Forensic Detective: How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases

Death. It's not only inevitable and frightening, it's intriguing and fascinating — especially today, when science continues to make ever more stunning advances in the investigation of the oldest and darkest of mysteries. To discover the how and why of death, unearth its roots, and expose the mechanics of its grim handiwork is, at least in some sense, to master it. And in the process, if a criminal can be caught or closure found, so much the better.

Enter Robert Mann, forensic anthropologist, deputy scientific director of the U.S. government's Central Identification Laboratory, and, some might say, the Sherlock Holmes of death detectives. When the dead reveal some of their most sensational, macabre, and poignant tales, more often than not it's Mann who's been listening. Now, in this remarkable casebook, he offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes portrait of his sometimes gruesome, frequently dangerous, and always compelling profession. In cases around the world, Mann has been called upon to unmask killers with nothing but the bones of their victims to guide him, draw out clues that restore identities to the nameless dead, recover remains thought to be hopelessly lost, and piece together the events that can unlock the truth behind the most baffling deaths.

The infamous 9/11 terror attacks, which killed thousands; the unplanned killing that inaugurated serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer?s grisly spree; mysterious military fatalities from World War II to the Cold War to Vietnam, including the amazing case of the Vietnam War's Unknown Soldier — all the fascinating stories are here, along with photos from the author's personal files. Mystery hangings, mass graves, errant body parts, actual skeletons in closets, and a host of homicides steeped in bizarre clues and buried secrets — they're all in a day's work for one dedicated detective whose job begins when a life ends.

"Readers who manage to put the hyperbolic and misleading subtitle aside will find this an enjoyable if unremarkable addition to the ceaseless, CSI-inspired forensic subgenre of true crime. Mann, deputy director of the federal Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, studied with masters of the field, including the legendary Body Farm founder, Bill Bass. The 20 chapters do a nice job of presenting the essence of forensic anthropology, although there is little that will be new to anyone who has read a similarly themed book (and Bass recently penned his own memoir, a better place for a newcomer to start). Mann's skill and dedication are unquestioned — he pieced together the smashed bones of one of the victims of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer — and his role in helping to identify soldiers' remains is admirable, but many of his case studies are similar, and a number end inconclusively (belying the book's title). The author might have done better to present fewer war stories, but to look at each in greater depth." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Armchair CSIs will enjoy this fascinating look at forensics in action." Booklist

"Forensic anthropology doesn't get better than this." Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist and bestselling author

"An inside look not only at the importance and wonders of forensic anthropology in war and peace...but also into the education of one of its most outstanding practitioners. Authoritatively written and fascinating!" Michael M. Baden, M.D., former chief medical examiner, New York City; chief forensic pathologist, New York State Police

"This is one of the first books, if not the first, on international forensic anthropology cases. Dr. Bob Mann is one of the few people in the world who has the background and experiences to write such a book." Dr. Bill Bass

Forget CSI — this is the real deal! From Jeffrey Dahmer to 9/11, these are true case histories from one of the world's foremost forensic anthropologists.

One of the world's leading forensic anthropologists offers a poignant look at the life and mind of a scientist who seeks answers in the bodies of the dead as he invites readers on some of his most riveting cases. 8-page photo insert.

Robert Mann, Ph.D., has worked at the Central Identification Laboratory for nearly thirteen years. Dr. Mann completed more than thirty-five search-and-recovery missions around the world and participated in thirty-six joint forensic reviews in Hanoi and Cambodia, two in North Korea, and one in Latvia, where he examined remains suspected of being American MIAs. He received his Ph.D. in physical anthropology from the University of Hawaii and has written two books and more than ninety-five papers in the popular and scientific literature. Dr. Mann is one of only seventy-three scientists certified as a Diplomat of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.

Miryam Ehrlich Williamson is a former newspaper reporter and magazine writer. She is the author of a book on artificial intelligence, five books on health and longevity, and several published poems and short stories. Her work has won awards from the Associated Press and the American Medical Writers Association.

1. Fragmentary Evidence: Jeffrey Dahmer's First Victim
2. From the Cradle to the Funeral Home: The Making of a Forensic Anthropologist
3. The Body Farm
4. The Cades Cove Murder
5. The Halloween Mummy
6. A Man and His Car
7. A Florida Hanging
8. A Question of Murder
9. Searching for a Friend's Grave
10. The Last Unknown
11. House of Horrors: The Poughkeepsie Serial Killer
12. The Fate of a Skyknight
13. A Leg in the Toilet Bowl
14. A Pearl Harbor Sailor
15. Out of the Blue
16. Ripley Would be Proud
17. A Shot in the Dark: The Death of Private Horner
18. Murder in Paradise: The Killing of Michael Rhett Hackmeyer
19. Thunderbolts and Liberators
20. The Bone Traders