True Stories from the Morgue. Stories from a Forensic Counsellor

by John Merrick

Forensic Counsellor, John Merrick spent 20 years in what he describes as ‘a very unusual environment’ – the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Office of the State Coroner in Glebe, Sydney – more commonly known as the ‘city morgue’. What’s it like to work in a morgue? This book describes, first hand, coping with mutilated or decomposed bodies and the carnage of large-scale disasters like the Bali bombings. Equally as traumatic, the suicides, accidental drownings, car accidents and murders. But forensic counsellors do much more, witnessing autopsies, attending crime scenes and coronial enquiries. It’s all in a day’s work. Find out what it’s like behind the scenes. Those working at the morgue come face to face with death on a daily basis, and forensic counsellors like John have to find the compassion and kindness to ease the grief of those left behind.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2017

Reviews

[Nichola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has to be my favourite Non-Fiction of the year. I found this easy to read and follow through terminology. The author who is the forensic counsellor, explains procedures and techniques in a simple way and goes through the why's of such steps, so the reader understands easier. Each chapter is a different case that John Merrick as dealt with. One of the biggest cases that he worked on was the Bali Bombings. Steps were explained into what is was like dealing with a mass of bodies. Not only does he talk about the "job" side of it, but also the emotional and psychological toll it takes on when dealing with such situations. I found this read very interesting. There's things you see in movies and in tv. Fictional things. Though the things that were included in this read were informative. When a procedure is mentioned, John explains why that step is important and why they do it. TRUE STORIES OF THE MORGUE covers a range of cases. Murder, a bombing, a 2 bus collision are a few of them. .
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There were 2 cases that were hard to read about but unfortunately they did occur. One of the cases included a child who was 9 and went through some so traumatic, that no child or adult should go through. But worse that it happened to a child, and such topics always are sad, but 1000x worse when they aren't fiction. .
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I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime, just non fiction readers in general really. .

[Joanna Hikuroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I found it an easy read but for the love of God get someone to proof read it before you next print it!! Was very distracting when there were extra spaces, incorrect words and inconsistency with names.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was very interesting and gives an insight not often seen.

[Srishti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way John Merrick explains his story about working in the morgue and being a counsellor throughout the book is just amazing. He does not hide away from telling the absolute truth the good, the bad and the horrifying aspects of the job. The book was also very easy to read and flows really well

[Abbey McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Would have been 5 stars if the editor actually edited *

[iz marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading this I was completely hooked but the further I got it got repetitive and slow. The stories were interesting though!

[Pru · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Merrick worked at Sydney's Glebe Morgue for 20 years as a social worker. This book is a collection of his stories throughout that time. Merrick has worked on some big disasters including the Bali bombings to the personal losses of suicide. Written with humour and compassion, we get a glimpse of the constant and varying experiences of death.

I found this book interesting and easy to read. It may be a bit morbid but I honestly enjoyed it. All procedures were explained without technical jargon or too much gore. The only annoyance I had was that words were missing and there were spelling mistakes hence the 4 stars. I understand this book isn't for everyone but if you are interested, then it's worth the read.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an extraordinary book written in a very easy to read style. It probably helps somewhat in that I know of the cases to which the author refers. I was surprised and pleased our local library had a copy.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly what i was expecting but a very interesting read, its as much about lose and the people left behind as it is about death. This book balances facts and personal perspective very nicely, would highly recommend.

[Kate Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, it focuses mostly on Glebe Morgue in Sydney New South Wales Australia. It tells you what they do with the bodies, how families of the dead are handled and given support.

[Annie Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sensitive overview of the life of a forensic counsellor.

[Dillon Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was ever in the situation of so many of the families in this book, I’d hope I had someone like John to guide me through it. Raw but warm.

[Sunshine Biskaps · Rating 4 out of 5]

"True Stories from the Morgue" by John Merrick

Several years ago, I had called up a funeral home in Decatur, Illinois, asking if they had any volunteer positions. That was a beginning of an interesting paid job in which I became a "grief counsellor". All the training was on the job and I was more a sales agent than anything, selling funeral options. I worked with families who have lost their loved ones, I was instructed to wear dark colours and not be too upbeat. During my time there, I had seen a lot of dead bodies and that helped me overcome my fear of the dead, cemeteries and ghosts. I was even allowed the opportunity to see a live cremation. It was neat to see everything either disappear and only the bones turn into ashes. I wanted to be able to learn more about autopsies, but it wasn't within the guidelines.

I found this book at my local library and found the stories to be John's raw account of his a part of his life. He is honest and admits responsibilities. It takes a good person to look back and reflect how things can be done differently, even better. I learned a lot from his stories. It was interesting to know how autopsies are performed and the long incisions that needed to be made in order to examine the body organs.

I recently read a book called the "Night Tiger" involving the Malay tradition that all the body parts of the dead need to be intact before the person can move on gracefully to the other world. When John Merrick mentioned that he had to tell loved ones that the coroner had to keep certain body parts like brains, spinal cords or eyes, it made me think of the Malay culture and many others who believe in the same guideline that people need to be buried whole. I felt so badly for these families. I can't even begin to imagine the need to identify a loved one after a horrific accident or murder, and even possibly knowing that your dear family member also had his/ her eyes cut out to never be returned to the place it belongs, but rather put in the body cavity.

John Merrick is a good man, delivering not so good news to families under unbelievable grief. It's incredible that he was able to do this job for twenty years. His book opened up my eyes to things I have never even learned working in the funeral home in Illinois. His stories, especially those involving murders of young children, will always stay with me. It makes you want to keep your loved ones close and treasure every moment you are able to live and breathe.

John, thank you for writing and sharing your experiences. I am no grammar queen, but I will say that I did notice the occasional spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes in a book. No big deal. Still such a great read and I'd recommend it to those looking for something on the darker side that is also insightful, kind, and soft. I think I will start speaking softer because of you, John. I know you swear a lot in your normal life, but you were very soft and gentle in the way you communicated with the bereaved. Thanks for sharing a part of you to us, and thanks for not taking your own life when you thought about it. People like you are important in this world.

[Nicki Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. John Merrick worked as a counsellor for the morgue, counselling many family members, friends and loved ones during his career there. He relays his stories from his time in this role with compassion and honesty and self assessment as to times when he feels he could have handled things differently. Reading this book gave me a better understanding of what a difficult job this would be, his contacts with these people are very impactful. I also liked how he shared some of the more lighthearted moments during his time in what would be a very difficult role to fulfil. An easy read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐#johnmerrick #truestoriesfromthemorgue #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #amazonaustralia #litsy #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram

[Paul McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it has changed my perspective on grief from the sudden loss of a loved one and the need for councelling.

The book is focussed on the authors feelings and his counselling sessions with victims love ones. The honesty of the author is enriching, he even reveals that at one stage he was within hours of commiting suicide.

Based in Sydney the stories will be familiar with Sydney residents, including the Grafton bus disaster, Ebony Simpson’s abduction and murder just to name two.

I would have given 5 stars if the proofreader had done there job, some lines of print didn’t have spaces between the words.

[Becky Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So first off books based on actual facts, true stories, heart aches etc automatically get a 5 Star. I will not rate a book that is for educational purposes.
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This book was an amazing, eye opening read.
Yes it took me awhile, but that’s how deep it was.
Learning about the autopsies, counselors that are there for family to explain the body before being viewed or identified, it’s a lot.
What these counselors do and the support the five to those who’ve lost a loved one is truly amazing.
I certainly love having a curious mind.

[Maxie Mancuso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. From the very first moment right through to the end I was just in awe and so curious about the way and things John Merrick wrote. He writes about his highs and lows and also the things he’s not so proud about while working in forensics (that takes balls!). This would honestly be up there as one of my favourite non fiction books, if not my fav!

Totally recommend reading, it gives such insight to a lot to do with the true crime(ish) world.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt a bit like a voyeur reading this but much of it was interesting in regard to the different needs of the living. I found the need for different approaches required very informative. I probably would have given this another star if John hadn’t included near the end of the book where he was drunk after a wedding and had to go and cover for the person rostered on because she was drunk too. This little anecdote was totally unnecessary and left a nasty feel to the story

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing, John had a way of capturing my attention from the first page. I had little clue what a forensic counsellor does, but John made it easy to understand. I also enjoyed that the book was broken up into different sections of different jobs that he worked on, very interesting and highly recommended. =)

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never cried SO hard reading a book - the first chapter had me heaving with tears. This book took me through every emotion there just about is, and made me reflect on what a tough job John Merrick had, and how important people like him are. A very emotional and well chosen selection of stories. I’d love to read this again in years to come.

[Lisa Sparkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It was harrowing, confronting and incredibly sad at times but the peace, comfort and kindness John gave to the bereaved was outstanding. There are editing issues but once I got past them it was 5 stars all the way. If John ever reads this review I want him to know that I'm thankful for his service to the community.

[Vlada Rouff · Rating 5 out of 5]

First story - cried my eyes out. It was so moving and it opened the world for me of what happens after.
Not a big book, but took me a while to finish it as I was savouring every story, every page. Had to be in the right mood to start another chapter.
It did affect me in good way. More thoughtful, choosing gentler words, showing love. We’ll never know when time’s up.

[Kristin Alford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insights into the toughness and tenderness required to counsel those around the dead

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute love the book and how it's written

[Tina Binding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Besides dealing with grief there are many life lessons in here. Thank you John for sharing your experiences.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book will not be for everyone.
And it certainly wasn’t for me.

[Mialuckyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way he write wasn't interesting for me but was easy read. Kept me going to finish the book. The content was at most interesting.

[Paige gehrels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book ever I don’t think anything will come close!
So interesting and informative and all based on true events in his life.

[Granny Weatherwax · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times brutally honest, this is the story of John Merrick 's time as a Forensic Counselor in Sydney with the Coroner's office.
Although John's writing style may not be as polished as some would like, the book is still an 'easy' read as the chapters are short and the the sheer variety of cases that John has seen keep you interested .
I am particularly impressed with the way in which John shows respect for the deceased and their families and when he makes a huge mistake in this area, he has the courage to own it.
Be warned, however, that this is not an 'easy' read in terms of subject matter. Some of the stories he tells are really quite heart wrenching and can leave you wanting to hug your kids just a little bit more.