Manhein: Trail of Bones

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Mary H. Manhein, Trail of Bones, Baton Rouge, LA : Louisiana State University Press, 2005. xiv + 127 pages.

Mary H. Manhein assists law enforcement officials across the country in identifying bodies and solving criminal cases. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and an expert on the human skeleton.

In this, her second book, she regales us with various cases on which she has worked. These cases range from the famous to the unknown: from her efforts to recover the remains of the seven astronauts killed in the Columbia shuttle crash of 2003, to several unsolved cases. Her writing is a bit dry, but nonetheless engaging. She relates how various scientific and cultural developments, such as DNA technology and the popularity of tattoos, have made identification easier. For those who like 'true crime', this is a great read, with detail, humor, variety, compassion, and a thirst for justice.

-- Notes by SJB