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This is some dark, grim stuff. It starts with the author investigating a suicide then immediately dives into her struggle with alcoholism, so go in prepared for an emotional ride, though Butcher also talks about using compartmentalizing and distancing as a coping mechanism.

There is posturing of being “one of the guys”, being of an older (than me) generation, and that NY/NJ bruskness, and all of those rubbed me a bit throughout.

Barbara Butcher shares her experience as a New York City Death Investigator, showing us how the system actually works. She talks about how she struggled with alcoholism, and how it led her to this job.
Overall a well-written and interesting read. She talks about several of her cases, and shares what she learned about the dead, but also about the living and life in general.

#Death. #WickedWhispers

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was a fast paced read; not for the squeamish. I find Barbara‘s last name and previous career an interesting combination. This is the memoir of her life as a Death Investigator in NY. How she got into the work, how it changed her, how she got out of it. She does not hold back on the gory details. Watch her on Netflix‘s ‘Homicide New York‘. The dead do speak. Are we listening? TW/CW: extreme violence, sexual assault, suicide, addiction.

Act as if you‘re not horrified. Act as if you‘re not scared. Do your job.

Only then, after a night of men brutally chopped up and thrown away like garbage, of a helpless young man suffocating slowly, of a woman screaming in fear of her impending murder, of forgotten old people dying alone and unremembered, only then did I cry.

We‘ve been watching the Netflix series Homicide: NewYork, which features Butcher in her role as a Death Investigator in the city and hubby said ‘I bet she could write a good book‘. So of course, I looked it up!

This is a tough read, covering some very gruesome discoveries and 9/11, as well as the author‘s own mental health struggles, but I flew through it in a couple of hours. Highly recommended, if you‘re not squeamish.

Really enjoyed this memoir by a longtime NYC medical examiner. It was sometimes hard to listen to - she doesn‘t hold back on the detail. She tied in her own mental health struggles in a really effective way. Definitely recommend.

Good

“Knowledge can forestall fear.”

If you are interested in forensics or crime, this is an interesting and informative read. The author worked as a medico-legal investigator in NYC. This job entailed making the initial determination as to cause of death whenever a body was found. Was cause of death natural, homicide, or suicide? Be aware that vivid descriptive writing may be upsetting to those with weak stomachs. Five stars.

Butcher‘s memoir of being a death investigator in the NYC‘s Office of Chief Medical Examiner was really interesting. I wasn‘t aware this position existed. The author successfully weaves in details of her personal life, including an account of her alcoholism, while sharing various cases from over her twenty year career, including 9/11.

I don‘t recommend this if you are feeling down, because her job doesn‘t allow for a lot of levity.

Wow!!! Thank you again for recommending this one to me @catiewithac 🩷🩷🩷

So interesting! Finished listening to it on my way to a Mariachi concert 🎵

#ISpyBingo - yellow font and nonfiction

Listened to this one a little over 4 hours yesterday. (The drive to the wrestling event, around the casino.l, and in the hot tub). Using @dabbe table again :)

#MischiefandMayhem #Scarathlon
@PuddleJumper

401 points

@catiewithac recommended this one to me (and her book recommendations have always been stellar). I am starting this for my #AudioCommute

My babies are cuddling.

Amazing memoir by a former New York City Medical Examiner. I will say more in my forthcoming official review, but this was a 5⭐️ read. #scarathlonphotochallenge #death #dead #blackcatcrew

This is Barbara Butcher‘s miraculous memoir of sobriety and an unplanned career at NYC‘s office of medical examination. Butcher shares some of the cases she investigated during her 22 years in civil service including the 9/11 tragedy. It‘s a great read with some gory details and lots of surprises!

Butcher was a death investigator with NYC‘s Medical Examiner‘s Office for more than twenty years and man, does she have some stories. Some of the details are quite grisly, but it was really interesting to hear about this side of an investigation, determining the circumstances surrounding deaths.

Browsing the new BookPage this morning. Tagged true crime/memoir caught my eye. There‘s a starred review and interview with the author. Butcher spent 22 years working as a death investigator for NYC‘s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Her job was not to solve murders, but to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding deaths. Sounds fascinating!

This audiobook I preordered from Audible is now available on my Audible app. I‘m looking forward to reading this book.