the sixth-sense, even genius. Frank himself didn't have a name for it." "Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that the same inexplicable qualities he called on to imagine a face for a murder victim, he would start using to imagine the murder itself. In a way, he couldn't help it. By the time he had completed a bust __ working alone in his studio for days on end, focusing solely on the person in life and went through countless scenarios of how she or he might have died."
"Everything about Mexico said to give it up __ the warning e-mails, the margaritas, the messy evidence room at the Juarez police station, the secrecy over the Girl from Chihuahua, the incompetent local investigators, the juggernaut of an investigation __ but Frank couldn't. He had the 'feminicidios' under his skin."
"People called it intuition, a special gift, the sixth-sense, even genius. Frank himself didn't have a name for it." "Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that the same inexplicable qualities he called on to imagine a face for a murder victim, he would start using to imagine the murder itself. In a way, he couldn't help it. By the time he had completed a bust __ working alone in his studio for days on end, focusing solely on the person in life and went through countless scenarios of how she or he might have died."
December 3, 2012
I have always been fascinated by forensic sketch artists and this book gives you a peek into the life of one who just stumbled into this line of work, yet became very successful. Frank Bender actually did facial reconstructions based on the skull alone as well as age progression images of fugitives. His story is very interesting, but the author tore it apart so much that it lost a bit of its sparkle.
I'm fine with jumping back and forth in chronology of a story, but Botha jumps around so much and is so redundant in his story that it is not only distracting, but also makes the story drag. The story of the feminicidos of Juarez was Bender's most famous case and it is chopped up and pieced in with other stories throughout the book. You never know the truth about what happened down there (because this book was published in 2008, I'm sure more has come to light in those cases since it was published.).
The pictures of Bender's sculptures with the actual photos was really cool. He was obviously very talented. His story is one worth reading, I just wish it was a little more seamless.
I'm fine with jumping back and forth in chronology of a story, but Botha jumps around so much and is so redundant in his story that it is not only distracting, but also makes the story drag. The story of the feminicidos of Juarez was Bender's most famous case and it is chopped up and pieced in with other stories throughout the book. You never know the truth about what happened down there (because this book was published in 2008, I'm sure more has come to light in those cases since it was published.).
The pictures of Bender's sculptures with the actual photos was really cool. He was obviously very talented. His story is one worth reading, I just wish it was a little more seamless.
April 2, 2009
Overall I liked the book - I read it to the end. The author goes in details into the life path of Frank who accidentally becomes an expert at creating busts of dead people from their skulls to help in the identification of the bodies, which generally have decomposed to quite a degree before being found by the police. Identifying the bodies seems to go a long way toward finding the murderer. Frank's talent is quite exceptional, and that's one of the interesting aspect of the book - the study of a highly talented person who follows his gift, even though it not the easiest path to becoming rich... At times, the author describes the tools and the actions of Frank to such a detail that it gets a bit long (but I guess if you are a highly visual person, you may enjoy the lengthy descriptions of the tools and processes). Frank gives names to his busts, and they helped making the busts more "human". A quite interesting look into te world of the police and forensic science.
March 12, 2012
Botha examines the professional life and often astounding successes of Frank Bender -- forensic artist and skull reconstruction prodigy -- from his first bust of an unidentified murder victim to his trip to Mexico to help identify victims of the feminicidios.
This book was fascinating -- I had read a little about Frank Bender before in "The Murder Room" and I enjoyed getting to know more about him. Bender's story is full of both successes and failures -- his bewildering and unsatisfying Mexico experience may be an example of the latter -- but it is certainly never boring. My one quibble with this book is that its nonlinear chronology occasionally becomes confusing when the author references events that he hasn't described yet. Still a great book for the fan of mystery, police procedural and true crime.
