Fab read. Could not put down. Highly recommended to all. Believable characters. Great author. Will be watching out for more titles.

Writing a memoir of your career, can be a bit hit and miss. There’s a fine line between fascinating account of your working life and a dry, dull or egotistical work, and I’ve read more of the latter types than the former.

Luckily, this week’s review is of a book that is one of the former. Dr Richard Shepherd here manages to weave always interesting anecdotes and accounts of his work as a forensic pathologist with the impact his career has had on his personal life. Rather than being full of ego, his story is more apologetic, recognising his flaws and how his preoccupation with work has negatively impacted on his (now ex) wife and children.

He also recognises the impact of his own childhood on how he deals with trauma and emotion, and this is partly why the book is so satisfying: he has a self-awareness rare among those who have become hugely successful in their field, and is willing to talk about his failures as well as successes. He comes across as a complex but likeable man, who has worked in a difficult and changing field.

Shepherd’s account of his career takes in both (in)famous cases and ones that have been largely forgotten by press and public, if indeed they were ever known. Those who remember the 1992 murder of young mother Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common, the Marchioness disaster of 1989, and the racially-motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 will find Sheppard’s involvement of interest; he was also involved with postmortems on the remains of British people who died as a result of 9/11 and the homegrown 7/7 terrorist attacks.

Yet the most powerful parts of the book relate to the lesser known cases, and Shepherd puts these into context, showing the changes that have taken place during his career in terms of both methods of killing and the evidence for a growing obesity epidemic amongst the bodies he deals with. His account makes clear the senseless nature of murders, and the difficulties in ascertaining the cause of death – not to mention the stress of giving evidence about your findings in a sometimes combative courtroom.

Unsurprisingly, as a result of his work, Shepherd was relatively recently diagnosed with PTSD, and he offers an honest account not only of how this has affected him, but also its ongoing nature, despite the respite that counselling has been able to offer. This honesty is rare, but welcome, enabling the reader to see the emotional cost of violent death not only on the victims’ relatives and friends, but also on the professionals tasked with working out what happened.

When I saw that this book was available via NetGalley I jumped at the chance to review it!

Dr Richard Shepherd gives a really detailed memoir of his working (and personal life) as a forensic pathologist. From the early days, he documents big events that have shaped the person that he is today. Dr Shepherd has been involved in a vast number of criminal cases, terrorist incidents and disasters, including that of Stephen Lawrence and Princess Diana.

I am in awe of the grit, determination and passion that Dr Shepherd demonstrates in his chosen career, having carried out over 25,000 post mortem examinations. Through reading his story it is clear that whilst he is passionate and shows compassion, understanding and fascination towards his patients, his job has impacted on his life in many different ways. He talks openly about the effect that his career has had on his mental health, the toll it has taken on his family and his friendships.

I found this to be a really interesting book dealing with grisly and gruesome cases, with absolute compassion and respect.

One of those books that I thought I would like more than I did. The author trained to be a forensic pathologist and worked for many years on major cases, from bombs to shaken babies. From the beginning he hinted that he had had difficulties with PTSD, but I never really felt that I understood him and his choices. Fascinating in terms of why someone might go into this field, and rather depressing in terms of (again) the influence of privatisation of the job.

This was a netgalley book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Unnatural Causes'.

This was one of the most fascinating books I have read this year. It autobiographical and the author recounts his career as a forensic pathologist. Although it deals with 'gory' subject matter, it is sensitively presented and is so interesting. I found myself wanting the book to be twice as long so I could read of more cases he dealt with.

From reading the book, I have the greatest respect for the work forensic pathologists do and as with all doctors, feel that the pressure they are under and the hours they are required to work must take it's toll, both on their own well-being and on family life.

If you had said to me a few years back that I would be reading a book about pathology, I would have quite literally laughed in your face. As soon as someone spoke about death, I would walk out of the room because of the fear I had associated with it. Fast forward many, many years, and not only am I now reading books which are fictionally gorey, I am also reading non-fiction books about death, autopsies, and forensics. Funny how things can change, isn't it?

There was just something highly intriguing by the title of this book and and the tagline on the cover; I just knew I had to read it.

Not only is 'Unnatural Causes' about some of the bodies which Dr. Shepherd has been faced with, it is also an honest account from the doctor himself, about how those autopsies affected both him and the people around him. The life that Dr. Shepherd chose was one which intrigued him from the moment he clapped eyes on a certain medical book as a young boy. His hunger for medicine and dead bodies put fire in his belly - it wasn't just a case of accumulating dead bodies in the mortuary where he worked, it was also the mystery behind those deaths which spurred him on. However, his personal life suffered greatly because of his profession. I have no idea how he managed to switch from forensic pathologist, to husband and father, at the touch of a button, but I can only assume how difficult that must have been for both him and his family.

The detail in this book is second to none. Whilst there is a lot of medical language used, Dr. Shepherd gives explanations for the medical terms, and the terms used whenever he had to give evidence in court. I had never read a book about pathology, and to be honest, I was worried that I wasn't 'clever' enough for a book of this calibre, however due to the simplistic explanations and incredible detail, I was able to understand and enjoy everything about this book.

It feels a bit weird saying that I enjoyed reading a book about death! It's not that I enjoyed the fact that many people died, or the devastation each of the victims families had to faced, it was the science behind the post mortem's and trying to reach a conclusion as to how that particular person died. Were drugs involved? Was it a murder? If so, was the victim killed in the place that they were found, or were they merely dumped there? The fact that Dr. Shepherd went as far as reenacting (as best as able) a murder in his own living room, trying to establish whether the culprit was left or right handed, really did open my eyes to what a pathologist actually did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't just that which opened my eyes, I mean, the whole discussion regarding how a body is cut open during a post mortem, certainly stopped me in my tracks.

It is very clever how to realise just how our bodies work from the inside out, when at times we take that for granted because all we can see is the outside of our bodies. We don't really think about what goes on inside unless we are getting checked for certain things. We know our hearts beat, but would you know how much your heart is meant to weigh? Would you know what type of body would rise to the surface first, should a body be found dead there? Would you be aware of internal body temperature? I know those answers now, but only because I have read this book.

Honestly, my brain was like a sponge soaking up all of the science throughout this book! It was extremely interesting, whilst also intense, how the book went on to discuss how the post mortem's were carried out for the 9/11 attacks, as well as other unfortunate disasters. Plus, it's not every day that you read about Princess Diana's death from the pathology side instead of reading the conspiracies in the Daily Mail. I was blown away by the steps that had to be taken, the organisation, how courts were involved. Everything.

'Unnatural Causes' is an absolutely fascinating, honest and brutal account of life versus death and visa versa - I have learnt so, so much thanks to Dr. Shepherd. I highly recommend!

This book wasn't what I was expecting. I started to read it some time ago and gave up with it but thought I'd give it another try. It was okay but overly padded. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

Dr Shepherds led a facinating life. This is well written and honest account of his experiences with the dead. And over the years how this work has had an affect on his family life and personal mental health.
Interesting medical facts about dead bodies which I didnt feel were to grim or gory. A great read for anyone interested in the work of forenstics.

When I heard about Unnatural Causes, the biography of Dr. Richard Shepherd, forensic pathologist I knew that I simply had to read it.

After watching and reading thousands of true crime stories, there are always questions floating around my rather morbid brain about how a cause of death is identified. There is also healthy respect and fascination for the highly trained experts in this field.

Dr. Shepherd explains the technicalities of a post mortem (autopsy) clearly and concisely, explaining medical jargon without patronising the reader. I was impressed by his unfailing respect for the dead, something that concerned me in the past. He explains ways which he can identify how long a person has been deceased plus many other procedures which have to be performed to give a detailed and accurate report.

Dr. Shepherd takes us through his childhood, how his mother died prematurely and his father behaved erratically following her death. We get to hear how Dr. Shepherd meets his wife and goes on to become a father. It was interesting to hear how Dr. Shepherd could attend to the bodies of the most horrific tragedies, then detach himself enough to go home to resume life as a family man. I enjoyed the contrast of hearing about the personal side to Dr. Shepherd's life as well as the professional side.

This is an amazingly honest and graphic account of both the private and professional life of a forensic pathologist who has worked on some of the most high profile cases in recent British history. It is delivered with extreme compassion and respect for the deceased.

This book is a must for crime readers but for writers of crime novels, it is an absolutely essential reference guide.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books, and the author Dr Richard Shepherd.
This book was absolutely fascinating, and gave detailed insight into the world of a forensic pathologist.
I’d estimate that over 90% of the books I read are fiction, and this memoir will undoubtedly encourage me to expand into non-fiction a little more often.
Written openly and with no attempt to glamorous the past, I’d highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in this area.

I was completely blown away at the penmanship of Unnatural Causes, most non-fiction reads, especially those of a medical nature tend to be difficult to follow, as well as throwing in medical jargon without any explanation of what it means. Unnatural Causes is not like that at all, it reads as though it is a storyline, which it basically is I suppose. Dr Richard Shepherd has given us not only an insight into his professional life, but also a glimpse into his personal life - we mould a character that is a father, son, husband and forensic pathologist. We've been given a piece of the man behind the mask, for that reason I was able to fully embrace the book and emotionally / mentally submerge myself into the 'storyline'.

The beginning of this medical memoir we are met by Dr Shepherd who appears to be having what he believes to be a huge panic attack, a possible repercussion from his job as a forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, in which he questioned his occupation. This we learn could be the emotional ties to his first case bubbling over the cusp of his unconscious. From this point, we are drawn back to Richard's first case as a forensic pathologist - The Hungerford Massacre - from this first (hugely noted) case it descripts how far along forensic pathology has developed from having to wait for a computer to 'warm up' for an individual to type notes dictated by the pathologist, whereas contemporary practice would be a microphone, where the FP would type notes after carrying out the post-mortem(s).

As I've said, I had to keep telling myself that Unnatural Causes was of a non-fictional genre, it was rammed full of chilling details that at times you couldn't believe were true, the amount of information included was astronomical. Dr Richard Shepherd would talk about a case that he would present in court, such as the a case of SIDs that he was forensic pathologist for, when that term was fairly new - he linked the uncertainty of those types of cases to the hugely famous one of Sally Clark and the death of her two sons. This enables the reader to absorb the information by linking cases, visualising the more information and therefore understanding the points at hand.

The empathy that Dr Shepherd literates is both heart-breaking and admirable, you can see that forensic pathology isn't just a job for him but rather a calling. He believes that it is his job to provide the truth of what happened to the individuals who have died, whether lawfully or not. Only he can provide the truth; he speaks for them. They are not only body parts to him, they are someone's father, mother, son, daughter, sister etc. this read humanises the dead.

A number of people are afraid what happens to their body immediately after death, they see pathologists as hackers of the body - especially if they are carrying out a post - mortem on a loved one. Unnatural Causes not only delves into the details of a forensic autopsy, but also sheds some light on the use of a medical / clinical autopsy. For example, not only is an autopsy used as a tool to determine the cause of death, but also if the individual was on some form of treatment such as chemotherapy, it can be a learning tool concerning how the treatments affects on the human body, therefore helps to develop medicine.

This read isn't for the faint hearted, you will learn about cases that you didn't even know would exist without this read. One of the facts that I think will stick with me due to pure shock of reading it concerns babies! Apparently newborn babies are more like to mummify than purify due to them being relatively sterile *shivers*.  Pathologists are also relied upon for safeguarding information, for example if a child dies within a family in suspicious circumstances, will any further children be at risk. Not all superheroes wear capes.

I could keep writing amazing things about this book! Overall, Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd is a gripping non-fiction / medical memoir that will keep you compulsively turning the pages. Although it's packed to the brim with information it's not over complicated, it's quite layman's without being patronising or boring. An absolute excellent read! Superb!

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed reading about the events and stories that have taken place. I think it was a gripping and interesting read.

Shepherd is at his best when he drops his guard and allows the reader to see the depths of his fascination for, and love of, his profession. There are times when his writing comes alive, taking us into the mysteries of our own bodies with their vivid colours (livers the shade of a freshly-ploughed field or speckled like a mackerel in the case of disease) and we see his desire to bear witness because ultimately death renders us all voiceless.

He's honest about his PTSD although a lingering sense of shame hangs over his recounting of which is unnecessary. It is pretty much impossible to come out unscathed when one's job involves seeing the very worst that humans can do to each other. He has done other professionals a great service in writing about this.

I found this book to be totally fascinating. Absolutely absorbing. I am very interested in matters medical and this was a wonderful insight into the unknown world of a pathologist. It reveals a lot of the situations that they have to deal with on a day to day basis and the effect that dealing with them has on the doctor.
It is not a particularly grisly book so it is written in a way that makes it an interesting read without making you squirm. I am sure he could have taken us deeper into his world, but then he would not have sold many copies. I really thoroughly enjoyed it and thank you for writing it.

There are not many times in my life I have been speechless but this book just WOW !!! what can I say what an incredible read. Richard Shepherd has achieved so much in his life and his passion is shown on every page I was left understanding death is so much more and he really is an amazing man.

This for one is not an easy subject to write about but he writes about it in a way that left me wanting more and some of the cases he worked I can remember them in the news during the years I was growing up. Even driving past one of the disaster aftermaths as a child on the motorway.

This book was a fascinating look into the world of Forensic Pathology and it was a great way to really understand how some of these major cases where outline from the Pathologist viewpoint, its a must read and highly recommend by me !!

Thank you, Richard Shepard, for writing this book and Netgalley letting me have the hour of reviewing it!

Dr Richard Shepherd writes a fascinating and riveting blend of autobiography and memoir about his time as a top forensic pathologist in Britain. He has been involved in too many to count headlining criminal cases, disasters, and terrorist incidents in recent British history. He has carried out almost 25,000 post mortems, a head spinning number, in his search to determine the truth of how a person died. The nature of truth itself is a complex and complicated beast that he has to tussle with. Given the nature of his profession, it is inevitable there are plenty of grisly aspects to his job, and to be honest, I completely respect Shepherd, he does a job I could not ever imagine wanting to do, I just would not be able to handle it, particularly given the close encounters with the dead on almost a every day basis, through all those years. And he himself is not left untouched as he provides insights into his personal life, the emotional wear and tear, and the toll it takes on his mental health and the impact on his family.

I was surprised just how wide ranging aspects of his work are, including the need to be so well acquainted with extensive parts of the law. This is an insightful book, I was hugely impressed with Dr Richard Shepherd, his compassion, his dedication, determination, and using his expertise to act as a advocate for the dead. This is for true crime aficionados and crime fiction fans alike, its eye opening and knowledgeable about forensic pathology, providing real life clarity and written in a easy to read style. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

This isn't my usual read however it seemed very interesting so I thought that I would give it a chance, Overall I did find it interesting but at the same time I find biographies to often lose my interest.

I realise that the content of this book - forensic pathology - will put many people off reading it. It is of course graphic in places but fascinating and I imagine would reassure many of the care that is taken over investigating deaths and how professionally it is handled.

Dr Shepherd has handled most of the cases that you'll have heard of in Britain and internationally. The Stephen Lawrence case, the Clapham rail disaster, Dr Shipman and many acts of terrorism. It truly is fascinating both on a professional level and on his life personally and how it affects family life

I started off enjoying this book but then lost interest, to be honest I am not sure what I was expecting but I thought it would be more about cases that were a bit unusual. Not badly written just not for me.

I'm a huge true crime fan and I especially love reading books by people who work in forensics or crime investigation. This book was a delight to read! When I say Dr Shepherd is a prolific forensic pathologist, I mean prolific. The man worked on over 23,000 post-mortems, including several of Britain's biggest disasters such as the Hungerford massacre and the Marchioness boat crash on the River Thames. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish, and highly recommend to anyone who has a love of true crime. Great read!