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Forensic Detective: How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases
Death. It’s not only inevitable and frightening, it’s intriguing and fascinating–especially today, when science continues to make ever more stunning advances in the investigation of the oldest and darkest of mysteries. To discover the how and why of death, unearth its roots, and expose the mechanics of its grim handiwork is, at least in some sense, to master it. And in the process, if a criminal can be caught or closure found, so much the better.
Enter Robert Mann, forensic anthropologist, deputy scientific director of the U.S. government’s Central Identification Laboratory, and, some might say, the Sherlock Holmes of death detectives. When the dead reveal some of their most sensational, macabre, and poignant tales, more often than not it’s Mann who’s been listening. Now, in this remarkable casebook, he offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes portrait of his sometimes gruesome, frequently dangerous, and always compelling profession. In cases around the world, Mann has been called upon to unmask killers with nothing but the bones of their victims to guide him, draw out clues that restore identities to the nameless dead, recover remains thought to be hopelessly lost, and piece together the events that can unlock the truth behind the most baffling deaths.
The infamous 9/11 terror attacks, which killed thousands; the unplanned killing that inaugurated serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer’s grisly spree; mysterious military fatalities from World War II to the Cold War to Vietnam, including the amazing case of the Vietnam War’s Unknown Soldier–all the fascinating stories are here, along with photos from the author’s personal files. Mystery hangings, mass graves, errant body parts, actual skeletons in closets, and a host of homicides steeped in bizarre clues and buried secrets–they’re all in a day’s work for one dedicated detective whose job begins when a life ends.
From the Hardcover edition.
Enter Robert Mann, forensic anthropologist, deputy scientific director of the U.S. government’s Central Identification Laboratory, and, some might say, the Sherlock Holmes of death detectives. When the dead reveal some of their most sensational, macabre, and poignant tales, more often than not it’s Mann who’s been listening. Now, in this remarkable casebook, he offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes portrait of his sometimes gruesome, frequently dangerous, and always compelling profession. In cases around the world, Mann has been called upon to unmask killers with nothing but the bones of their victims to guide him, draw out clues that restore identities to the nameless dead, recover remains thought to be hopelessly lost, and piece together the events that can unlock the truth behind the most baffling deaths.
The infamous 9/11 terror attacks, which killed thousands; the unplanned killing that inaugurated serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer’s grisly spree; mysterious military fatalities from World War II to the Cold War to Vietnam, including the amazing case of the Vietnam War’s Unknown Soldier–all the fascinating stories are here, along with photos from the author’s personal files. Mystery hangings, mass graves, errant body parts, actual skeletons in closets, and a host of homicides steeped in bizarre clues and buried secrets–they’re all in a day’s work for one dedicated detective whose job begins when a life ends.
From the Hardcover edition.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
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August 9, 2011As a huge fan on CSI and Bones, I expected a lot from this book. The book is rather interesting but I find it places too much emphasis on the background story of the victims/deceased. It says a lot more background details about soldiers who died in wars. I'd prefer if the author gives us more details of the forensic processes instead. Could it be the author thought it might be too boring for the readers? I wouldn't know. But I couldn't help feeling a bit of disappointment when I finished reading the book.
Nevertheless, I have absolute respect to the author, who only continued his study after several years of decadance and then went on to become one of the top forensic anthropologists in the country.
Nevertheless, I have absolute respect to the author, who only continued his study after several years of decadance and then went on to become one of the top forensic anthropologists in the country.
April 12, 2015
Interesting subject matter but the authors penchant for stating the obvious over and over and pondering/ philosophising in a very heavy handed way was torturous. It doesn't even compare to Jeff Benedicts 'No Bone Unturned' about forensic anthropologist Doug Oswley - a fascinating and beautifully drawn semi-biography. 1 star!
June 30, 2017
Every chapter is about a different case that Dr. Mann helped work on. Surprisingly, more than half of them were about identifying the bodies of American soldiers around the world that were reported as Missing in Action (soldiers that fought in WWII, the Cold War and the Vietnam War). One chapter was even about how he helped identify a soldier that was buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. So cool! It was cool to read about his journey through academics, too - he didn't get his PhD in physical anthropology until he was 51! Since this is something I'm interested in, it was so fun for me to read, but it's style may not appeal to others since it's so discontinuous.
February 18, 2009
"When the dead reveal some of their most sensational, macabre, and poignant tales, more often than not it’s Mann who’s been listening. Now, in this remarkable casebook, he offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes portrait of his sometimes gruesome, frequently dangerous, and always compelling profession."
Interesting cases and information however the narrative could have used a little help. The book gets very dry at the end.
Interesting cases and information however the narrative could have used a little help. The book gets very dry at the end.
December 30, 2010
This was a very interesting book on forensics. The author himself is a very interesting man, having been homeless for a while before going back to school to study forensic anthropology under Bill Bass.
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June 23, 2022Very interesting read. Bones and forensics are seriously some of the coolest things; this guy has some really great stories to tell about them.
January 23, 2020
I genuinely liked hearing his former life and how he came to be an anthropologist. I can very much relate to that as I also pursed forensic anthropology at later age than most my colleagues.
However, I think his tone in the book is often smug as if the people who'd work with him was less competent (be it police officers or soldier who helped excavate remains on their behalf). No one's position is more important in a team!
We don't use these terms Caucasoid, Mongloid or Negroid (even when he reaffirmed that it is the technical term, it definitely isn't!!!). These are very outdated terms and given that he had finalised this book in 2005 one would think he'd know better that it isn't representative of the human population but it appears that he is very much the kind of guy who says, "well, back in my day..". Just no.
It was especially cringeworthy for an ANTHROPOLOGIST to be "othering" fellow SE Asians or anyone else as if they these creatures from third world country with delayed cultural developmental. We often find this behaviour in those who continue to exoticise foreign individuals and impose these ideals.
One of his excerpts:
"They were among the poorest people I'd seen in Vietnam. Their dark skins made them look more like Lao I had often worked with than Vietnamese. Their clothing was dirty and tattered; many of the teenage girls were braless, which is unusual in Vietnam".
1. Its Laotian!! Clearly he didn't bother to learn and that's extremely disrespectful to the profession of anthropologists. The least you can do get respect people as it comes with the profession. Also, his wife is Thai and I just don't understand how one can be this ignorant.
2. This dark skin comment is so superficial and devoid of any understanding of the people in SE Asia.
3. How ridiculous of him to assume that being braless isn't unusual. Again, terrible anthropological observation.
I was at utter disbelief at the extent of disservice his book has been to the people he had met. It just showed how arrogant and ignorant Bob had become over the course of years.
Forensic anthropologists aren't special breed--we work with people at the end of the day which requires us to be sensitive towards differences (behaviours, cultures, etc) and we owe them our utmost respect in any scenario. I continued to respect Bob less as I progressed through the book.
However, I think his tone in the book is often smug as if the people who'd work with him was less competent (be it police officers or soldier who helped excavate remains on their behalf). No one's position is more important in a team!
We don't use these terms Caucasoid, Mongloid or Negroid (even when he reaffirmed that it is the technical term, it definitely isn't!!!). These are very outdated terms and given that he had finalised this book in 2005 one would think he'd know better that it isn't representative of the human population but it appears that he is very much the kind of guy who says, "well, back in my day..". Just no.
It was especially cringeworthy for an ANTHROPOLOGIST to be "othering" fellow SE Asians or anyone else as if they these creatures from third world country with delayed cultural developmental. We often find this behaviour in those who continue to exoticise foreign individuals and impose these ideals.
One of his excerpts:
"They were among the poorest people I'd seen in Vietnam. Their dark skins made them look more like Lao I had often worked with than Vietnamese. Their clothing was dirty and tattered; many of the teenage girls were braless, which is unusual in Vietnam".
1. Its Laotian!! Clearly he didn't bother to learn and that's extremely disrespectful to the profession of anthropologists. The least you can do get respect people as it comes with the profession. Also, his wife is Thai and I just don't understand how one can be this ignorant.
2. This dark skin comment is so superficial and devoid of any understanding of the people in SE Asia.
3. How ridiculous of him to assume that being braless isn't unusual. Again, terrible anthropological observation.
I was at utter disbelief at the extent of disservice his book has been to the people he had met. It just showed how arrogant and ignorant Bob had become over the course of years.
Forensic anthropologists aren't special breed--we work with people at the end of the day which requires us to be sensitive towards differences (behaviours, cultures, etc) and we owe them our utmost respect in any scenario. I continued to respect Bob less as I progressed through the book.
July 31, 2017
We follow Dr Robert Mann through some of the cases that he feels would be of interest to readers. Each of the 20 chapters goes over different cases or episodes in his career from working at The Body Farm where experts can rate the decomposition of human corpses in different conditions to searching for American soldiers / airmen missing in action in far-flung places of the world.
He begins by providing a brief overview of his life and then straight into trying to reconstruct the bones of Jeffrey Dahmer’s first victim, Steven Hicks, who had been smashed to bits with a sledgehammer.
I found some chapters quite engrossing while others a little dull and dry. I am not sure how much someone in that field of expertise would get out of this as it is written for a layman like me who knew nothing of anthropology other than reading a couple of Kathy Reichs books a good few years ago.
He begins by providing a brief overview of his life and then straight into trying to reconstruct the bones of Jeffrey Dahmer’s first victim, Steven Hicks, who had been smashed to bits with a sledgehammer.
I found some chapters quite engrossing while others a little dull and dry. I am not sure how much someone in that field of expertise would get out of this as it is written for a layman like me who knew nothing of anthropology other than reading a couple of Kathy Reichs books a good few years ago.
June 19, 2017
Robert Mann became a Forensic Anthropologist slightly later in life than most. He studied under the famous Body Farm founder, Dr. Bill Bass, worked at the Smithsonian and then became the deputy scientific director of the U.S. government's Central Identification Laboratory. Along the way he's worked on some famous cases, helped identify people lost in the 9/11 tragedy and some very interesting mysteries. I learned some very interesting facts about forensic science, the amount of detail that goes into identifying remains and the incredible dedication of the people who work in this field.
January 28, 2017
As a forensic pathologist Mann is extremely well versed in the unravelling of the truth about bones. Apart from taking you through some of the many cases he has worked on, he also explains how he found his way into the profession. The book is insightful, educational and brings out the humanity in the profession.
It is a book that demystify the profession and allows you to understand that not all results are immediate and not everything results in the case being solved.
It is a book that demystify the profession and allows you to understand that not all results are immediate and not everything results in the case being solved.
September 10, 2010
Not as interesting as the much exaggerated title makes it to be. Plus, he (the author) didn't crack these cases all on his own. His writing style is boring and filled with cliches and leaves much to be desired. A chore to get thru--I don't recommend.
March 13, 2008
A fantastic look at forensic anthropology. Interesting and informative without being dull.
April 11, 2009
Initially interesting, then somewhat repetitive in a self-aggrandizing manner.
June 10, 2023
I absolutely loved the scientific aspects found within this novel. The author is a highly respected forensic anthropologist and his level of expertise shows in the cases that he has worked. I’m grateful that he shared his experiences with us.
However, I am a biology major and criminal justice minor, and I was expecting a little bit more science and/or law. I definitely still learned a lot, but I wanted more. There just seemed to be a lot of background that did not follow a linear path. Background is necessary, but I felt like it was a little all over the place at times.
I also felt like the author repeated information, such as mentioning how to estimate the age of the deceased using the skeleton in multiple sections.
I’m glad the author provided his story though. It’s very inspiring to see that science and education do not only belong to a certain age or background. Instead, the secrets and mysteries that science can uncover are available to anyone with a curious mind.
Overall, I will definitely be referencing this book again. It contained a lot of good information was very compelling, which left me wanting more. The importance of the work that forensic anthropologists do cannot be overstated. They tell the stories of those forgotten by the world and bring peace to the families that remember.
However, I am a biology major and criminal justice minor, and I was expecting a little bit more science and/or law. I definitely still learned a lot, but I wanted more. There just seemed to be a lot of background that did not follow a linear path. Background is necessary, but I felt like it was a little all over the place at times.
I also felt like the author repeated information, such as mentioning how to estimate the age of the deceased using the skeleton in multiple sections.
I’m glad the author provided his story though. It’s very inspiring to see that science and education do not only belong to a certain age or background. Instead, the secrets and mysteries that science can uncover are available to anyone with a curious mind.
Overall, I will definitely be referencing this book again. It contained a lot of good information was very compelling, which left me wanting more. The importance of the work that forensic anthropologists do cannot be overstated. They tell the stories of those forgotten by the world and bring peace to the families that remember.
August 11, 2017
I am a fan of TV show Forensic Files and this is the first book I read about forensics. It was an interesting read for me because it mentions some information about how a corpse or skeleton could be identified and also give light about how he/she died. I found some chapters more interesting than others. In some chapters the author spend too much text explaining the victim background so it bored me a bit sometimes.
It an easy and enjoyable read, the author never makes bad jokes or talk bad about the victims, he is always respectful on all matters. The information provided about forensics is really to understands and have some photos at the end of the book so you can have an idea of what is the author talking about.
The cases and histories are varied, he talks about some cases about identified soldiers from WWII and Vietnam war and also about people that were murdered. All the cases are about North American people so I think people from that place will enjoy this book more.
It an easy and enjoyable read, the author never makes bad jokes or talk bad about the victims, he is always respectful on all matters. The information provided about forensics is really to understands and have some photos at the end of the book so you can have an idea of what is the author talking about.
The cases and histories are varied, he talks about some cases about identified soldiers from WWII and Vietnam war and also about people that were murdered. All the cases are about North American people so I think people from that place will enjoy this book more.
October 15, 2020
Not my favorite forensic science book (and I have a master’s in forensic science). Found the author kind of disorganized and repetitive and would also distress from the “case” or topic of the specific chapter. However, I always appreciate scientists that turn authors and write about their specific cases, instead of just authors trying to write about all the “popular” forensic science cases that we have heard many times by now.
October 13, 2019
A very interesting book. What a fascinating career, I wish I had chosen something like that. I would love to have that kind of knowledge and experience. He came about it in such an interesting way too. He was one of the fortunate ones who found his true life's work and passion. And I am glad to know that good work is being done to bring home our MIAs.
April 4, 2020
Really enjoyed the first half of this book. Love to read stories from someone who has a passion for what they do. Interesting and educational stuff. Book suffered from being poorly marketed and curated by the publisher in my humble opinion.
March 30, 2022
Excellent read. Some of the chapters are engrossing and left me unable to put the book down. I was amazed to learn the extent we go to recover and identify missing service members.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
July 25, 2024
A fascinating narration of cases.
I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if you want to know more about WWII, the Vietnam War, etc. This is a realistic record of the cases worked on by the author. He totally informative and authentic.
I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if you want to know more about WWII, the Vietnam War, etc. This is a realistic record of the cases worked on by the author. He totally informative and authentic.
December 10, 2024
It was mostly interesting. I would have enjoyed reading about more than just forensic anthropology cases, many of which involved identifying war victims overseas. After a while, it felt very repetitive.
March 15, 2017
One of the best books I read all year.
October 29, 2018
One of the best non-fiction books I've read in awhile
February 8, 2019
此書與預期有落差，看封底的介紹文宣，還以為這是講解法醫鑑識的學術類書籍，結果卻是作者回顧自己擔任法醫人類學家期間的經歷，作者主要講述當時的感受，反而沒有太多著墨描繪案情，中間甚至會加插其他案件，感覺有點混亂。
March 13, 2020
Wonderful read
If you're interested in shows like Bones this is definitely a good read for you. This is a real PhD not a fictional character.
If you're interested in shows like Bones this is definitely a good read for you. This is a real PhD not a fictional character.
March 26, 2020
This was an awesome book. I learned a lot that the tv shows don't let you seen. I would recommend this book to any one who would like to know more about what they do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2020
Mann does an amazing job at teaching the reader how he did it. How he pieced together sceletoons that have been pulverized. Yet, the book gets slow near the end.
November 18, 2021
It was a wonderfully written book about forensic anthropology
March 11, 2023
A very interesting book. However, the subtitle oversells the content a bit.
August 6, 2023
Good stories of his career and decent pictures to accompany it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews