All That Remains

A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes

By: Sue Black

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

For fans of Caitlin Doughty, Mary Roach, and CSI shows, a renowned forensic scientist on death and mortality.

Dame Sue Black is an internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist. She has lived her life eye to eye with the Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in this book, which is part primer on the basics of identifying human remains, part frank memoir of a woman whose first paying job as a schoolgirl was to apprentice in a butcher shop, and part no-nonsense but deeply humane introduction to the reality of death in our lives. It is a treat for CSI junkies, murder mystery and thriller fans, and anyone seeking a clear-eyed guide to a subject that touches us all.

Cutting through hype, romanticism, and cliché, she recounts her first dissection; her own first acquaintance with a loved one’s death; the mortal remains in her lab and at burial sites, as well as scenes of violence, murder, and criminal dismemberment; and about investigating mass fatalities due to war, accident, or natural disaster, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She uses key cases to reveal how forensic science has developed and what her work has taught her about human nature.

Acclaimed by bestselling crime writers and fellow scientists alike, All That Remains is neither sad nor macabre. While Professor Black tells of tragedy, she also infuses her stories with a wicked sense of humor and much common sense.

©2018 Professor Dame Sue Black (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

I already gave a copy to two people!

Amazing!! So interesting, and so thoughtfully written, it vacillates easily and gracefully between the scientific and the emotional…If I LOVE an audiobook, I listen to it twice, back to back, and that’s exactly what I’m about to do next!

Informative and Storytelling

I enjoyed the directness and factual descriptions and retelling in the book while including personal experiences to avoid sounding like a textbook.

Brilliant

I loved this book... I laughed out loud, I sobbed, the last few pages were beautifully written. I found the fast-talking American narrator a little off putting though. I would have preferred a Scottish narrator, for authenticity.

Well worth the time

Although this book did drag, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed all the information. I learned so much and was able to share it with my family.
The author's experience in Sarajevo Kosovo are very similar to some of my own. I did tear up and find it difficult to listen on but, I persevered and was delighted with the information gathered and shared.

This is not a book for the squeamish. Yet, if you have an adventurous and curious mind it's an excellent read.

Great read!

Written with passion by a ambitious, brilliant and somewhat audacious scientist with a affectionate sense of humor. A detailed examination of the intricacies and and evolution of the field of forensic anthropology and her many contributions. After reading this book I am sure, like me, you would enjoy the pleasure of hearing one of her tales direct from the source while sipping a glass of Mccallan 25.

I learnt a lot!

I loved this book. It is funny and clever, and wonderfully written. Being myself a doctor I have a background on basic biology and anatomy, but that was not at all necessary to understand any part of the book. I love how it dived into the matter of dying and how people are entitled to have a preference about the management of their death. It was wonderful to read about the author's view, and all her interesting and often very difficult adventures around the world. It was beautiful to learn about the life of such an extraordinary woman, and quite an unknown profession.

It was wonderfully narrated, although I did miss the author telling her own story, or at least someone with an accent that would resemble hers. She did a very good job, nonetheless!

Really recommend this book!

Infectious Enthusiasm!

I’m just glad that we cannot actually smell the formaldehyde, or the lack of it. Very worthwhile read. I am wondering about meeting death and if she’s particularly chatty.

Great narration and educational

this book was as fun and funny to listen to as it was educational and serious. I am in the medical field and have work with death and found the Author's perspective fascinating.

Bad narration

To be fair, the subject matter was great, but I couldn’t get over the pseudo-robotic voice.

Makes you think

This book is fantastic. It can be depressing for some. But helps to bring to light the work of a forensic anthropologist and why it’s important.