Review: Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind

Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

TW: rape, child abuse, murder, torture, and house fire cases mentioned (as you’d expect).

I have not read Sue Black’s previous book, All That Remains (though it’s been on my TBR list for a while), but I have always been interested in anatomy in general.

This book is a fascinating journey through the human skeleton from a forensic anthropologist’s point of view. Each part of the structure is discussed, how it functions, and examples of how it has been useful in court cases given. The result is, for the most part, easy to read. It is well written, and the mentions of criminal cases talked about in a matter of fact way. I did find one or two of them to be difficult to read, distressing accounts of child abuse and other violence. However, these are brief, and it is very interesting to read how marks left on the bone allow experts to work out what has happened to a person. Sue Black expresses herself clearly and succinctly throughout.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the subject, but do be warned that some of the examples are a little upsetting.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

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