The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist - Paperback

by Mary H. Manhein (Author)

Written with the compassion and humor of a born storyteller, this is an unforgettable glimpse into the lab where one forensic anthropologist works to reveal the human stories behind the remains.

When a skeleton is all that's left to tell the story of a crime, Mary H. Manhein, otherwise known as "the bone lady," is called in. For almost two decades, Manhein has used her expertise in forensic pathology to help law enforcement agents--locally, nationally, and internationally--solve their most perplexing mysteries. She shares the extraordinary details of the often high-profile cases on which she works, and the science underlying her analyses. Here are Civil War skeletons, cases of alleged voodoo and witchcraft, crimes of political intrigue, and the before-and-after of facial reconstruction.

Back Jacket

THE RIVETING TALE OF A TRUE-LIFE CRIME-FIGHTING SCIENTIFIC SLEUTH

When a skeleton is all that's left to tell the story of a crime, Mary Manhein, otherwise known as "the bone lady", is called in. For almost two decades, Manhein has used her expertise in forensic anthropology to help law enforcement agents -- locally, nationally, and internationally -- solve their most perplexing mysteries. In this eerie book she shares the extraordinary details of the often high-profile cases on which she works, and the science underlying her analyses. Here are the fascinating details of how, from a pile of bones, she assesses age, sex, race, signs of trauma, and time of death, and how she can even use clay to re-create a face.

Written with the compassion and humor of a born storyteller, The Bone Lady is an unforgettable glimpse into the lab where one scientist works to reveal the human stories behind the remains.

Author Biography

Mary H. Manhein, also known as "The Bone Lady," is an internationally acclaimed forensic anthropologist who, for more than 30 years, has helped law enforcement solve their toughest cases. An advocate for victims, Manhein has always worked to tell the stories of who they are and what happened to them, and to help bring about justice. She served as an instructor of anthropology and the director of the Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Laboratory (FACES) at Louisiana State University before retiring in 2015. She is the author of three nonfiction books: The Bone Lady, Trail of Bones, and Bone Remains, as well as one fiction novel, Floating Souls: The Canal Murders.