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A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes Against the Dead
They were the owners of funeral home—and organ harvesters. An unsettling look at the Sconce family from the acclaimed true crime author of Deadly Lessons.
For sixty years, families in Southern California trusted the Sconce Family Funeral Home with their loved ones’ remains. That trust was betrayed in an extraordinary, horrifying fashion, as it was discovered that the family, seeing an opportunity, had been stealing gold fillings and harvesting the organs of the newly deceased, hiding the evidence by burning the bodies in their crematorium.
When the shocking acts came to light, a trial brought every gruesome detail to the forefront, and Ken Englade has—with even-handed, clear-eyed reporting—chronicled every chilling detail.
For sixty years, families in Southern California trusted the Sconce Family Funeral Home with their loved ones’ remains. That trust was betrayed in an extraordinary, horrifying fashion, as it was discovered that the family, seeing an opportunity, had been stealing gold fillings and harvesting the organs of the newly deceased, hiding the evidence by burning the bodies in their crematorium.
When the shocking acts came to light, a trial brought every gruesome detail to the forefront, and Ken Englade has—with even-handed, clear-eyed reporting—chronicled every chilling detail.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 1992
142 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Ken Englade
21 books67 followersKenneth F. Englade is a New Mexico-based author who has published nine books dealing with high profile trials. His latest book, Meltdown in Haditha: The Killing of 24 Iraqi Civilians by U.S. Marines and the Failure of Military Justice, will be published in 2015 by McFarland & Co. He also published five historical novels dealing with the pre-Civil War West. His books have been published in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. He is a veteran journalist who has worked on newspapers and for fourteen years with United Press International, including three years in Asia where he covered the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon. Beyond Reason, his book about a University of Virginia coed and her German boyfriend who conspired to kill the woman’s parents was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. From 2000-2006 he was a public information officer for the Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency. In 2010 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Louisiana State University School of Mass Communications in recognition of his career achievements.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 8, 2022
This book was well written concerning true crime and the characters (for the most part) were well described. The author stuck to the facts of the case. He did not give much personality to any of the "players" or those on the legal side. I don't like my true crime to read like a fictional book but I do like to see some personality in the characters/participants.
The resolution to this true-life crime story was a letdown but I can't blame that on the author. He was telling about a real crime and sometimes real life doesn't always go the way the reader would like.
After reading this book, all I can say is, if I'm ever accused of a serious crime, I want to be tried in a California court. But since I've lived for 65 years and counting without committing any serious crimes, I don't think I have to worry about being tried. And seeing as I live in NY, I can't see any reason why or how I would manage to commit a crime in CA. :)
The resolution to this true-life crime story was a letdown but I can't blame that on the author. He was telling about a real crime and sometimes real life doesn't always go the way the reader would like.
After reading this book, all I can say is, if I'm ever accused of a serious crime, I want to be tried in a California court. But since I've lived for 65 years and counting without committing any serious crimes, I don't think I have to worry about being tried. And seeing as I live in NY, I can't see any reason why or how I would manage to commit a crime in CA. :)
June 3, 2025
A Family Business tells the sordid tale of Lamb’s Funeral Home in Pasadena, now seen in ‘The Mortician’ on HBO Max. Luckily I had seen the first episode of the tv show when I began reading this. The details are grotesque and shocking, to put it mildly. Both in the book and on tv, what might surprise us the most is the cold and cavalier way the defendants speak about the deceased and their families. For a book written so soon after the bulk of the legal cases were decided, this does a god job of getting the facts out there. A lot has happened since, so a new Afterword would be of interest.
December 9, 2019
Very well written. The author, Ken Englade writes in simple, straightforward English, without all the frills, flourishes and stupid, unnecessary metaphors used by many other writers. Although the actual gruesome story - pertaining to a slimy greedy family and an even slimier, greedier individual by the name of David Sconce becomes a bit tiresome (especially the Pre-trial phase), the writer keeps it simple in a true journalistic style. The Sconce family made their money off of illegal cremations and illegal body parts minus an ounce of remorse. David Sconce carried it a step or steps further by killing off one of his competitor (
Stop
)………suggest reading the book to discover just how depraved some people can be.
July 27, 2020
This book started off great. The crimes committed are appalling and grotesque. Things really slowed down for me half way through the book. Once the storyline turned to the courtroom, I had a difficult time wanting to continue reading. I did finish the book, but it was truly touch and go as to whether I should shelve it as not having finished reading it or slug through it to the end. I can’t say that it’s the authors doing that the story got a bit dull toward the end, but it was a pretty slow read after all the excitement the first half of the book.
May 4, 2019
I read this years ago and remember being appalled and sickened by what was done to the remains of so many people … for so many years.
I also learned more about funeral home procedures than I ever wanted to know.
Pretty graphic stuff. 'nuff said.
I also learned more about funeral home procedures than I ever wanted to know.
Pretty graphic stuff. 'nuff said.
June 13, 2018
Pretty good
November 5, 2020
I can’t believe this family got away with so much disgusting things. They should be in jail for life!
October 26, 2022
A bizarre and almost unbelievable story of a the unethical practices of a murderous funeral director.
May 4, 2021
For the first hundred pages of A Family Business, Ken England feeds us a macabre tale of greed that left me wanting more information about the Sconces, the family at the heart of the crimes. By all accounts, the family was a respectable one in Pasadena circles. Lucienne Sconce was a devout Christian, who always had a Biblical quote handy; her husband, Jerry, was a well-respected football coach; and then there was their oldest son, David. England describes him as handsome, athletic, blonde-haired, and as having Paul Newman blue eyes. While they could be a snapshot of the perfect all-American family, there seems to be nothing wholesome about them. The Sconces are (at least in this telling) a family of sociopaths.
The family matriarch, Lucienne Sconce, descends from the Lamb family, who’ve been in the funeral business for generations. As I read the book, I kept thinking of Evelyn Waugh's novel, The Loved One, which depicts the strangeness of American funeral business. It is indeed a business, and a lucrative one too. England also observes that it is recession proof. Waugh's book comically highlights the massive amounts of bells and whistles people opt for as they mourn their loved ones, and what over-the-top services the funeral industry is willing to serve up. But when simpler funeral methods like cremation became the norm in the 70s, the Sconces found a fresh way to profit. They burned bodies in mass, extracted gold teeth, and harvested organs- all without permission. The latter were sold to medical schools and biomedical researchers, or for transplant. When other people in the funeral business started getting suspicious, the Sconces tried to silence them through intimidation. David Sconce twice hired men to assault whistleblowers, and he may have gone as far as murder.
It's obvious that much of the source material for A Family Business comes from investigation and court trial documents. This leads to the occasional repetition of information in the second half when the book switches focus to the legal prosecution of the family. Despite this, the book is well-told, providing just enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. It was also a pleasant change from the usual true crime books I read. England steps back and looks at systematic issues, not only ones associated with business regulation but also at how the legal system works. He has nothing but harsh words for one of the judges, who essentially threw out numerous charges against the Sconces (I kind of agree with the judge- the victims should have brought a civil case against both the Sconces and Lambs and stripped them of all their money and property; on the other hand, it's silly for a Judge to make a ruling based on a legal system that isn't yet written; also, it's clear that David Sconce is a dangerous individual). This wider lens gives you a glimpse of a dark place where sociopathy meets capitalism and legal dysfunction.
Though it's not mentioned in this book, in the end, David Sconce did go to jail (25 years to life) in 2003 for violating his life-time probation sentence (he was found with a stolen firearm). Like OJ, once a psychopath, always a psychopath.
The family matriarch, Lucienne Sconce, descends from the Lamb family, who’ve been in the funeral business for generations. As I read the book, I kept thinking of Evelyn Waugh's novel, The Loved One, which depicts the strangeness of American funeral business. It is indeed a business, and a lucrative one too. England also observes that it is recession proof. Waugh's book comically highlights the massive amounts of bells and whistles people opt for as they mourn their loved ones, and what over-the-top services the funeral industry is willing to serve up. But when simpler funeral methods like cremation became the norm in the 70s, the Sconces found a fresh way to profit. They burned bodies in mass, extracted gold teeth, and harvested organs- all without permission. The latter were sold to medical schools and biomedical researchers, or for transplant. When other people in the funeral business started getting suspicious, the Sconces tried to silence them through intimidation. David Sconce twice hired men to assault whistleblowers, and he may have gone as far as murder.
It's obvious that much of the source material for A Family Business comes from investigation and court trial documents. This leads to the occasional repetition of information in the second half when the book switches focus to the legal prosecution of the family. Despite this, the book is well-told, providing just enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. It was also a pleasant change from the usual true crime books I read. England steps back and looks at systematic issues, not only ones associated with business regulation but also at how the legal system works. He has nothing but harsh words for one of the judges, who essentially threw out numerous charges against the Sconces (I kind of agree with the judge- the victims should have brought a civil case against both the Sconces and Lambs and stripped them of all their money and property; on the other hand, it's silly for a Judge to make a ruling based on a legal system that isn't yet written; also, it's clear that David Sconce is a dangerous individual). This wider lens gives you a glimpse of a dark place where sociopathy meets capitalism and legal dysfunction.
Though it's not mentioned in this book, in the end, David Sconce did go to jail (25 years to life) in 2003 for violating his life-time probation sentence (he was found with a stolen firearm). Like OJ, once a psychopath, always a psychopath.
January 5, 2017
A true life story of events that occurred in the 1980s. Very good coverage of the legalities of dealing with a criminal, and his parents, particularly his mother, who commited multiple crimes over a period of time. Too bad the laws did not catch up to this man until 2013, when he was finally sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Still, he probably committed at least one murder, maybe more, yet was free to continue scamming the public until he reached 56 years of age.
September 19, 2020
Detail heavy
I usually like Englade's work, however this book had so much detail, court information and the story itself wasn't exactly concluded, that it was like reading recipes or statistical evidence. If you have a relative that went through that funeral home or are an attorney, you will find interest here, if not ... It may become boring.
I usually like Englade's work, however this book had so much detail, court information and the story itself wasn't exactly concluded, that it was like reading recipes or statistical evidence. If you have a relative that went through that funeral home or are an attorney, you will find interest here, if not ... It may become boring.
January 26, 2017
Fascinating story of a creepy California family in the funeral home business. The author does a good job keeping the large cast of characters straight, but the legal proceedings go on and on and end with a whimper.
January 12, 2020
Book about a man and his family who done things to the dead that you would not dream of.
The judge who dismissed so many of the actions against them, and they still by the end of the writing of the book, not gone to court.
The judge who dismissed so many of the actions against them, and they still by the end of the writing of the book, not gone to court.
January 8, 2015
Important
Too long. Get to that families lost all they had left of loved ones.
Who's responsible for that? And why was no one punished?
Too long. Get to that families lost all they had left of loved ones.
Who's responsible for that? And why was no one punished?
November 27, 2018
True crime story
A very scary story about.a man who had no limit; who.thought.he could do anything
The judge who let him off was. also scary
Angood book and it is interesting.
A very scary story about.a man who had no limit; who.thought.he could do anything
The judge who let him off was. also scary
Angood book and it is interesting.
May 5, 2019
Story of a creepy guy running a crematorium and getting away with murder and the judge who let it happen.
October 20, 2019
Very twisted story with little justice
The writing was good and detailed. A bit long but overall very interesting. Just reiterates s how screwed up California is.
The writing was good and detailed. A bit long but overall very interesting. Just reiterates s how screwed up California is.
April 17, 2020
Intriguing but chilling read. Too many details for me though....in parts it rambled. But overall...I liked it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews