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A Dead Body Never Lies
Speaking the truth with impartial scientific knowledge, and advocating justice for the silent.
Words and actions can mean a thousand things in any mortality case, but only the body can provide the truth to decipher the cause of death. Dr Rohayu, a forensic pathologist, knows she has a duty to the dead and lives by the statement, ‘a dead body never lies’. She has taken the unsaid oath to be the voice of and safeguard the ones who are not able to tell their story. With Malaysia’s diverse melting pot of race, culture, and religion, Dr Rohayu has been through a plethora of extraordinary scenarios. Despite the social stigmas and taboos that come into play, Dr Rohayu is committed to seek justice and provide closure. A food enthusiast with an infectious bubbly demeanor, Dr Rohayu never fails to bring a little flare into her field of work. With the help of her co-author Fatin, they have transformed her work into a compelling piece of art for the world to see and understand.
No doubt in Dr Rohayu and Fatin’s mind, every single person deserves to be heard, the right to love, and freedom to be their true self. With a combination of science and empathy, they have created a unique piece
Words and actions can mean a thousand things in any mortality case, but only the body can provide the truth to decipher the cause of death. Dr Rohayu, a forensic pathologist, knows she has a duty to the dead and lives by the statement, ‘a dead body never lies’. She has taken the unsaid oath to be the voice of and safeguard the ones who are not able to tell their story. With Malaysia’s diverse melting pot of race, culture, and religion, Dr Rohayu has been through a plethora of extraordinary scenarios. Despite the social stigmas and taboos that come into play, Dr Rohayu is committed to seek justice and provide closure. A food enthusiast with an infectious bubbly demeanor, Dr Rohayu never fails to bring a little flare into her field of work. With the help of her co-author Fatin, they have transformed her work into a compelling piece of art for the world to see and understand.
No doubt in Dr Rohayu and Fatin’s mind, every single person deserves to be heard, the right to love, and freedom to be their true self. With a combination of science and empathy, they have created a unique piece
- GenresNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
Published November 23, 2021
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 11, 2022
A dive into the world of a Malaysian forensic pathologist. An absolutely fascinating read from start to finish. It took me a long time, but this was a really interesting insight into a subject I know very little about, and it's piqued my interest with curiosity. Parts of this book made me wish I was a forensic pathologist, using my knowledge of the human body to help find answers. But, most of the parts made me glad that I wasn't.
Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr. Rohayu, who is currently working in the Forensic Medicine Department of Hospital Sungai Buloh. This book was packed with ten cases that she had dealt with, and with each case, she explained a lot of medical language that a non-medical person might not be familiar with. And that's what I was looking forward to reading.
I liked the detailed explanation of every case and how the author explained it. She teaches us about the biology system (e.g., how our heart-brain works) to give us a better insight and understand more about the case. Besides, she also includes her personal view on every case, particularly about life lessons that every case taught her. The author also reminds us to take care of our bodies by never ignoring the signs.
Furthermore, I liked that the author starts every case with a quote related to the case's life lesson. This book got my full attention while reading it, and I can't wait to know the reason behind each case, but too much information made me slow down the process of reading this book, and I need more time to digest the new information.
She may not be able to move mountains, but she hopes that sharing many pieces of advice could give lessons on how to live a better and more fulfilling life. I appreciate the valuable life lesson learned from every case.
I thought this was a brilliant read, and I encourage you to pick up this book if you are into pathology or looking for something different to read. You will be enticed with the true forensic stories that inspire us to understand one another better and unite the world despite ethnic and faith divides.
Big thanks to Times Reads for sending me this precious book. I truly appreciate it 💛
Rating: 4.5/5
instagram.com/siriusiqa
Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr. Rohayu, who is currently working in the Forensic Medicine Department of Hospital Sungai Buloh. This book was packed with ten cases that she had dealt with, and with each case, she explained a lot of medical language that a non-medical person might not be familiar with. And that's what I was looking forward to reading.
I liked the detailed explanation of every case and how the author explained it. She teaches us about the biology system (e.g., how our heart-brain works) to give us a better insight and understand more about the case. Besides, she also includes her personal view on every case, particularly about life lessons that every case taught her. The author also reminds us to take care of our bodies by never ignoring the signs.
Furthermore, I liked that the author starts every case with a quote related to the case's life lesson. This book got my full attention while reading it, and I can't wait to know the reason behind each case, but too much information made me slow down the process of reading this book, and I need more time to digest the new information.
She may not be able to move mountains, but she hopes that sharing many pieces of advice could give lessons on how to live a better and more fulfilling life. I appreciate the valuable life lesson learned from every case.
I thought this was a brilliant read, and I encourage you to pick up this book if you are into pathology or looking for something different to read. You will be enticed with the true forensic stories that inspire us to understand one another better and unite the world despite ethnic and faith divides.
Big thanks to Times Reads for sending me this precious book. I truly appreciate it 💛
Rating: 4.5/5
instagram.com/siriusiqa
October 13, 2022
When I first read the blurb of the book, I shouted “finally!!”
As a long-time fan of crime fiction, I spent a major chunk of my time reading or binging series like Criminal Minds and CSI. Often times I wonder, how is the crime scene treated in my home country, Malaysia?
This book features 10 cases, personally attended to by one of our very own forensic pathologists, Dr. Rohayu Shahar. And get this, she’s one of the 34 servicing the whole of Malaysia. How crazy is that? I’m assuming that she carefully curated 10 of the most memorable cases that she had worked on because the list had a good variety. I love that we get a glimpse into different kinds of cases and the methods used in figuring out the cause of death.
What I love most about the book is how infectious Dr Rohayu’s passion is for her job. I could feel her genuine love for her medical profession by the way she describes and deals with each case. A challenging job like this can only be done by one who’s as passionate and dedicated as she demonstrates herself to be. I’m also thankful that she tries not be judgmental, that she treats the bodies respectfully as she would treat human beings because sometimes it’s easy to forget that those dead bodies used to contain life and walk among us too.
However, there are a few minor things that wish to point out. Firstly, the book contains photos of body parts that might be grisly to some readers. Unfortunately, the book only highlighted this in the Introduction part by Dr Rohayu. I am the kind of person who can still eat while watching medical surgeries on MedikTV, but I know a lot of people are a bit squeamish about blood or dead bodies who would appreciate the heads up prior to purchasing the book. The books are also wrapped, so the only way for you to know about the pictures is when you’ve already purchased the book as this is not mentioned clearly on the blurb. By then it’d be too late if you’re not comfortable looking at cut up body parts.
Secondly, some of the captions mentioned different colors of the arrows like blue and yellow but since the photos are in black and white, I’m not sure how helpful they are. Some pictures are also small and unclear, and again, since they are in B&W, I don’t see how much difference it makes with or without them.
While I enjoyed the first person POV as it gives readers a more intimate view from someone who’s actually working in the field as a forensic pathologist, I feel like the writing could be improved. On top of the minor grammatical errors, I find the style, tone and recurring phrases used like “you can bet your bottom dollar” a bit jarring, considering the topic covered.
In sum, I’d recommend the book especially to those who are interested in how suspicious death cases are treated in Malaysia. I hope that we see more books like this published, specifically about these unsung heroes who tirelessly work to speak on behalf of those who can’t.
As a long-time fan of crime fiction, I spent a major chunk of my time reading or binging series like Criminal Minds and CSI. Often times I wonder, how is the crime scene treated in my home country, Malaysia?
This book features 10 cases, personally attended to by one of our very own forensic pathologists, Dr. Rohayu Shahar. And get this, she’s one of the 34 servicing the whole of Malaysia. How crazy is that? I’m assuming that she carefully curated 10 of the most memorable cases that she had worked on because the list had a good variety. I love that we get a glimpse into different kinds of cases and the methods used in figuring out the cause of death.
What I love most about the book is how infectious Dr Rohayu’s passion is for her job. I could feel her genuine love for her medical profession by the way she describes and deals with each case. A challenging job like this can only be done by one who’s as passionate and dedicated as she demonstrates herself to be. I’m also thankful that she tries not be judgmental, that she treats the bodies respectfully as she would treat human beings because sometimes it’s easy to forget that those dead bodies used to contain life and walk among us too.
However, there are a few minor things that wish to point out. Firstly, the book contains photos of body parts that might be grisly to some readers. Unfortunately, the book only highlighted this in the Introduction part by Dr Rohayu. I am the kind of person who can still eat while watching medical surgeries on MedikTV, but I know a lot of people are a bit squeamish about blood or dead bodies who would appreciate the heads up prior to purchasing the book. The books are also wrapped, so the only way for you to know about the pictures is when you’ve already purchased the book as this is not mentioned clearly on the blurb. By then it’d be too late if you’re not comfortable looking at cut up body parts.
Secondly, some of the captions mentioned different colors of the arrows like blue and yellow but since the photos are in black and white, I’m not sure how helpful they are. Some pictures are also small and unclear, and again, since they are in B&W, I don’t see how much difference it makes with or without them.
While I enjoyed the first person POV as it gives readers a more intimate view from someone who’s actually working in the field as a forensic pathologist, I feel like the writing could be improved. On top of the minor grammatical errors, I find the style, tone and recurring phrases used like “you can bet your bottom dollar” a bit jarring, considering the topic covered.
In sum, I’d recommend the book especially to those who are interested in how suspicious death cases are treated in Malaysia. I hope that we see more books like this published, specifically about these unsung heroes who tirelessly work to speak on behalf of those who can’t.
July 21, 2022
The writing is not perfect, but I think it can be forgiven as they're first time authors.
The 10 cases highlighted are fascinating and I am glad there's finally a book focusing on our local forensic work.
The 10 cases highlighted are fascinating and I am glad there's finally a book focusing on our local forensic work.
November 18, 2023
This was a difficult review. It wasn’t an easy decision to give 2 stars. Allow me to explain.
I abhor missed opportunities and this book was clearly one. It had so much potential to be good! Let’s talk about the bad first: the rambling. It seems that both the authors just wanted to fill up spaces in the book with lackadaisical commentary that just spoiled the spirit of the book. Each of the cases were interesting and gripping enough, there was no need to ramble. There’s no excuse for being first time writers, looking at the publisher, I expect a certain quality to the writing. You are charging big bucks for the book, it’s not so unreasonable for us as readers to ask for more than just mediocre writing?
Another thing that thoroughly annoyed me was that this book seemed to be aimed for foreigners. Why go all out and waste precious pages (and my time) to explain simple everyday things to foreigners? Why can’t these non-Malaysians do their research, like all of us do when we read books written by an author who’s not native to our country/culture?
So, the good part: facts. You can’t deny that this book lacks scientific explanation. It also comes equipped with highly graphic visuals. You cannot help but feel sympathy and utter sadness for the victims. If this book does one thing for you, it will remind you to hug your loved ones and thank your God for another day.
I abhor missed opportunities and this book was clearly one. It had so much potential to be good! Let’s talk about the bad first: the rambling. It seems that both the authors just wanted to fill up spaces in the book with lackadaisical commentary that just spoiled the spirit of the book. Each of the cases were interesting and gripping enough, there was no need to ramble. There’s no excuse for being first time writers, looking at the publisher, I expect a certain quality to the writing. You are charging big bucks for the book, it’s not so unreasonable for us as readers to ask for more than just mediocre writing?
Another thing that thoroughly annoyed me was that this book seemed to be aimed for foreigners. Why go all out and waste precious pages (and my time) to explain simple everyday things to foreigners? Why can’t these non-Malaysians do their research, like all of us do when we read books written by an author who’s not native to our country/culture?
So, the good part: facts. You can’t deny that this book lacks scientific explanation. It also comes equipped with highly graphic visuals. You cannot help but feel sympathy and utter sadness for the victims. If this book does one thing for you, it will remind you to hug your loved ones and thank your God for another day.
May 1, 2022
Compassionate, insightful, and thought provoking.
This multifaceted book will inspire and resonate with people in different ways and has the ability to impact individuals through a variety of concepts. Many people can fatigue trying to get medical professionals to listen and take them seriously; this book reflects on such moments when members of our community are ignored or fall through the cracks of medical systems, which is synonymous throughout the world. Bringing justice to individuals through this wonderful book will hopefully inspire people to be more understanding with each other. Also, the closure that Dr. Rohayu provides for these families will help many with similar experiences and potentially aid in their grieving and confusion concerning the loss of loved ones. Although there is a medical component, anyone can read “A Dead Body Never Lies” and comprehend the terminology that is broken down before them and can appreciate the effortless flow of the writing style.
This multifaceted book will inspire and resonate with people in different ways and has the ability to impact individuals through a variety of concepts. Many people can fatigue trying to get medical professionals to listen and take them seriously; this book reflects on such moments when members of our community are ignored or fall through the cracks of medical systems, which is synonymous throughout the world. Bringing justice to individuals through this wonderful book will hopefully inspire people to be more understanding with each other. Also, the closure that Dr. Rohayu provides for these families will help many with similar experiences and potentially aid in their grieving and confusion concerning the loss of loved ones. Although there is a medical component, anyone can read “A Dead Body Never Lies” and comprehend the terminology that is broken down before them and can appreciate the effortless flow of the writing style.
February 7, 2022
The stories in this book really touches the soul of the reader. Not only living is valuable, but in death it is also just as important. The lessons that death provides is a walking encyclopedia for the living. If you get this book, it would enlighten you in ways you could never imagine words could with the empathy these authors have put in to coincide with science. The inclusion of culture in every chapter, really brings out the beauty of Malaysia. This book was written by two authors, but you find it hard to believe that it is. These two are from different parts of the work spectrum, yet they are able to combine heads to create an outstanding piece for the public. Kudos to both, and I hope they decide to write a second volume!
June 13, 2022
As a person who indulges in true crime, this book was a nothing short of an insightful read. In short, the book was such an easy read. There were many tears shed and small chuckles of laughter throughout, something you might not expect from such a morbid topic. You can also literally feel the empathy given to each victim through Fatin's writing. Each procedure was also explained in layman terms, so it was easy to understand exactly what was happening. 5/5* would recommend this book in a heartbeat.
April 8, 2024
This book was interesting in the sense that I got some of exposure into forensic science. Some of the cases that the writer shared were really blood curdling and the images weren’t exactly helping (please do not read it when you’re eating). I got to learn new things through this book especially about human anatomy. However I do feel the writing could have been better. I think certain parts of the writing could be improved but given this is a debut product so it is understandable.
July 3, 2022
I would like to say a big thank you to Dr Rohayu. You and your team did a great job for Malaysia Forensics, this book your story make me dive into the forensic world that i would like to experience it over and over again. Added my knowledge too. The pictures truly tell the stories. Eye opening to the world of forensic and now i wanted to read more books like this! ❤️
July 26, 2024
A dead body never lies BUT you lied Rohayu Bin Shahar. You accept bribe money to give statetement in favor of the suspects in Zulfarhan case and even confessed to it. HELL IS YOUR PLACE. I pray at the end of the day, Allah Almighty will show the truth and hopefully you, your children and 7 of your generation suffer in this life and in the hereafter.
March 18, 2023
A gem of a book. As a fan of CSI and TV shows of similar nature, this book is right up my alley. Although the the content is full of tragedies and in some parts very technical (the doctor shared a lot of medical trivia as well), the way it was written makes it more 'approchable'.
August 9, 2023
I really respect Dr Rohayu's courage to pursue such an admirable profession. I admire her extensive knowledge, and she seems a person that I would like to listen to when she gives a detailed explanation of a case.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews