If you can look past the author's often self-important and arrogant tone, this book is an interesting look behind the scenes of death and the marks it leaves on us. ( )

This book is written by a forensic pathologist who has worked on some high profile cases in his career. I'm not sure I would have started by saying I was the one who got Zimmerman off in the Trayvon Martin case, though. He explains that he says it like he sees it and people often don't like it, especially if people feel a murder is racially motivated. This, then, is my introduction to Vincent Di Maio. His expert opinion on some of these high profile cases will go against the grain - many times.

There were some interesting stories in the book - the exhumation of Lee Harvey Oswald, the West Memphis Three, Phil Spector, even Vincent Van Gogh. What he says the evidence shows is not always accepted or believed.

A funny blurb in here is when he says his deviated septum has prevented the smell from getting too overwhelming!

So, I thought this book was okay. I learned about some crime cases from history. I learned that forensic pathologists are woefully underpaid and therefore scarce. The writing is a bit dry but the details are good. ( )

Interesting stories from a pathologist who was on the front lines for more than 40 years. Once you get past Di Maio’s larger than life ego, his stories are fascinating. Some of his stories involve every day citizens; others involve famous people like Lee Harvey Oswald and Vincent Van Gogh. All are very interesting. In a few instanes, it helps to have a strong stomach since details are often graphic. ( )

When I was in middle/high school I really wanted to be a pathologist. Like really wanted to be one. I can probably attribute my fascination with the profession to Scully of the X-Files, but it soon turned into being interested in the actual career. I read books and online articles about what they did and what it took to be one. I even went to the point of looking up the best college programs for it and getting applications ready. At some point though I realized that the amount of schooling involved just wasn't a good fit for me and dropped that dream, but I still retained the fascination with it.

DiMaio has had a 45 year career in forensic pathology, not to mention causal post mortem experience as the child of one of the first Medical Examiners in NYC. He's had an amazing career not just as a ME but as a consultant on cases around the world. In this book he breaks down a few of the bigger cases he's been part of, and it was a pretty good read.

I liked how in depth he went into his evaluations of the cases, and his thoughts on the profession as a whole were particularly insightful. He starts with the Treyvon Martin case, covers two Munchhausen by Proxy cases, several questionable suicides and many more. He even has a chapter about his theory on Vincent Van Gogh's death (Which, I can't lie, I skimmed over. Not very interesting to me to break down a case so old and with such imperfect evidence left). I wasn't as crazy about his casual writing style (I prefer a more academic approach where I can't determine the authors bias) but that's a personal preference, and I suppose in this instance it was warranted since he had personal connections to the material he was writing about.

Overall, this was a good, fast paced read about a fascinating profession. If you don't have a strong stomach or have triggers about bad things happening to children I would really not suggest reading this book though because he is very graphic about the cases and they can be disturbing.

Copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

If you can get past his ego, the science is good. He covers such cases as the Trayvon Martin killing, the West Memphis Three, Lee Harvey Oswald, a serial SIDS case in Florida, and Vincent Van Gogh.

http://nicolewbrown.blogspot.com/2016/08/morgue-life-in-death-by-dr-vincent-di.h... ( )