Barbara Butcher (2)

Make no mistake, this compelling collection of true-life tales from New York City’s Medical Examiner’s office is not for the squeamish. Grisly slayings. Decomposing corpses. Heartbreaking child abuse. But readers who are not faint-of-heart will find this memoir by Butcher (talk about ironic names) incredibly educational and — even with its morbid overtones — absorbing. Butcher chronicles her struggles with alcoholism and depression in a cohesive narrative that doesn’t detract from the book’s primary theme. Some readers have been understandably put off by Butcher’s occasional sarcasm at tragic death scenes — a tendency that even she acknowledges could turn off some folks . But the book is a fast-moving and riveting behind-the-scenes look at crime scene investigations. With every gross and engrossing page, it underscores the fact that “dead men do tell tales.”… (more)

nonfiction, memories, memoir, investigators, NYC, NYPD, FDNY personal-growth, real-horror, cooperation, coping-mechanisms, sobriety, aa, alcohol-issues*****

Riveting insight into what some have to deal with every day. This kind of work is done in every big city worldwide and those who must deal with it are never given the honor due them. It is often grisly sad work that struggles against many people's view of humanity. Extremely poignant and well written.
I think that you can almost never go wrong with a book read by the author because who knows better how to present the good/bad/ugly?… (more)