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CSI Told You Lies
Meshel Laurie, host of the incredibly successful Australian True Crime podcast speaks to the forensic pathologists, homicide detectives, defence barristers and victims’ families in this moving and gripping study of violent crime and largescale natural disaster.
CSI Told You Lies is a gripping account of the work of the forensic scientists on the frontline of Australia’s major crime and disaster investigations. They are part of the team at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne. VIFM is a world-renowned centre of forensic science, and its team members have led major recovery operations over the years, from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires to the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. VIFM forensics experts have also played pivotal roles in some of Australia’s highest-profile homicide cases, including the Frankston Serial Killer, the murders of Eurydice Dixon and Aya Maasarwe, and the arrest of convicted serial killer Peter Dupas.
Join Meshel Laurie as she goes ‘behind the curtain’ at VIFM, interviewing the Institute’s talented roster of forensic experts about their daily work. Her subjects also include others touched by Australia’s major crime and disaster investigations, including homicide detectives, defence barristers and families of victims as they confront their darkest moments.
After reading CSI Told You Lies you’ll never read another homicide headline without wondering about the forensic pathologist who happened to be on call, the evidence they found and the truth they uncovered.
CSI Told You Lies is a gripping account of the work of the forensic scientists on the frontline of Australia’s major crime and disaster investigations. They are part of the team at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne. VIFM is a world-renowned centre of forensic science, and its team members have led major recovery operations over the years, from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires to the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. VIFM forensics experts have also played pivotal roles in some of Australia’s highest-profile homicide cases, including the Frankston Serial Killer, the murders of Eurydice Dixon and Aya Maasarwe, and the arrest of convicted serial killer Peter Dupas.
Join Meshel Laurie as she goes ‘behind the curtain’ at VIFM, interviewing the Institute’s talented roster of forensic experts about their daily work. Her subjects also include others touched by Australia’s major crime and disaster investigations, including homicide detectives, defence barristers and families of victims as they confront their darkest moments.
After reading CSI Told You Lies you’ll never read another homicide headline without wondering about the forensic pathologist who happened to be on call, the evidence they found and the truth they uncovered.
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2021
35 people are currently reading
743 people want to read
About the author
Meshel Laurie
8 books34 followersMeshel Laurie is a comedian presently on air (Nova) in Melbourne. You'd have seen her on television on Can of Worms, Spicks and Specks and GNW; she was a regular on Rove and the Circle. She also writes for Mamamia and is highly active on Twitter, where she has over 50,000 followers.
Meshel has been a stand-up comedian since 1994, and appeared in fourteen Melbourne International Comedy Festivals, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and a sell-out season of a one-woman-show at the Sydney Opera House. Meshel is a member of the Advisory Board of SISHA (South East Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities), an ambassador of Karuna Hospice, an ambassador of Childsafe Australia and an ambassador of A Flying Start for Queensland Children, for the Queensland Department of Education and Training.
Meshel has been a stand-up comedian since 1994, and appeared in fourteen Melbourne International Comedy Festivals, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and a sell-out season of a one-woman-show at the Sydney Opera House. Meshel is a member of the Advisory Board of SISHA (South East Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities), an ambassador of Karuna Hospice, an ambassador of Childsafe Australia and an ambassador of A Flying Start for Queensland Children, for the Queensland Department of Education and Training.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
February 28, 2022
I do not watch television, let alone stand up comedy. The fabulous thing about Goodreads is that I will see titles I would not normally consider, or in this case particularly the author. What a multi-talented lady this author is!
Not only was I gripped by the content, I was entertained by the ‘Aussieness’ of the narration, and when an author narrates their own work, you know it is going to be good.
I had not experienced any work at all from this author/podcaster/comedian. I cannot comment on anything else other than this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The content, the warmth, the empathy, and the breadth of this was quality at every step.
The science, the cases, the human side, and the hard bits (there were a lot) and the advancement over the decades were all covered thoroughly and with respect.
My daughter is studying Criminology and I have a friend who is a professor in the subject so I have been telling both women they must read the book.
A lot of Australian serial killers were discussed here, and the cases of two women on the cusp of a great life losing their too young lives in a short time span.
The discussion of so many depraved men was hard, but on the flip side the dogged determination to bring these to justice of course was rewarding. The Victorian court system failed immensely too though.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) is the basis of this book, and we hear about many cases such as the Boxing Day Tsunami amongst many other interesting scenarios and how the experts handle their time on call and really, what it is like to be on the front lines. This was very a very interesting and well researched account; it was evident the author cares about her work and the subjects she interviewed.
I breezed through this audio book quickly and was engrossed.
Experts also described what it was like to work on the other side of the world where facilities were not on par with VIFM. The work some of our Australian pioneers is nothing less than extraordinary.
Not only was I gripped by the content, I was entertained by the ‘Aussieness’ of the narration, and when an author narrates their own work, you know it is going to be good.
I had not experienced any work at all from this author/podcaster/comedian. I cannot comment on anything else other than this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The content, the warmth, the empathy, and the breadth of this was quality at every step.
The science, the cases, the human side, and the hard bits (there were a lot) and the advancement over the decades were all covered thoroughly and with respect.
My daughter is studying Criminology and I have a friend who is a professor in the subject so I have been telling both women they must read the book.
A lot of Australian serial killers were discussed here, and the cases of two women on the cusp of a great life losing their too young lives in a short time span.
The discussion of so many depraved men was hard, but on the flip side the dogged determination to bring these to justice of course was rewarding. The Victorian court system failed immensely too though.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) is the basis of this book, and we hear about many cases such as the Boxing Day Tsunami amongst many other interesting scenarios and how the experts handle their time on call and really, what it is like to be on the front lines. This was very a very interesting and well researched account; it was evident the author cares about her work and the subjects she interviewed.
I breezed through this audio book quickly and was engrossed.
Experts also described what it was like to work on the other side of the world where facilities were not on par with VIFM. The work some of our Australian pioneers is nothing less than extraordinary.
February 23, 2022
Australian Comedian and true crime podcaster Meschel Laurie, has written an interesting book highlighting the work of forensic pathologists in finding justice for victims. From the title I was expecting a look at what modern forensics can and cannot do and what TV gets wrong, so I was a little disappointed that it didn't do that, but it was nevertheless a fascinating look at the work of detectives and the forensic pathologists of the world renowned Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) in putting the pieces together to solve crimes.
Many of the violent crimes highlighted were ones that would be familiar to Australians, as would disasters such as the Black Saturday bushfires, the Boxing Day tsunami and the shooting down of MH17 in the Ukraine. Major disasters such as the tsunami and MH17 crash require international teams of forensic pathologists to identify the bodies. Most of us would not give much thought that these teams of experts might be required to be away from home for months dealing daily with decomposing bodies, often under difficult conditions. The recollections of the specialists was particularly interesting (and would make a good podcast).
***********************************************
Here is the link to Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb's podcast True Australian Crime https://shows.acast.com/australiantru...
Many of the violent crimes highlighted were ones that would be familiar to Australians, as would disasters such as the Black Saturday bushfires, the Boxing Day tsunami and the shooting down of MH17 in the Ukraine. Major disasters such as the tsunami and MH17 crash require international teams of forensic pathologists to identify the bodies. Most of us would not give much thought that these teams of experts might be required to be away from home for months dealing daily with decomposing bodies, often under difficult conditions. The recollections of the specialists was particularly interesting (and would make a good podcast).
***********************************************
Here is the link to Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb's podcast True Australian Crime https://shows.acast.com/australiantru...
August 27, 2021
3.5 stars
Listened to the audio version.
I had to laugh when I read the title CSI Told You Lies
Awww….CSI told us lies?… Nooooooooo
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was a top series and quite honestly I believed it to be as close to the truth as possible but I suppose that is laughable and ridiculous because in reality the bad guys are almost always never caught, analysis of evidence can take a long long time and not minutes, fingerprints won’t be present at every crime scene.
On TV, investigators shift smoothly and continuously between the research room and the crime scene, squint into those cool optical instruments, question suspects, locate the one piece of evidence that cracks the case, the crooks are rounded up within the hour.
It’s fiction. It’s far-fetched. The real world is poles-apart. So it is.
CSI Told You Lies was interesting as well as informative.
Listened to the audio version.
I had to laugh when I read the title CSI Told You Lies
Awww….CSI told us lies?… Nooooooooo
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was a top series and quite honestly I believed it to be as close to the truth as possible but I suppose that is laughable and ridiculous because in reality the bad guys are almost always never caught, analysis of evidence can take a long long time and not minutes, fingerprints won’t be present at every crime scene.
On TV, investigators shift smoothly and continuously between the research room and the crime scene, squint into those cool optical instruments, question suspects, locate the one piece of evidence that cracks the case, the crooks are rounded up within the hour.
It’s fiction. It’s far-fetched. The real world is poles-apart. So it is.
CSI Told You Lies was interesting as well as informative.
September 12, 2021
Laurie’s approach makes CSI Told You Lies a de-facto collection of Australian true crime stories told from a different perspective than we’re used to, and I loved it. Some chapters meander, some conversations are tangential, but all are fascinating. A must-read for Murderinos who love to peek behind the curtain.
My full review of CSI Told You Lies is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of CSI Told You Lies is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
August 28, 2021
This is a perfectly fine true crime book, but hardly covers forensic science. I picked it up in the hopes that it would actually delve into what forensic pathologists do (you know, as it says on the cover and in the blurb), but the author effectively begins the book by saying she won't be doing that. The first few chapters have a loose focus on forensic pathologists, but the two serial killer chapters just abandon any pretence of caring about forensics at all and entirely focus on the detective work - which is interesting enough, but was not how the book was marketed.
The only chapter that was particularly interesting or related to forensics was the chapter with the pathologist who had done DVI work after the Boxing Day tsunami and Black Saturday fires. If he wrote a book, I'd love to read it.
Overall an okay read if you just want general true crime, but don't pick it up expecting to learn anything about forensics - because you won't.
The only chapter that was particularly interesting or related to forensics was the chapter with the pathologist who had done DVI work after the Boxing Day tsunami and Black Saturday fires. If he wrote a book, I'd love to read it.
Overall an okay read if you just want general true crime, but don't pick it up expecting to learn anything about forensics - because you won't.
December 3, 2021
Australian comedienne Meshel Laurie lives a double life. Not only is she a frequent guest on a number of prominent television shows and a successful author, she also co-hosts (with journalist and true crime author Emily Webb) the popular Australian True Crime podcast.
In CSI Told You Lies, Laurie explores the world of forensic pathology and how professionals working in that field help victims of crime and their families as they strive for justice. She interviews forensic pathology professionals involved in several prominent Australian crimes and tragedies, including the murders of Eurydice Dixon and Aya Maasarwe, the crimes of Peter Dupas and Paul Denyer, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. Each of these crimes and incidents have required the attention of highly skilled and dedicated forensic pathologists, sometimes over a period of many months.
As a reader of true crime books and follower of podcasts, somewhere between "occasionally" and "frequently", I was aware of the basic facts behind most of the crimes and natural disasters Laurie mentions. However, the perspective of forensic professionals, pathologists in particular, brought new angles and raised some really thought-provoking issues around these highly-publicised stories. In addition to exploring the facts of the crimes themselves, Laurie also delves into the impact that working in this field has on those involved. Forensic professionals must put their normal human emotions and reactions to one side as they carry out their objective reporting of evidence. Laurie's narrative brings home the degree to which crime impacts surviving victims, witnesses, families of victims, those who investigate crimes and conduct forensic examinations, and the wider community, often long after the incident(s) and criminal justice processes have reached conclusion.
I found the tone of the introductory chapter a little jarring, but after that settled into Laurie's style and found this a fascinating and perceptive work about an area of human endeavour we all think we know more about (based on certain long running television series) than we probably do...
I'd recommend CSI Told You Lies to true crime aficionados, particularly those with an interest in Australian crime. I believe it would also be a rewarding read for those who enjoy crime fiction and/or crime television, and would like to increase their understanding of what goes on "behind the scenes" in the real world.
In CSI Told You Lies, Laurie explores the world of forensic pathology and how professionals working in that field help victims of crime and their families as they strive for justice. She interviews forensic pathology professionals involved in several prominent Australian crimes and tragedies, including the murders of Eurydice Dixon and Aya Maasarwe, the crimes of Peter Dupas and Paul Denyer, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. Each of these crimes and incidents have required the attention of highly skilled and dedicated forensic pathologists, sometimes over a period of many months.
As a reader of true crime books and follower of podcasts, somewhere between "occasionally" and "frequently", I was aware of the basic facts behind most of the crimes and natural disasters Laurie mentions. However, the perspective of forensic professionals, pathologists in particular, brought new angles and raised some really thought-provoking issues around these highly-publicised stories. In addition to exploring the facts of the crimes themselves, Laurie also delves into the impact that working in this field has on those involved. Forensic professionals must put their normal human emotions and reactions to one side as they carry out their objective reporting of evidence. Laurie's narrative brings home the degree to which crime impacts surviving victims, witnesses, families of victims, those who investigate crimes and conduct forensic examinations, and the wider community, often long after the incident(s) and criminal justice processes have reached conclusion.
I found the tone of the introductory chapter a little jarring, but after that settled into Laurie's style and found this a fascinating and perceptive work about an area of human endeavour we all think we know more about (based on certain long running television series) than we probably do...
I'd recommend CSI Told You Lies to true crime aficionados, particularly those with an interest in Australian crime. I believe it would also be a rewarding read for those who enjoy crime fiction and/or crime television, and would like to increase their understanding of what goes on "behind the scenes" in the real world.
August 18, 2021
So, I personally don’t enjoy Meshel Laurie as a comedian. But the woman is a born story teller. This was beautifully written and Meshel clearly has the victims and the support workers such as police and forensic staff at the forefront of her mind while writing. I also enjoy that Meshel doesn’t shy away from explaining basics of the perpetrators without glorifying them, like the trend seems to be of not giving the perpetrators a name, which can at times lead to a gap in the story of the victim.
I really enjoyed this!
I really enjoyed this!
March 19, 2023
Trigger warnings: death, murder, rape, descriptions of dead bodies and autopsies, plane crashes, natural disasters, drug addiction, misogyny, mental illness, death of a child
This was...extremely brutal but also extremely informative and entertaining. Laurie tells the story of well-known Australian crimes, but she does so through the lens of the forensic pathologists who work on those cases. I loved how personal and conversational it felt, and Laurie very much tells the stories of the victims in a very loving way in discussing their cases.
Listening to this really did feel like a podcast, and I mean that in a good way.
This was...extremely brutal but also extremely informative and entertaining. Laurie tells the story of well-known Australian crimes, but she does so through the lens of the forensic pathologists who work on those cases. I loved how personal and conversational it felt, and Laurie very much tells the stories of the victims in a very loving way in discussing their cases.
Listening to this really did feel like a podcast, and I mean that in a good way.
August 30, 2021
CSI Told You Lies by Meshel Laurie, the host of the Australian True Crime podcast, is an interesting, informative and sometimes confronting account of forensic investigation in Victoria.
December 27, 2021
I was curious to read this book as I know the author from her work in television, mostly in the field of comedy. It also helps that I have a morbid curiosity. I finished it with mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed the writing style and found it a to be a quick and easy read, however it was a bit of a mash up of several different topics. At least each one was given its own chapter. I am impressed by the behind the scenes work of those who work in the field of forensic pathology as they have assisted in helping to solve many crimes. At the same time, I am saddened and disturbed by the way in which the Victorian legal system failed the victims (and their families and friends) by allowing these crimes to happen. The women who are the victims of these horrific crimes deserve to be remembered for being more than just a name in a headline.
August 10, 2021
Thank you Meshel for treating victims and their families with sensitivity and respect. I also really appreciate the mention of the missing and unidentified. Their cases are so often overlooked and forgotten.
May 30, 2022
I walk past the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) in Melbourne almost every other day, and I never stop wondering what goes on in there. With the Coroner's Court of Victoria on the other side of the complex, there is usually a number of hearses, funeral home vehicles, ambulances and other nondescript vehicles coming and going from VIFM on any given day.
After the Bourke Street attack killed six people and injured 27 pedestrians in 2017, I learned that one of the VIFM staff members frequented the same (awesome) local day spa as I did. I purchased a candle in store for the staff member to say thank you from the community for the difficult work they do. Hearing the feedback later on that it 'made their day' was comforting, but I still wondered at the mental fortitude required to work in that field and perhaps the mental and emotional toll it presumably took to do so.
When I read the blurb for CSI Told You Lies by Meshel Laurie, I thought this might be my chance to find out:
"CSI Told You Lies is a gripping account of the work of the forensic scientists on the frontline of Australia’s major crime and disaster investigations. They are part of the team at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne. VIFM is a world-renowned centre of forensic science, and its team members have led major recovery operations over the years, from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires to the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014." (From the blurb).
It sounded like this was going to be a unique opportunity to find out more about these silent heroes in our community and what they do at VIFM. Unfortunately, this isn't really that kind of book.
Meshel Laurie is an Australian comedian, radio host, author and true crime podcaster and I enjoyed her narration of CSI Told You Lies. Laurie has a genuine interest in true crime and a natural talent for interviewing subjects about their work as she interviewed forensic pathologists, homicide detectives, defence barristers and victims’ families for this book. She takes the reader back in time to tell us about the Flinders Street Extension where bodies were taken for identification and analysis. Various cases are mentioned (David Hookes, Nicole Patterson, Eurydice Dixon and more), and various staff members and experts (and their careers) are included, however I wasn't taken on the VIFM tour I'd hoped and expected to go on.
The end result was more like a discussion of cases and people, not unlike retired NSW Homicide Detective Gary Jubelin's podcast I Catch Killers where he talks shop with fellow detectives which makes for interesting listening. Just as I enjoyed I Catch Killers, I did enjoy CSI Told You Lies, but it wasn't what I was seeking.
On completion, I also became a little confused about the title, and the reference to CSI. This book wasn't structured to show the flaws and misconceptions created by the vast range of shows by the CSI media franchise to come out of the US. They always depict a likeable cast of characters fighting crime with science, but this wasn't a myth busting book at all. Rather, a look over Meshel Laurie's shoulder as she pursues her interest in true crime, and tries to seek meaning in it all in an effort to honour the victims.
Recommended for readers of Australian true crime, fans of true crime podcasts and those with an interest in forensic science.
After the Bourke Street attack killed six people and injured 27 pedestrians in 2017, I learned that one of the VIFM staff members frequented the same (awesome) local day spa as I did. I purchased a candle in store for the staff member to say thank you from the community for the difficult work they do. Hearing the feedback later on that it 'made their day' was comforting, but I still wondered at the mental fortitude required to work in that field and perhaps the mental and emotional toll it presumably took to do so.
When I read the blurb for CSI Told You Lies by Meshel Laurie, I thought this might be my chance to find out:
"CSI Told You Lies is a gripping account of the work of the forensic scientists on the frontline of Australia’s major crime and disaster investigations. They are part of the team at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne. VIFM is a world-renowned centre of forensic science, and its team members have led major recovery operations over the years, from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires to the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014." (From the blurb).
It sounded like this was going to be a unique opportunity to find out more about these silent heroes in our community and what they do at VIFM. Unfortunately, this isn't really that kind of book.
Meshel Laurie is an Australian comedian, radio host, author and true crime podcaster and I enjoyed her narration of CSI Told You Lies. Laurie has a genuine interest in true crime and a natural talent for interviewing subjects about their work as she interviewed forensic pathologists, homicide detectives, defence barristers and victims’ families for this book. She takes the reader back in time to tell us about the Flinders Street Extension where bodies were taken for identification and analysis. Various cases are mentioned (David Hookes, Nicole Patterson, Eurydice Dixon and more), and various staff members and experts (and their careers) are included, however I wasn't taken on the VIFM tour I'd hoped and expected to go on.
The end result was more like a discussion of cases and people, not unlike retired NSW Homicide Detective Gary Jubelin's podcast I Catch Killers where he talks shop with fellow detectives which makes for interesting listening. Just as I enjoyed I Catch Killers, I did enjoy CSI Told You Lies, but it wasn't what I was seeking.
On completion, I also became a little confused about the title, and the reference to CSI. This book wasn't structured to show the flaws and misconceptions created by the vast range of shows by the CSI media franchise to come out of the US. They always depict a likeable cast of characters fighting crime with science, but this wasn't a myth busting book at all. Rather, a look over Meshel Laurie's shoulder as she pursues her interest in true crime, and tries to seek meaning in it all in an effort to honour the victims.
Recommended for readers of Australian true crime, fans of true crime podcasts and those with an interest in forensic science.
August 25, 2021
Amazing look into the forensic world. Written with compassion for the victims and a moving insight into the people that are the forensic team in Melbourne. Well done Meshel and all involved
September 6, 2021
CSI Told You Lies by Meshel Laurie
Last year we had a fascinating lecture from a forensic pathologist, so when I saw this book I couldn’t go past it. I’m intrigued by the work these doctors do, partly because it shares some similarities with emergency medicine, but also because I don’t think I could do it.
Meshel takes us through her conversations with forensic experts, pathologists, detectives and families with a focus on those who work behind the scenes to solve crimes and identify victims of disasters.
I appreciated the feminism in this book, especially because it can be really awful to read about some of the scenes. I recognized some names of women who have been murdered in recent years. It comes with a HUGE trigger warning for physical/sexual assault. There are certainly a lot of stories of homicide, but also chapters that explore the social and political complexities that arise with international disasters like MH17 and the Boxing Day tsunami.
Overall, an interesting & sometimes challenging exploration into the work and psyche of some fascinating people with important jobs.
🚔 True crime buffs will enjoy the real behind the scenes stuff
🩺 A book about the kind of doctors who aren’t usually in the spotlight
⛔️ Big trigger warning for assault, homicide, stalking and generally being a fairly grim set of stories
Last year we had a fascinating lecture from a forensic pathologist, so when I saw this book I couldn’t go past it. I’m intrigued by the work these doctors do, partly because it shares some similarities with emergency medicine, but also because I don’t think I could do it.
Meshel takes us through her conversations with forensic experts, pathologists, detectives and families with a focus on those who work behind the scenes to solve crimes and identify victims of disasters.
I appreciated the feminism in this book, especially because it can be really awful to read about some of the scenes. I recognized some names of women who have been murdered in recent years. It comes with a HUGE trigger warning for physical/sexual assault. There are certainly a lot of stories of homicide, but also chapters that explore the social and political complexities that arise with international disasters like MH17 and the Boxing Day tsunami.
Overall, an interesting & sometimes challenging exploration into the work and psyche of some fascinating people with important jobs.
🚔 True crime buffs will enjoy the real behind the scenes stuff
🩺 A book about the kind of doctors who aren’t usually in the spotlight
⛔️ Big trigger warning for assault, homicide, stalking and generally being a fairly grim set of stories
July 23, 2021
Meshel Laurie unpacks the recollections of the hidden professionals who have worked on some of Australia’s most high profile and distressing cases. With sensitivity, humility and sparkling humour Laurie’s book provides insight into the staff of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, defence barristers and police as they seek to give voice to victims through their work.
‘CSI told you lies’ will challenge your assumptions about what goes on behind the scenes of tragic events. While the book understandably has its dark moments, overall it inspires hope to know that such people are hard at work restoring dignity and providing vital answers for the lives lost.
‘CSI told you lies’ will challenge your assumptions about what goes on behind the scenes of tragic events. While the book understandably has its dark moments, overall it inspires hope to know that such people are hard at work restoring dignity and providing vital answers for the lives lost.
September 24, 2023
I loved that this book provided scientific background in a way that was clever and engaging. I didn’t know Meshel Laurie is a standup comic when I started the book but it makes sense. It made for a great audiobook listen!
October 31, 2021
CSI told you lies is a wonderful and interesting insight into what happens behind the scenes when a crime is committed.
The stories shared in the book are either high profile or have been featured on Meshel and Emily’s podcast Australian true crime. It is really eye opening on what the police and forensic teams go through to try and find out what happened and who is responsible.
Meshel has done a wonderful job at telling the stories of the victims and their families respectfully and with such a care.
CSI definitely did tell us lies and this is a must read for anyone interested in true crime or forensics.
The stories shared in the book are either high profile or have been featured on Meshel and Emily’s podcast Australian true crime. It is really eye opening on what the police and forensic teams go through to try and find out what happened and who is responsible.
Meshel has done a wonderful job at telling the stories of the victims and their families respectfully and with such a care.
CSI definitely did tell us lies and this is a must read for anyone interested in true crime or forensics.
October 3, 2021
Gives the professionals a voice but yet it might be better as a podcast. Tends to be a bit monotonous at times
February 9, 2023
Really interesting insight into the profession of Forensic Medicine that is involved in far more parts of our society than we consider.
August 10, 2021
CSI TOLD YOU LIES by Meshel Laurie
Wow, what a house of horrors this turned out to be. What a cornucopia of forensic medicine and Meshel herself is at the coal face.
The title, as I see it, is an unabashed attempt at gaining sales by utilizing the popular T.V. series, one that is based on fanciful notions and techniques that don’t exist. What the book is all about though, is real forensic science in Melbourne and one of the first things you learn is just how appalling the state of it was in 1989. I’m still having trouble getting my head around the fact that, at that time, there were NO refrigerated storage facilities and corpses used to rot on tables while awaiting examination. Worse, it was housed in an annex next to the court rooms in Melbourne and the stench was so bad they used to have to spray room freshener to excess in order to negate the smell in court.
Fortunately, times have changed and the state-of-the-art equipment now available has changed the whole forensic unit into one of the world’s leading facilities and Meshel deals with cases handled through the facility or cases that utilize the personnel therein, such as the Indonesian tsunami and the downed Malaysian airliner MH17. The appalling situations personnel find themselves in while trying to identify masses of bodies after catastrophes is straight out of a horror movie. Deteriorating flesh under a hot tropical sun doesn’t bear thinking about.
Meshel, whose resume includes working as a receptionist for a brothel and podcasting (which is where most of this material comes from), is a colourful character in her own right.
The majority of the book deals almost exclusively with cases from Victorian archives though; famous deaths like that of cricketer David Hookes highlight the fascinating unreliability of eye witness accounts. How so many people can see the same thing yet it’s like four or five unrelated instances. Having had personal experience I’m acutely aware of how that can happen. Forensics is one tool that has greatly changed reliability of evidence.
The serial killers whose stories are told in detail re-inforce the fact that the problems occur when the perpetrators are young and manifest themselves later in life. Imagine being raised in a house where you can’t go into the kitchen because it’s jammed from floor to ceiling with junk……actually, the floor has collapsed from the weight. Cooking is done with one burner on the sink beside the toilet and it often clogs up as well. Imagine how that would play with your mind. And you thought Covid was bad.
There are many pictures related to the cases in the centre section and it’s a well compiled volume. A must read for those whose favoured genre is true crime.
Wow, what a house of horrors this turned out to be. What a cornucopia of forensic medicine and Meshel herself is at the coal face.
The title, as I see it, is an unabashed attempt at gaining sales by utilizing the popular T.V. series, one that is based on fanciful notions and techniques that don’t exist. What the book is all about though, is real forensic science in Melbourne and one of the first things you learn is just how appalling the state of it was in 1989. I’m still having trouble getting my head around the fact that, at that time, there were NO refrigerated storage facilities and corpses used to rot on tables while awaiting examination. Worse, it was housed in an annex next to the court rooms in Melbourne and the stench was so bad they used to have to spray room freshener to excess in order to negate the smell in court.
Fortunately, times have changed and the state-of-the-art equipment now available has changed the whole forensic unit into one of the world’s leading facilities and Meshel deals with cases handled through the facility or cases that utilize the personnel therein, such as the Indonesian tsunami and the downed Malaysian airliner MH17. The appalling situations personnel find themselves in while trying to identify masses of bodies after catastrophes is straight out of a horror movie. Deteriorating flesh under a hot tropical sun doesn’t bear thinking about.
Meshel, whose resume includes working as a receptionist for a brothel and podcasting (which is where most of this material comes from), is a colourful character in her own right.
The majority of the book deals almost exclusively with cases from Victorian archives though; famous deaths like that of cricketer David Hookes highlight the fascinating unreliability of eye witness accounts. How so many people can see the same thing yet it’s like four or five unrelated instances. Having had personal experience I’m acutely aware of how that can happen. Forensics is one tool that has greatly changed reliability of evidence.
The serial killers whose stories are told in detail re-inforce the fact that the problems occur when the perpetrators are young and manifest themselves later in life. Imagine being raised in a house where you can’t go into the kitchen because it’s jammed from floor to ceiling with junk……actually, the floor has collapsed from the weight. Cooking is done with one burner on the sink beside the toilet and it often clogs up as well. Imagine how that would play with your mind. And you thought Covid was bad.
There are many pictures related to the cases in the centre section and it’s a well compiled volume. A must read for those whose favoured genre is true crime.
January 30, 2022
Interesting topic but poorly executed.
August 28, 2021
This was ok. I had heard much of the content from true crime podcasts. I preferred Temple-Camp’s The Quick and the Dead for a look at the same subject matter straight from the mouth of forensic pathologists.
July 12, 2022
The author narrated this poorly and I didn't get explanations to to the title statement. Interesting people spoken to but in an uninteresting way.
October 3, 2021
CSI Told You Lies is the kind of book that makes you consider a career change. Laurie delves into the history of forensic medicine and anthropology in Melbourne, giving you an outline of how this industry came to be. As you jump between chapters, you’re given a glimpse into the lives of some of Melbourne’s most renowned scientists, police officers, and researchers in the field – sharing with us their specialisations, quirks, and experiences.
I had to digest this book slowly: some chapters leave the wind knocked out of you and challenge you to confront the ways in which our imperfect systems and knowledge don’t always amount to the answer that we want. Towards the end of the book, Laurie recounts several cases that feel fresh in the collective consciousness. While these are evocative, and confronting, it illuminates how forensic medicine helped give these victims a voice - and in some cases, justice.
I had to digest this book slowly: some chapters leave the wind knocked out of you and challenge you to confront the ways in which our imperfect systems and knowledge don’t always amount to the answer that we want. Towards the end of the book, Laurie recounts several cases that feel fresh in the collective consciousness. While these are evocative, and confronting, it illuminates how forensic medicine helped give these victims a voice - and in some cases, justice.
October 27, 2021
I really enjoyed this read! If you love forensics and true crime television, then this one is for you.
While this book can be confronting due to the brutality of some of the crimes/disasters (which may be triggering) it was an all round eye-opening read that delved into the fascinating world of forensic pathology. With a focus on local and memorable stories, this book touched on some recent and well reported offshore disasters (such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami or the MH17 plane crash). I found myself gasping at the thought of some of the scenarios the professionals are confronted with in the course of their work. As it often is when I finish a true crime story, I'm left thinking what a strange, messed up world we live in, and also what a (mostly) questionable criminal justice system we have in here in Australia.
If you fancy a read from a book genre that you might otherwise not reach for, I'd recommend giving this one a go.
While this book can be confronting due to the brutality of some of the crimes/disasters (which may be triggering) it was an all round eye-opening read that delved into the fascinating world of forensic pathology. With a focus on local and memorable stories, this book touched on some recent and well reported offshore disasters (such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami or the MH17 plane crash). I found myself gasping at the thought of some of the scenarios the professionals are confronted with in the course of their work. As it often is when I finish a true crime story, I'm left thinking what a strange, messed up world we live in, and also what a (mostly) questionable criminal justice system we have in here in Australia.
If you fancy a read from a book genre that you might otherwise not reach for, I'd recommend giving this one a go.
April 11, 2022
Listened as an audiobook with the author as narrator. I did struggle at times with the voicework but the book itself was difficult to put down. I wasn't expecting it to travel into true crime (as I didn't know of the author's podcast) but it was so interesting to hear from many different perspectives and the people involved in these events. I did find the end of the book difficult as it covered women being murdered for no reason other than being in the vicinity of a perpetrator at the wrong time... meanwhile I was walking alone to and from work in an area and time I felt safe - just like each of those women.
August 28, 2024
Thank you for this book.
The author takes you on a journey through different true crime and natural disasters through interviews with forensic scientists, pathologists, police and also from the families of those who have lost loved ones to tragedy.
I appreciate the diversity in perspectives - it's unique and eye-opening.
Thank you also for giving readers an opportunity for closure for the grief we felt and carried after hearing the public stories of women killed in our Melbourne community. Although strangers, Aiia and Eurydice always felt they could've been 'a friend of a friend' to any young woman in Melbourne. Their deaths resonated the unfortunate vulnerability of being female in public at night, and the highlighted the failure of our systems in preventing the makings of a murder through insufficient child protection, inadequate mental health and AOD..
The author takes you on a journey through different true crime and natural disasters through interviews with forensic scientists, pathologists, police and also from the families of those who have lost loved ones to tragedy.
I appreciate the diversity in perspectives - it's unique and eye-opening.
Thank you also for giving readers an opportunity for closure for the grief we felt and carried after hearing the public stories of women killed in our Melbourne community. Although strangers, Aiia and Eurydice always felt they could've been 'a friend of a friend' to any young woman in Melbourne. Their deaths resonated the unfortunate vulnerability of being female in public at night, and the highlighted the failure of our systems in preventing the makings of a murder through insufficient child protection, inadequate mental health and AOD..
January 21, 2023
Boring, slow, tired, repetitive. Laurie thinks she’s doing something innovative here but it falls flat on its face with how insensitive she actually comes across. The blurb made the book sound really interesting but it’s the same overdone garbage you find floating aimlessly around the true crime arena. Laurie’s writing style is comparable to that of a daily mail “journalist” where death is sensationalised and referred to with blithe remarks.
July 10, 2025
I went into this expecting some kind of analysis of csi faux forensics and was pleasantly surprised (and choked up) by the tenderness and reverence this book has for the dead and the people who care for them.
October 29, 2021
CSI Tells You Lies is a really very interesting exploration of forensic science as it relates to crime and policing. It reads like a collection of true crime podcasts, strung together to build an underlying narrative about the misleading nature of popular criminal television. I highly recommend the audio, which was vibrantly narrated by the author. This was pretty much exactly what I expected and I was really here for it.
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