A good read for forensic geeks as opposed to people who enjoy the more salacious details of particular crimes. Pleasingly rich in procedural detail.

Lives In Forensics.....
An autobiographical account of lives spent in the study and work of forensic science, thus the title is somewhat misleading. However this is an engaging read and does cover instances of interest. Informative and entertaining reading.

A wonderful, beautifully written and enlightening autobiography that throws light on the work of forensic scientists as written in turns by Derek a forensic scientist consultant and his wife and partner who for very many years, worked as a PA to Forensic Pathologists, taking dictation while examining murder victims on site and also during autopsies in the mortuary. Derek starts when he left school aged 15 to join the Forensic department as an apprentice of Guys hospital with its unique forensic museum and medical school. By studying at night school and learning on the job he learnt how to obtain slides of human tissue from various organs and areas of the body as affected by different deaths and injuries. Over the years after promotion to Chief scientist with experience as an expert witness on Murder trials and knowledge gained from investigating all the different ways that people can die and being called to help police forces all over the country, he hit on the idea of creating an injury data base that with his help, developed into a National data base. He also then developed the pioneering techniques of photo overlay and wound mapping. Pauline much later, also joined the team as a young shorthand secretary helping the Pathologists prepare their reports by so doing over the years gained much knowledge of Forensics and the human body.

This was such an interesting insight into forensics and the "behind the scenes" of many staple TV shows like CSI etc. I'll never watch them - or read an Agatha Christie - the same way again.

When this book focuses on the cases Derek has worked with, it is interesting and engaging, however this only happens a few times in the book and the test feels more like a history of his career and of his wife's (I don't feel Pauline's chapters add much throughout the book and all seem to focus on her clothing, shoes and how attractive she was?). Ultimately I was disappointed by this.

I'll be honest, this book wasnt what I expected at first. I thought it might be more like John Douglas' books, with specific cases looked at. Instead, this was a fascinating look at how two people ended up in forensic careers, and how those careers progressed. After I got over my confusion/ disappointment, I found 'How to Solve a Murder' to be quite the engaging read. Recommended!

It will be strange to say that a book about forensic medicine was soothing to listen to. Even at 1.5x, the narrators sounded calm and methodical and set the tone for the narrative.
This is a story of two people in the forensic industry who have been worked with, been involved in, and even changed a few things about how crime scenes are analysed for decades. It was fascinating to hear about how both of them ended up working in forensic labs through different avenues. It was a throwback to another time and place. They discuss a few cases and their personal lives, but for the most part, the book is about the processes, the science and the smaller titbits that go with investigations. I enjoyed the beginning parts a lot, but my interest petered out towards the end because I saw the narrative coming to an end. I felt like I wanted 'more'. What part I wanted more of I cannot say exactly, but there was something.
The authors did a pretty good job in making their working lives and knowledge clear in the pages, and the narrators did an equally great job in conveying the information to me, the audience. If there was to be another book by the authors with further details and maybe more case histories, I would definitely pick it up.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

This is a really fascinating book and will be thoroughly enjoyed by anyone with an interest in pathology, forensic science or crime.
Written in an unusual format by a husband and wife, it is original, honest, and extremely interesting.
Easily worthy of 3.5 stars ✨

I really enjoyed How to Solve a Murder, I studied Criminal Justice at Uni so I couldn't wait to listen to this book. The information in here was both gritty and super interesting, learning about techniques used and how pathologists determine a cause of death was right up my alley. This is definitely accessible for everyone and I've already recommended it to a colleague. I will be writing a full review for my blog.

I have long been interested in all things forensic and a book with a foreword by Dr Richard Shepard has to be a good one!

I definitely wasn’t disappointed. This was a fascinating insight into not just the work of those completing the post mortems, but also of the technicians and administrators who all make up this team and contribute to each step of the process of caring for the dead.

There is dissection and post mortems discussed, particularly in reference to how they can help to solve crimes but this book is also about the changes made to process over the years that have modernised forensic medicine. It was fascinating to read about body mapping, who knew?!?
This was also the story of friendship and camaraderie within, what could be, a rather dark place to work. A dark sense of humour and an open mind was a job Pre-requisite.

It did take me a paragraph or two to work out who was talking as the narrative is split between the authors but that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the stories told. The writing felt easy, it flowed well and was appropriate for all readers, not just those with a scientific background.

I would definitely recommend, thank you for allowing me to read it.

In the end, I was a little disappointed in How To Solve A Murder. It does give quite a good insight into the day-to-day reality of a Forensic Medicine department, but overall I found it rather unsatisfying.

The book is written by Derek and Pauline Tremain, a married couple who have worked in forensic medicine all their careers; Derek first as a technician and then Scientific Officer of increasing seniority and Pauline as a secretary and administrator (a surprisingly hands-on role). Between them, they have a wealth of experience and insight into what really goes on and the significance of it both to the justice system and to individuals affected by crimes. All this is very welcome, but the book did have some significant flaws.

Probably most importantly, there isn’t really quite enough solid science and detection in it. Derek refers several times to Prof. Keith Simpson and his book Forty Years Of Murder, which I read many years ago with great interest; I was hoping for something along similar lines, but I’m afraid I didn’t find this nearly so interesting. There are some very good passages, like Derek’s excellent explanation of the use of diatoms in cases of drowning, or Pauline’s account of some of the visits to crime scenes, but it all felt too diluted with personal anecdote, stories about larks in the lab and so on. While these do give a sense of how people dealt with the grisly things they had to work with, many of the stories aren’t as amusing as the authors think. For example, Pauline’s wardrobe malfunction or Derek’s disposal of a pig’s carcass may have seemed hilarious to those involved, but they aren’t nearly so funny to the rest of us and don’t merit the number of pages devoted to them.

I also found the style a bit stilted and it is often difficult to know whether the narrator is Derek or Pauline as the voice shifts suddenly and without any signal, all of which interfered with my enjoyment. It is also worth saying that there isn’t much here about how murders are actually solved. Overall, it’s not bad, but I can only give this a qualified recommendation.

(My thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley.)

A fascinating glimpse in to the world of the pathologists team. A group of dedicated professionals supporting each other and deferring to specialists areas. The career progression of husband and wife team is central to the narrative but it also explains developments in science. Staffing and practices.
An informative and very interesting read.

I found this book to be fascinating. A first-hand account of forensic science that is not too technical, but very interesting to the layman.
The depth of the work that these 2 people had to do was incredible. Their evidence meant a huge difference to the police work surrounding crimes. I very much enjoyed it.

This was a very entertaining and interesting read that was a lot more enjoyable than I expected. I enjoy reading crime thrillers so it was interesting to read some of the real life things that go on in the real world of forensic medicine.

Chief Forensic Medical Scientist Derek and Forensic Secretary Pauline Tremain tell everyday tales that many of us would find shocking and give us nightmares. Their normal working day deals with dead bodies and grotesque experiments and procedures that many of us would find unbearable. Working at the world-famous Department of Forensic Medicine at Guy’s Hospital in London they tell some fascinating stories.

They deal with sights that are very necessary but most of us would prefer not to, a fascinating job but not for me. This is a fascinating read dealing with many high profile accidents and murders and giving a very alternative insight into the world of forensics. This is well written and surprisingly a very easy to read book dealing with the investigations into what nightmares are made of.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by John Sackville and Kim Hicks.
"How To Solve A Murder" is a misleading title for what is, in many places, a self-indulgent memoir. As a rule, I don't like these behind-the-scenes, tell all accounts because they're invariably disrespectful to the clients (in this case, the dead - which is even worse) and they smack of self-satisfied superiority. Had I known that's what this was, I wouldn't have volunteered to read and review it.

I don't read books about Forensics to find out about fashion. I certainly don't want to hear Pauline banging on (repeatedly, and at length) about how "distracting" it was for the men that she wore short skirts and high heels to work. Ditto the wardrobe malfunction. It's vulgar, unnecessary and makes professional women sound like airheads. I found Derek's descriptions of forensic processes, and the impact of certain incidents on the emotions of the team, interesting and insightful. What a shame that it's mixed in with all the drivel.

An interesting look at how Derek and Pauline Tremain got into forensic science and how their careers path developed, Interspersed with some personal backstory, they tell some interesting stories about the cases they worked on, the people they worked with, and how forensics changed over the decades.

It was sometimes confusing to understand whose story was being told, but apart from that it was an excellent read I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in forensic science past and present.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book and would like to thank the authors, publishers and NetGalley for this opportunity in exchange for my honest review.

The investigation of violent death/this book is not a subject that I think will appeal to all (who wants to read about maggots when you are eating your lunch?!) but this book covers the subject in an informative and interesting/sensitive way and I found it a completely enthralling read.

I did get a bit lost in the narration but I am not sure if this was because I was enjoying it so much that I couldn't devour it quick enough.

Some of the book (in particular the chapter about drowning) was very very interesting and presented in a way that me the lay person could understand. I wasn't baffled by science and throwing the book across the room in frustration.

I think I'll be investigating the audible version on publication as I'd definitely read this book again. I would have liked more case history but that at least paves the way for book 2!

Derek and Pauline in their excellent book take us into the developments in forensic science and their applications during their working lives. Derek at 15, was given a job in the Medicine Museum at Guy's Hospital in London where there was a renowned Pathology Department. There his early tasks included looking after specimen bone and body parts and preserving new samples for posterity Not the pleasantest job, often involving the removal of skins from bodies and bleaching the remains. ( There were obnoxious potions for this.) But his interest in forensics was aroused and he built his knowledge and skills which aided current pathological examinations. Pauline joined as a typist but her work often required her work as a PA in Mortuaries alongside her Pathology boss whilst he conducted a autopsy with her taking down his notes and developing them into his written Report. She interfaced with visitors to the Department and with the Police, Coroners, Judges and the Courts. Increasingly her finger was on the pulse and her knowledge on Pathology increased.
I found the book fascinating both because it explained, in a very readable form the complexities of forensic examinations and how the science and its applications developed over many decades. The many case examples included describe this particularly well. Derek can properly take credit not just for his contributions to the solving of crimes but also for pioneering work which eventually led to establishing a National Injuries Database and for developments in Body Graphics. Both have become widely used by Police Forces and others as aids to establishing truth with particular cases.
The Authors love of their work and their sensitivity to those affected by a victim's demise show vividly with, for example, the development of 3D imaging. This has proved important not just as a contribution to solving a crime but also having witnessed the grief and devastation of relatives and jurors when they were presented, in Court, with photos of injuries caused to a victim. Now a representation of the trajectory of a bullet through a body could be shown without having to show the victim's damaged features.

I found this book delightful, Perhaps an unexpected word to use given the subject matter but I feel it important to add the personal overlay to the science presented. Derek and Pauline were obviously dedicated to their work and showed what can be achieved from relatively modest educational beginnings through hard work and commitment. They deserve our thanks for their contributions to the work as much as for this very readable book.

Recommended

I love all things true crime and I’m fascinated by forensic science and pathology. Ever since I was 8, I wanted to be a forensic pathologist - alas life took a different turn. However, this book was a wonderful insight to the world of forensic science.

I really enjoyed how it was written; I felt both authors personalities shone through their story telling. I could sense Derek’s genuine warmth, likability and humour, along with Pauline’s ambition and determination. I feel the personal touch really added to the book for me, and accompanied the academic side and details in cases rather well. It made it real and human; I feel it could have been rather clinical without this (which I wouldn’t have had an issue with either).

It was told in chronological order and you witnessed how science and methods have advanced and the cases they worked on were just fascinating.

The title probably could be a little misleading to some, but to me the book was well written and immersed you in the world of forensic science in an informal and welcoming way.

Genuinely enjoyed this, thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading crime fiction, so I loved learning more about how the investigations are conducted in real life. Although these authors have some grisly stories, they are absolutely fascinating, including some high profile ones. Their writing style is very accessible and they make complex processes and scientific methods easy to understand for readers like me who have limited scientific knowledge. 

Derek Tremain has been working in the field of forensic medicine since the 1960s, and Pauline's career began shortly afterwards. Between them, they have overseen and been heavily involved in many developments in the techniques and technology used to collect forensic evidence and build strong legal cases. As this book is written chronologically, it is easy for us to see the differences the advances have made to their work over the years. 

There is also some insight into the authors' personal lives in this book. Whilst this does provide some context for the book, I did feel that it occasionally detracted from the more "juicy" content.