Thank you to the author, Steerforth Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book provides insight into the author's work - as a non-medical professional - in the Office of the Chief Medical Examinar (OCME) in Maryland. Unfortunately, I felt the first half of the book got very bogged down in way too much minutiae about the inception and history of the OCME, and getting through that was a real slog. Following the developments in our lifetime, e.g. the huge challenges of rising death rates, accompanied by decreases in staffing and funding was interesting, and highlights the deficiencies of a system that everyone takes for granted - and is urgently needed - but is almost impossible to keep going under the present circumstances. I found the insight into the impartiality of the ME, particularly in highly politicized cases, very interesting. Overall, this is a read that I gleaned some interesting tidbits from, but not really what I expected.

OCME is an intriguing look into life behind the scenes at the Baltimore OCME, and is one I could not put down! The writing itself is splendid - it has a great flow to it, with touches of humour that make what could be a heavy read, a light, easy read. It's incredibly informative and I learnt a lot from this book, that I haven't learnt in any of the forensics related books I've read to date. What makes this book different, is that it isn't written from the point of view of a medical examiner; the focus is on the day to day running of the OCME and all the politics that go on behind the scene. Bruce Goldferb has done an incredible job with this book, it is a must read for anyone with an interest in forensics..

This book clearly explains what it's like to work in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore Maryland, written by a journalist who worked there. He explains the history of that Office, a little bit about the city/surroundings of Baltimore, the layout of the building, the job descriptions/occupations within, the hustle/bustle....& other facets of life & work there. He shines a light on various aspects of Forensic Medicine, & not just in Maryland.... Very interesting non-fiction!
I received a complimentary e-ARC from publisher Steelforth Press via NetGalley in return for reading it & posting my own fair/honest review.

I didn’t find this as interesting as I expected to, nor as interesting as many other reviewers have found it. There’s a core of a fascinating account here but I found it too detailed on occasion, not least in the early part of the book when going through the inception and history of OCME, including all the costing and so on. OCME, or the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, is the office charged with examining every sudden or unattended death in Maryland. Author Goldfarb worked there for 10 years so knows in depth what he’s describing. Work in the department has become more and more challenging over the years with an exponential increase in opioid related deaths and a decrease in staffing and funding. The nitty gritty of forensic work I did enjoy but sometimes it all felt a bit repetitive and perhaps a more concise and tighter narrative would have kept my attention more effectively. Nevertheless, I feel that it’s an important book in its highlighting of the deficiencies of the system and I hope that those with any say in the matter will be taking note.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I love any books that involve autopsies and medical examiners. They are absolutely fascinating and this one did not disappoint. Great read.

A good, informational book about a topic not often discussed.
Great for those looking for something a bit different on this topic.

This is a fascinating look inside the state of Maryland's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), the gold standard for medical examiners and forensic investigations. Forget CSI or Law and Order, this is the real deal.

Bruce Goldfarb, the author, is a journalist and the executive assistant to the Chief Medical Examiner. He fields phone calls, does PR, gives tours and is basically the go-to guy for all questions related to OCME. He gives an insight into the background of just how busy ME offices are and what it takes to be an accredited institution. I had no idea that most facilities for forensic investigations are run by elected officials with no specific training, just who can cajole the most votes out of constituents. Doesn't bode well for faith in the justice system.

Excellent book if you are a fan of crime shows to see how things actually work in the profession. The book is very well written.

This was a great book explaining the inner workings of the OCME. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you!

Fascinating and interesting. I loved this book and the look into the world of forensic psychology.
A very readable and not at all sensational book.
The history, the cases and the hierarchical layout of the Maryland ocme.
Any one with an interest in true crime or medical centres will be gripped by this book.

I will always jump at getting an insight to what goes on in the medical world - in this case, we get an insider's peek at the goings on of the Office of the Chief MEdical Examiner in Maryland, and some high profile cases that passed through their doors.

I thought overall, the writing was very clear and enticing, and wasn't too science heavy. I did find the beginning was a slow drag, going through the entire history of the OCME, including the stories of all of the CMEs to date, the building's location, the cost to run it, etc. Had it been more sprinkled throughout the book, i would have had an easier time finishing it, but the first part was a big of a slog for me.

Thanks to Steerforth and Netgalley for providing this nonfiction ARC about the Maryland Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore. I enjoyed learning the backstory of the organization (which is currently in the news for various negative reasons). Overall, the book ended up being quite sad as it tells the story of a once stellar and proud organization that was entirely decimated by a combination of the opioid crisis, government cost-cutting and short-sightedness, and finally poor leadership.

A look into one of the US’s biggest medical examiner offices. I learned a lot of things I didn’t know! For me though, the author could be a bit rambling at times.

OCME by Bruce Goldfarb allows the reader an inside view of what occurs inside the office of Maryland’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner. This book provided an extensive view of what a medical examiner does and how it becomes involved in investigations and autopsies. There were so many interesting situations and facts presented; including the large number of deaths that are due to drug use. Some high profile cases are showcased in this book such as, the Freddie Gray case. It was interesting to me to discover that this office was affected by inadequate funding and shortages similar to many other public service positions. With the vital need for this office, I was surprised to discover how it was significantly affected. Due to his time as a journalist and paramedic, Bruce Goldfarb knocked this book out of the park with his writing style and extensive background knowledge. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wonderfully written! An informative look into a very unknown and profoundly important field of work. Very through and relatable. Having a strong science background I have always been fascinated about what happens to bodies post- Mortem. The scientific process behind it is amazing. The care and professionalism shown by the writer was uncanny and he garnered so much respect for the dead and their privacy and autonomy. I would highly recommend this book and hope it garners more interest in the forensic pathology field!

I am a mystery/true crime fanatic. It is the genre of book that I am reading most often. This book opens up behind the scenes at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Their office investigates every unattended or sudden death in Maryland. It is told from the point of view of their "PR" person, Bruce Goldfarb. He gives a brief history of the office and then talks about his experiences working in the OMCE. He discusses the death of Freddie Gray and other cases that caused numerous phone calls from journalists and sleuths.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. When you read about the increasing overdoses that begin to plague their offices it reminds you that it is the same everywhere in America. Opioid ODs have become more common across the country. He discusses how their offices started to fall behind when the budget shrank but deaths in the state rose. A strong book for those who like to know what happens behind the curtain without a specific case being discussed throughout the entire book. Nice snippets to read in short chunks. I enjoyed this book.

A very interesting read for someone like me, a practising CSI in the UK. I found the first chapter about the history of OCME quite boring but from the next chapter, the book was unstoppable. It gave me an insight into the differences between the USA and the UK judicial system. Highly recommended for readers interested in that field.

"OCME" is the inside story of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland. The book describes both the history of OCME (and its usage in context of greater social issues) and how public investigations of death are handled in this country.

What's good: The book is both smart and sensitive. This is not a book for those looking for horror thrills. It's clear the author holds to heart the responsibility of the OCME staff to those who are in their care. The book is genuinely interesting--I appreciated the level of detail throughout, from the author's efforts to find the original notes on the JFK examination to how holidays were handled to evolving relationships with members of the media.

What's interesting: The book points out repeatedly the challenges of staffing and supplying the OCME in a world of increased demand, limited public resources, and limited output of qualified staff. In many ways, this book is an argument for a public intervention to ensure more individuals can be hired in these jobs and that OCME, and similar institutions, are running properly.

What's iffier: In some situations, I wanted more. I would've liked more of the stories of discoveries made within the OCME walls, but to be fair, that would shift the focus of the book away from the workers and OCME's operations and more towards the individuals who were served by OCME.

With gratitude to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed the writers backstory and how they ended up working different jobs through their career. A really good example of a lifelong learning career!
Interesting premise and factual as well as engaging. Does have some slower moments too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked Bruce Goldfarb's previous book, "18 Tiny Deaths". I figured this book won't disappoint and it sure didn't. The book gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the OCME. The history of the institution shows a top of the line office but as with everything to do with budget cuts and bad management, this much needed institution is failing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in forensics.

Exquisitely readable and surprisingly relatable, OCME Life in America's Top Forensic Medical Center is a book I read in a single sitting. Despite needing sleep, I was unable to put this book down.

Author Bruce Goldfarb brings readers along with him for a detailed look at what life is really like in the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Think this book would be too macabre to read? You would be massively wrong. OCME does NOT rely on the glorification of blood and guts to sell books. It is so interesting that it simply doesn't need to.

Full of eye-opening facts and fascinating details, OCME will open the eyes of its readers to the ridiculousness of red tape in any and every bureaucracy; even the bureaucracy of death itself.

Although this might not have been the author’s goal, he has nevertheless succeeded in bringing to light the horrific statistics surrounding many of the most concerning ways in which people have died over the past decade. Granted, the statistics used in this book only represent the state of Maryland, however, these are the same issues faced by most other states and cities in North America. For example, the author highlights the alarming number of people who have died due to the Opiod Epidemic.

This book will open people's eyes to the importance of having skilled and highly trained medical examiners. The result of this will hopefully be that both taxpayers and politicians will allocate more money in their budgets to the OCME in their respective jurisdictions.

Some of the most shocking, and frankly disturbing, information contained within the pages of this book are the following facts:

[ ] "About half of the US population is under the jurisdiction of coroners and lacks access to qualified forensic pathologists..."

[ ] "In states including Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Idaho, Georgia, Colorado, and Nevada, elected coroners aren’t required to have ANY medical or legal training before they can certify the cause and manner of death."

[ ] In Missouri, to serve as a coroner, the requirements are minimal. You only have to be 21 or older, and have to get more votes than anyone else. There is absolutely NO MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY. That is ridiculous. "If a person is elected coroner, they can crack open a beer and start signing death certificates."

I rate OCME as 5 out of 5 Stars
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ and I recommend this book not only to fans of True Crime, but also to everyone who wants to be more informed about Public Health, Politics, and/or general nonfiction enthusiasts.

Reading this book and spreading the word about it could be the difference between a murderer being caught or going free. It just might be the reason a killer is caught and the lives of future potential victims are saved.

*** Thank you to #NetGalley and #Edelweiss for providing me with a free advance review copy of this book. ***