This book was not what I was expecting. I thought there would be more detail into their jobs. This just wasn't for me unfortunately.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝘿𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙋𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣

Everything about this cover reached out to my inner crime nerd and I knew I just had to read it. Starting with a foreword from Dr Richard Sheperd (go and read UNNATURAL CAUSES if you haven’t!) we are immersed in the morbidly fascinating world of forensic science in a welcoming and informal way.

Written in chronological order following the lives of the Tremain’s, it was interesting to witness how science and methods have advanced so much over the years. Both authors personalities shone through the telling of their stories, however I did feel at times the two perspectives were slightly disjointed and it was difficult to differentiate who was narrating.

I appreciated the fact that they touched on the human impact of seeing these macabre scenes day in, day out. I think I would have liked to hear about more cases, as I did find the title to be slightly misleading— despite being an engaging and well written book, it did seem to be more about career journeys than solving a murder. Just something to be aware of if you’re after a more scientifically informative read rather than an audio biography.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

This left me a little flat to be very honest. Felt like a very detached quick run through of scientific tests on various things some of which told a story of what had happened to a person or linked someone to a crime. I wanted more in the way of forensic detection and should maybe have not expected that from this book and although interesting in parts I did find it quite dull.

This was fascinating! The analysis of murders and the scientific aspects of it were so interesting and written in a way that was easy to understand.
As an audiobook it was very easy to listen to.
Would definitely recommended.

Very interesting, although has not ruined tv crime shows forever as claimed. It’s less crime solving and more auto biography / anecdotes.

Some of Derek’s narration was a bit muffled (the s is an echoey sh sound), poss his accent but it sounded like a recording quality issue which made his sections harder to listen to. I love self narrated non fiction tho so this did t spoil my enjoyment,

I've not listened to an audio book in a long time, I'm used to shorter podcasts, but this book has completely changed my mind about them, the narrators did a fantastic job and even though the narrative focuses less on the crime solving and more on the day-to-day experience of the writers, it's still engaging and very interesting for any fan of True Crime

A really interesting book with insights from many facets of the couple’s professional lives. The title is a bit misleading in that you’d expect a deep dive into the myriad of forensics but instead the book is more about the Tremaines careers

I was really intrigued by the title and description of this book, but in the end it is wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It’s written by a husband and wife team and each shares their experiences of working in the world of forensic medicine. But there was a lot less about the actual solving of murders and a lot more about the ‘banter’ of where they worked, with a weird amount of detail devoted to the female narrator’s short skirts and stilettos. No doubt that they’re a really impressive pair who have made significant contributions in their field, but this just wasn’t quite the book I’d hoped.

This is a interesting look at the world of forensics with lots of surprising details about a job we're all fascinated with. Much of the book details the day-to-day job with the sights and smells described in grisly detail. In particular, it was refreshing to hear Pauline Tremaine's reservations about her job, one that she always enjoyed, but one that regularly shocked and disgusted her.

One criticism of the book is the amount of content about the co-writers' personal lives. They are a married couple but a lot of the book is about their relationship. It was unexpected in a book about forensic science and I would have preferred more anecdotes about their work.

A fantastic insight into the darker side of science.

From heads in buckets to the incredible enhancement of medical techniques over very distinct but similarly intriguing careers in forensic medicine, this book has it all.

The authors clearly have a distinct passion for their work which shines throughout the book, and really engages the reader, encouraging them to take part in the journey.

The descriptions are deliciously grisly, with heads in buckets, bodies in barrels and reconstruction of faces all par for the course - a normal day in the office!

There is also a fantastic blend of the personal with the professional, abd a constant humorous but respectful outlook which is paramount to a book such as this.

As a fan of both medicine abd the macabre, I couldn't put this one down and finished it in a few hours!!

DNF at 50%

I was so excited about this book because it sounded right up my street. Unfortunately, it simply didn't deliver what I had expected.

First off, I have to mention that both narrators John Sackville and Kim Hicks did a fantastic job and I genuinely enjoyed their performances and would absolutely pick up another title read by them.

However, How to Solve a Murder disappointed me on the content level. As someone who has read quite a few "death books" dealing with different aspects of forensic science, I was looking forward to getting a deeper understanding of forensic medicine. This is not the book for that. Ultimately, it's much more a joint memoir with occasional case stories sprinkled in. I did not care about the personal stories and anecdotes enough to stick with this book when what I was promised was a more factual insight into the field.

Maybe for readers who enjoy memoirs, this is the perfect book. But to anyone who mostly seeks a book about forensic medicine, this isn't it.

It was absolutely fascinating to hear about Derek and Pauline's lives in forensic medicine, the advancements, the harrowing cases, as well as their more personal lives. I was thoroughly intrigued and really enjoyed the listening experience too, read very well by the actors. I did get a little lost in the technical bits, but that is my own fault, not of the book's. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed this book! I'm very interested in forensics so just knew I had to read this as soon as I'd seen it.
This book contains a great range of stories from being in the field giving you a true sense of the sort of things they get up to on the job. I loved that it was part autobiographical, showing how the authors got into the field and how (particularly Derek's) career progressed throughout his life. I enjoyed the little personal anecdotes and thought they helped show the person behind the job, though at times it felt they took over a little more than I would've liked.
I listened to this audiobook very quickly, excited to continue once it's out it down though I admit I lost motivation a little around halfway through (but it quickly picked back up again).
Overall this was an enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone interested in forensics, or who enjoys an unusual autobiography.

I liked the narrators of this audiobook, I thought they were very straightforward and got to the point in the way they were reading, but the tone was never dry. I do recommend the audiobook.

How to solve a murder is a historical look at the professional lives of the authors who, worked in forensic pathology. The narrators are clear and matter of fact, which is how I would imagine the characters, Derek and Pauline Tremain. Derek starts as a lab technician but with such an immense portfolio goes on to get his degree and becomes a great source of knowledge to the police. Pauline works in admin, she works for prominent medics in London at the time, I've heard many stories about the cardiac surgeon professor Magdi Yacoub whom she spent some time working for. Fom very early on she gets in at the deep end with respect to the nature of work in the pathology department. Then she met Derek, it was a while before they were married, had children and then decided to run their own business.
This biographical account includes many stories about the work that was carried out, finding the cause of death was normally job number one, but there were others, like finding the culprit. The techniques used and the deduction that went on was really very clever, from bruise patterns caused by footwear, to angles of bone breaks and specific trace materials found in the lungs of drowning victims which can prove not only if died before immersed in water but which water they drowned in!
The book is a chronological account of their work, telling of many of their cases which was at times upsetting although the massive knowledge base and improvements in technology has lead to some amazing work.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who has an interest in London hospitals in the 1980's, medicine (any field), forensics and who is not too squeamish! 5*
Thanks to HarperCollins Audio and NetGalley for the audioARC.

"How to Solve a Murder" is poorly titled -it's just the life story of the two authors, with a few chapters on the forensic aspect. Too much time was spent talking about their lives, which thinned down the interesting forensic discussions. I listened to the audio version, and the woman's voice was a bit too plummy for my liking. I liked the professional talk, but found the personal side too much, so only 3-stars I'm afraid.

This book started off well, but I found i lost interest after a while, and did not finish, I might come back to it at a later date.

Thank you to Harper Collins Audio UK for a copy of this audio in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very different read from what I thought it would be. I was hoping I’m for gritty in-depth stories but this barely scratched the service. The problem with having 2 distinct voices in a book like this is that is becomes very jumpy and although I had the audiobook and it was told by 2 different narrators I still found it didn’t flow all that well. I wanted more about the actual jobs and the ins and outs of it but it went into so much detail about their lives beyond the job etc. Sadly I think there are other books that are similar but much better such as Unnatural Causes.

This was a really interesting audiobook.

It was very informative and would be a great read for anyone who loves crime scene dramas and wants to know what it is really like to work in those environments. The number of people involved in a single case was an insight.

I really liked that we got to see the different sides of the job and hear about Derek and Pauline's different roles both within their initial jobs and then their business. It was also really interesting to know the origins of some of the techniques that are used in crime scene investigation.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The correct title for this book should be "Insight into the Life of a Forensic Pathologist and His Wife". Although parts were very interesting, and the contribution they have made to the forensics field are incredible, I cant help but be annoyed by the misleading title. Especially as parts were about how the ended up together after just being colleagues, and their family dynamics.

Written by both of them, it's a shame to say that Pauline's contribution to the book felt very pointless until the last quarter. She isn't trained in forensics and worked as an assistant where Derek worked, therefore her contribution doesnt really come until her and Derek partnered up much later in life to create something called Body Mapping, a process of combining forensics and graphic design to recreate and explain injuries to bodies. This lead to me zoning out whenever she spoke unfortunately.

Derek sounds like he has led the most interesting life! Falling into the career by chance with not many qualifications he became an expert in his field, and has worked on some very high profile cases which were fascinating to hear about. And their creation of Body Mapping and how it works is quite inspirational!

I think if this has been advertised properly and edited better to keep it more on topic, this would have been a more interesting read. It was very fact heavy sprinkled with personal anecdotes, that were either interesting and on topic, or silly page fillers (like the time someone asked Pauline if she would like protective gear for her high heels).

Thank you to @netgalley for a free version of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A must-read for anyone interested in true crime and forensic medicine. I am an absolute crime junkie and this was all I wanted it to be! I loved every moment. They delivered the narrative in a precise and concise way, making the book feel like a step by step investigation into the forensic world. I really enjoyed the different tones and takes on the job by the two narrators. It gave a different perspective on the criminal case, one that I feel is often overlooked when only following the police side, rather than the science side. For some readers, this book might be a bit graphic, but if you can stomach the descriptions it is really worth it.