Recommended for fans of:
The Murder Room
Hellhound on His Trail
The Lake of the Sleeping Children
This book was fascinating -- I had read a little about Frank Bender before in "The Murder Room" and I enjoyed getting to know more about him. Bender's story is full of both successes and failures -- his bewildering and unsatisfying Mexico experience may be an example of the latter -- but it is certainly never boring. My one quibble with this book is that its nonlinear chronology occasionally becomes confusing when the author references events that he hasn't described yet. Still a great book for the fan of mystery, police procedural and true crime.
Recommended for fans of:
The Murder Room
Hellhound on His Trail
The Lake of the Sleeping Children
March 7, 2013
I generally enjoy books by artists who do facial reconstructive work for medical examiners; and this one had a few interesting cases, but overall it was rather dull.
The most interesting case was about the women who have been disappearing by the dozens along the Texas/Mexico borders for many years now. I shouldn't say "disappeared", as many of the bodies have been found in gruesome condition. But although Frank Bender did some innovative work in this field (he did the aged reconstruction of killer John List which aired on "America's Most Wanted" which lead to List's capture after 18 years on the run), when I look at his work it just doesn't seem as polished as other working in the field. The book would have been improved by an index as well, since it does tend to skip around some.
I assure you that I am not prejudiced by the artist's physical resemblance to Anton Zandor LaVey. Actually I find that rather amusing. But the book just didn't grab me. Sorry.
The most interesting case was about the women who have been disappearing by the dozens along the Texas/Mexico borders for many years now. I shouldn't say "disappeared", as many of the bodies have been found in gruesome condition. But although Frank Bender did some innovative work in this field (he did the aged reconstruction of killer John List which aired on "America's Most Wanted" which lead to List's capture after 18 years on the run), when I look at his work it just doesn't seem as polished as other working in the field. The book would have been improved by an index as well, since it does tend to skip around some.
I assure you that I am not prejudiced by the artist's physical resemblance to Anton Zandor LaVey. Actually I find that rather amusing. But the book just didn't grab me. Sorry.
June 6, 2014
Very intriguing look into the world of a forensic artist, the amazing Frank Bender. After I read "The Murder Room" by Michael Capuzzo (which I also recommend) about the Vidocq Society of which Frank was one of the founders, I was happy to see this book would focus on Frank's incredible ability to put a face on a skull or do an age-progression on a fugitive. The stories of the victims that Frank worked on are truly horrific and heartbreaking. The skulls of the murdered girls from Mexico are especially poignant because most have never been identified due in large part to the ineffective bureaucracy of their government. This book is a fascinating look into the mind of a remarkable man who gave faces to the forgotten.
September 17, 2017
The author tells the story of an artist, Frank Bender, who does facial reconstruction on skulls to help the police identify bodies. Bender also creates age progression busts to help authorities in their hunt for fugitives. Overall the story was interesting, and I would have given it a better rating except for 2 things:
1) The author's narrative jumps around so much that at times it's hard to remember who or what he's writing about. I've read other books that were much better with the non-chronological storytelling format.
2) The author includes photos and frequently refers to the fact that Bender's successful age progression model of a major fugitive brought him significant notoriety, but never discusses the case. Seemed like a major oversight in the story to me.
1) The author's narrative jumps around so much that at times it's hard to remember who or what he's writing about. I've read other books that were much better with the non-chronological storytelling format.
2) The author includes photos and frequently refers to the fact that Bender's successful age progression model of a major fugitive brought him significant notoriety, but never discusses the case. Seemed like a major oversight in the story to me.
September 7, 2018
This was a good read because it was different than other forensic writing in that it focused on the artist instead of going into incredible detail of the homicide cases. It showed the roundabout way someone can have a professional change when they are open to exploration. I really liked how Frank Bender was able to finally find a way to create art that had great meaning even though it was difficult to make a living from it and even though he didn't always get word when his subjects were finally identified. I had followed the John List case without knowing it was Frank Bender who created the sculpture that helped get him identified. I am happy I found this book.
September 13, 2010
The man in the book is a little obsessed with making faces out of people's skulls. Granted, he helped a lot of people, but the repetitive details about how he sculpted a full face just from the skull got to be boring. The most interesting part of the book was the sections that dealt with Mexico and the women who are murdered there by serial killer(s) and the police can't stop it. It was sad and scary. The writing was not great and the author detoured into a detailed discussion of the man's romantic past, present, and future and I found that to be distracting, unnecessary, and annoying.
February 22, 2011
An interesting if very uneven tale about Frank Bender, a high school grad who evolves into a forensic sculptor. The anecdotes are interesting but leave you hanging e.g., did they find the killer(s) what really happened in Mexico? This is all probably due to the fact that Mr. Bender never gets to find out either.
I think it would have been better if the author had either concentrated on Mr. Bender's rather colorful life style or on his professional experiences rather than attempting to combine the two with bits and pieces of stories.
I think it would have been better if the author had either concentrated on Mr. Bender's rather colorful life style or on his professional experiences rather than attempting to combine the two with bits and pieces of stories.
July 3, 2008
This book details the work of Frank Bender, an artist reborn as a forensic expert. He puts faces on skulls of the unknown dead in hopes of getting an identification. There are pictures and the story does get a bit too technical at times. I enjoyed the reading, because Frank is from Philadelphia and I knew some of the stories firsthand. Unless you are especially artsy or enjoy true-crime, this book isn't for you.
August 5, 2008
I've had the pleasure of meeting Frank Bender and the opportunity to see him work. So I knew I had to read this book.
Bender is a self-taught forensic artist whose work has helped identify murder victims and apprehend fugitives. Botha does a good job of outlining Bender's career and also provides information on the history of facial reconstruction and the founding of the Vidocq Society by Bender, William Fleishcher and Richard Walter.
You can read my full review of this book on Amazon.
Bender is a self-taught forensic artist whose work has helped identify murder victims and apprehend fugitives. Botha does a good job of outlining Bender's career and also provides information on the history of facial reconstruction and the founding of the Vidocq Society by Bender, William Fleishcher and Richard Walter.
You can read my full review of this book on Amazon.
February 19, 2012
It was a very grim but fascinating book about Frank Bender. God bless him for his talent and determination plus his artistic skills. I was amazed at all the dedicated people who strive every day to bring justice to victims. I was also sickened by man's inhumanity to others....and still do not understand how you can get so angry so as to hurt and/or kill any person. Hoping there are still more people like Frank Bender plus loving human beings who populate our earth.
August 28, 2015
3.5 stars I am glad I read this, informative, but not very exciting. My main complaint would be that it jumps back and forth in time for no reason that I could tell. A straight forward approach to his life would have worked better. The big plus is that it comes with pictures. You get to see examples of Frank's vision unfold, into at times with amazing accuracy, to what a person looked like before death or how they had aged 20 years later.
November 17, 2017
A fascinating tale of a man obsessed. The subject, Frank Bender is an artist who falls into becoming a forensic sculptor. I️ thought it would mostly deal with his quest to bring peace and answers to the families of the Juarez female murder victims. However it tells of his whole career and methods. It could get repetitive ( like I️ expect the job itself is) but I️ actually thought the obsessive nature of the man and his work were actually reinforced by this. Not for the squeamish though
July 22, 2008
Although this book was poorly organized, it was so interesting that I whipped through it in about 2 days. It gives a lot of detail about how sculptures are derived from skulls in order to identify murder victims. The parts about the feminicidios in Juarez, Mexico, are less thorough, but do provide a glimpse into the corruption that runs rampant in the Mexican government and police force.
December 30, 2010
Everyone interested in forensics should read this great (and true) story on how one of the science's most talented facial re-creators got his start(albeit by chance) in the often gruesome world of crime investigation. It is about Frank Bender's non-conformist, unusual life and prolific art. Highly recommend.
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