(Audio)Book Review: ‘Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind’ by Sue Black

I’m very fortunate to have a lovely hardback copy of this and also the audiobook version so this is a combined review as I swapped between them at will!

Normally at this point I’d thank whoever granted me a review copy but I can confirm I bought this one with my own pennies after reading Black’s previous (excellent) book ‘All That Remains: A Life in Death’.

For those of you who aren’t aware, Professor Dame Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist who has worked on some absolutely fascinating cases over a long career.  She has a mind-bogglingly long list of letters after her name, awards coming out of her ears and bucketloads of plaudits from just about everyone that matters in her scientific field.

However – and more importantly for her readers – she is also a marvellous writer and a charming audiobook narrator.  Her anecdotes and expertise jump off the page and her (quite dark, as expected!) sense of humour is also evident in the narration of her audiobook.

This book focuses on what our bones can reveal about us after death and is absolutely fascinating.  Black starts with the skull and then works down the body, taking in arms, spine, ribs, pelvis, legs, feet and a lot more besides.  Alongside the anatomical information are various case studies in which the particular bones have been important in identification of the body or solving a crime.  It is all interesting and I had absolutely no clue that bones could reveal so much about age, gender, past trauma and lots more.

As is to be expected, some of the stories are quite graphic and gruesome – enough for my husband to look at me oddly as I did chores accompanied by a lilting Scottish accent talking me through tales of dismemberment and murder!  Foot soup was particularly nausea-inducing (and I shared Black’s aversion to feet even before that).

One of the hardest bits to listen to wasn’t the forensic detail, but the personal story of Black’s own past trauma.  I wholeheartedly applaud Black for including this so candidly and liked that autobiographical details were woven through the book.  This added another layer of interest to the story of a fascinating job and eventful career.

I’d recommend this to anyone interested in forensics – it was, after all, my love of crime novels that brought me to this book. It is an engaging look at what stories our bones tell – with a harrowing dose of murder, tragic death and war crime too. I think there is something here that would interest everyone and I urge you to pick up a copy soon.

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If you’d like a copy of this fascinating book, please use my associate links below for the book and audiobook:

I can also wholeheartedly recommend Black’s first book, ‘All That Remains’:

Header photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash