Unnatural Causes: 'An absolutely brilliant book. I really recommend it, I don't often say that' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2 - Hardcover

Shepherd, Dr Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0718182715 ISBN 13: 9780718182717

Publisher: Michael Joseph, 2018

Synopsis

'An absolutely brilliant book. I really recommend it, I don't often say that but it's fascinating' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

'One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down' The Times
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Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd.

He solves the mysteries of unexplained or sudden death.

He's a detective in his own right.

And he has one, ultimate and pressing question to answer:

How did this person die?

Unnatural Causes is an unputdownable record of an extraordinary life, a unique insight into a remarkable profession, and above all a powerful and reassuring testament to lives cut short.

If you liked When the Dogs Don't Bark and All That Remains you'll love this.

Dr Shepherd has faced serial killers, natural disaster, 'perfect murders' and freak accidents, all in the pursuit of the truth.

And while he's been involved in some of the most high-profile cases of recent times, it's often the less well-known encounters that prove the most perplexing, intriguing and even bizarre.

In or out of the public eye, his evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads.

But a life in death, bearing witness to some of humanity's darkest corners, exacts a price and Shepherd doesn't flinch from counting the cost to him and his family.
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Included in The Times Books of the Year 2018

'Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel' Guardian

'Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing' Richard and Judy, Daily Express

'Heart-wrenchingly honest' Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains

'Fascinating, insightful, candid, compassionate' Observer

About this title

Review:

Unnatural Causes gives a sense of the toll that dealing with so many dead bodies takes. It's a very human book that looks at the cases he has been involved with, from the Hungerford massacre to the murder of Stephen Lawrence (The Times (Books of the Year, 2018))

One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down (The Times)

Fabulous . . . The UK's top pathologist investigating high-profile deaths such as that of Diana, Princess of Wales (The Sunday Post)

Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel (Guardian)

Insightful, candid and compassionate (Observer)

Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing (Richard and Judy, Daily Express)

Heart-wrenchingly honest (Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains)

Darkly fascinating (Daily Mirror)

Partly an autobiography, but also a love letter to pathology. It's dignified and graceful and painfully honest about the human and emotional cost of so much time with the dead. Insightful, moving and mesmerising (Marylebone Journal)

This book holds within its pages the story of a life told with honesty, and this is partly why it is such a pleasure to read. A fascinating autobiography. Unputdownable. (Live Ribble Valley)

About the Author:

Richard Shepherd was born in West London but grew up in Watford. At the local grammar school he was introduced to a medical textbook smuggled into the classroom by a friend which opened his eyes to the world of crime and murder, setting him on a lifelong quest to understand death in its many forms. He trained as a doctor at St George's Hospital medical school at Hyde Park Corner, qualifying in 1977 and then completed his postgraduate training as a forensic pathologist in 1987. He immediately joined what was then the elite forensic department at Guy's Hospital.

He has been involved nationally and internationally in the forensic investigation of thousands of deaths from unnatural causes, from headline-making murders to mass natural disasters, and many sudden and unexplained deaths that his investigations showed were from natural causes or due to accidents. His skills and expertise still remain in demand around the world.

About this edition

• Publisher: Michael Joseph
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0718182715
• ISBN 13: 9780718182717
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400