Product Description

From TV’s CSI to bestsellers by Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, interest in forensics is at an all-time high. Now one of our most respected forensic pathologists gives a behind-the-scenes look at eleven of his most notorious cases, cracked by scientific analysis and Sherlock Holmesian deduction.

As chief medical examiner of Rockland County, New York, for almost thirty-five years, Dr. Frederick Zugibe literally wrote the book on the subject—his widely used textbook is considered the definitive text. Over the years he has pioneered countless innovations, including the invention of a formula to soften mummified fingers—enabling fingerprinting, and thus identification, of a long-deceased victim. He has appeared as an expert hundreds of times in the media and in the courtroom—and not once has a jury failed to accept his testimony over opposing expert witnesses. And now, in Dissecting Death, he has opened the door to the world of forensic pathology in all its gruesome and fascinating mystery.

Dr. Zugibe takes us through the process all good pathologists follow, using eleven of his most challenging cases. With him, we visit the often grisly—though sometimes shockingly banal—crime scene. We inspect the body, palpate the wounds, search for clues in the hair and skin. We employ ultraviolet light, strange measuring devices, optical instruments. We see how a forensic pathologist determines the hour of death, the type of weapon used, the killer’s escape route. And then we enter the lab, the world of high-tech criminal detection: DNA testing, fingerprinting, gunshot patterns, dental patterns, X-rays.

But not every case ends in a conviction, and in a closing chapter Dr. Zugibe examines some recent high-profile cases in which blunders led to killers going free, either because the wrong party was brought to trial or because the evidence presented didn’t do the trick—including Jon-Benet Ramsey’s murder and, of course, the O.J. Simpson trial.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1351896 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-12
• Released on: 2005-07-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
While not a household name, Zugibe, who was chief medical examiner of Rockland County, N.Y., for 35 years, has the experience and credentials to write meaningfully about his field: he developed numerous new techniques for forensic pathology and presided over an amazing variety of investigations. In this readable account, the doctor presents 10 challenging cases he encountered, as well as his insights as a self-described Monday-morning quarterback on two of the most notorious crimes of the 1990s: the brutal slaying of JonBenét Ramsey and the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. As Zugibe's own work is intriguing enough, the inclusion of those sensations seems like a ploy to widen appeal, and the authors' decision to include a section on the scientific accuracy of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ may strike some as odd. The writing is sometimes flat, and the book would have had more depth and resonance had Zugibe presented instances where, despite his skills and instincts, he was led astray. Nonetheless, Zugibe's detections in the 1981 Brinks robbery case and his pro bono work in the case of a young journalist who disappeared in El Salvador make compelling reading for fans of insider accounts of forensics. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Former Rockland County, New York, chief medical examiner Zugibe reveals how he helped solve some of the most complex murders in the county over the course of his 35-year career. Zugibe unwraps a body from 20 plastic bags and must determine what happened to the man's body after he died. In another case, he points out key evidence from a gunshot wound to disprove a suspect's claim that the victim was stabbed to death before being shot. He uses maggots found on a body to narrow down the time of death. Along the way he dispels assumptions about forensics and even delves into two of the most famous cases of the last 15 years, the JonBenet Ramsey murder and the O. J. Simpson trial, to show how the forensic evidence in those cases was mishandled or overlooked. Zugibe and Carroll's straightforward style makes for clear and fascinating reading, and the cases chosen are intriguing. With the popularity of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and other forensic science dramas on television, expect wide interest in this gripping book. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Advance Praise for Dissecting Death

“Dr. Frederick Zugibe has once again proven that real-life events can be stranger than fiction.  DISSECTING DEATH is a fascinating compilation of ten cases in which the author, an outstanding and highly experienced forensic pathologist, played a key role in solving complex and controversial crimes.  Readers will be enthralled with these dramatic stories and learn a great deal about how a modern-day medical examiner’s office should properly function.”
 
—   Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., Coroner, Allegheny County
author of Mortal Evidence and Tales from the Morgue
 

“As a homicide and forensic expert I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Zugibe’s DISSECTING DEATH. Sophisticated forensic enthusiasts will be thrilled to have this book as their reference as they delve into the intricacies of the medicolegal mysteries presented in television programming such as CSI, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
 
— Vernon J. Gerbeth, NYPD Lieutenant-Commander (ret.), Commanding Officer of the Bronx Homicide Task Force (ret.)
 

“I was delighted to read Dissecting Death by such an extraordinary, talented forensic pathologist.  Dr. Zugibe’s Sherlock Holmesian analysis of difficult cases has solved the most ‘insoluble’ cases.  This book is a thrilling drama.”
 
— Enid Gilbert-Barness, M.D