All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes

Sue Black

Mar 2019 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Book of the Year, 2018 Saltire Literary Awards

A CrimeReads Best True Crime Book of the Month

For fans of Caitlin Doughty, Mary Roach, Kathy Reichs, 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 readers, 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.

Ratings and reviews

Excellent review of anatomy using stories, humour and discussion of what death means to all of us. I liked how the book was arranged and the topics discussed with terminology that even the lay person would understand without making it boring for those who are medical students, nurses, doctors or any people that have some medical background.

About the author

Sue Black, DBE, FRSE, is one of the world's leading anatomists and forensic anthropologists. She is president of St. John’s College, Oxford and also the pro‑vice chancellor for engagement at Lancaster University. Her forensic expertise has been crucial to solving high‑profile criminal cases. She was the lead anthropologist for the British Forensics Team's work in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo, and she worked in Thailand after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She makes regular appearances on radio and television. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2016 and a crossbench peer in 2021. She lives in Scotland.