Synopses & Reviews
DIY andlt;Iandgt;C.S.Iandlt;/Iandgt;: A fascinating look at the world of armchair detectivesand#8212;or and#8220;web sleuthsand#8221;and#8212;compelled by their personal obsessions and aided by Internet technology to andlt;Iandgt;solveandlt;/Iandgt; cold cases like never before.andlt;brandgt;andlt;brandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/Iandgt; explores an Internet subculture where amateur sleuths work to match missing persons with unidentified remains, solving previously categorized and#8220;cold casesand#8221; along the way. Such cases might languish within local police departments for decades, but now a growing cadre of web sleuthsand#8212;scattered all over the globe and armed with little more than laptopsand#8212;is changing the rules of the game.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The web sleuthsandlt;Iandgt; andlt;/Iandgt;are ordinary people with day jobs who spend their evenings combing through evidence, poring over facial reconstructions (a sort of Facebook for the dead), newspaper archives, missing person listings, and other databases, trying to match the unidentified with photos and other details of the missing. Many are the sort who excel at crossword and logic puzzles, for whom solving cases becomes a competitive sport, complete with jealousy and sore losersand#8212;and in this case, a scorecard of dead bodies. Against all odds, the web sleuths are succeeding in providing tips crucial to solving cases, some decades old, and demonstrating that the persistence and power of crowdsourcing can alter the way law enforcement has traditionally interacted with the public. andlt;Iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/Iandgt; is an engrossing foray into a most curious treasure hunt.
Review
"A compelling glimpse into a little-known subculture inhabited by a colorful cast of the idiosyncratic, the quirky, and the downright weird."
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/iandgt; is a carefully crafted account of an intriguing new opportunity for arm chair sleuths. Thanks to the Internet, anyone with a computer, curiosity, patience, and a passion for justice can enter the dark world of missing persons and unsolved homicides. Itand#8217;s fascinating to learn how such matches are made and heartening to witness the growing cooperation between law enforcement and ordinary citizens whose persistence can sometimes crack the code in cold cases that have languished unresolved for years. I loved it.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;From home-computer screens to a new national database, join andlt;Iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/Iandgt; for a page-turning behind-the-scenes look at the world of Internet sleuths who give names to the men and women who have died without identity. For the first time ever, readers are brought the real-life cases of missing persons, the unidentified dead, and the network of people that gives them their names . . . proving once again what I said at the conclusion of every episode of Americaand#8217;s Most Wanted: and#8216;One person can make a difference.and#8217;and#8221;
Review
"In this highly addictive story-within-a-story narrative, Deborah Halber skillfully exposes the complex Internet subculture of amateur sleuths. The people who obsess over the fates and identities of Jane and John Does are puzzles in themselves, which adds a fascinating layer to this captivating book. andlt;iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/iandgt; will likely inspire many more case resolutions."
Review
and#8220;Exploring the world of amateur sleuths, Halber proves to be the perfect guide: unflinching, perceptive, wry. I was hooked from page one.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;An integral component of NamUs is the group of responsible, dedicated volunteers who scour case details in an effort to match long-term missing persons to unidentified decedents. In andlt;iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/iandgt;, Deborah Halber follows the journey of some of these volunteers who have made it their mission to assist criminal justice professionals in resolving those cases.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Halberand#8217;s artful sleuthing into this little-known demimonde leaves one bloodthirsty for more.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A lively study thatand#8217;s part whodunit, part sociological study. . . . The result is eminently entertaining and will be devoured by armchair detectives.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;For me, this book was much more than a terrific read about a layered subculture in a field that crosses my own. It was an invitation to get involvedand#8230; I hope a lot of people read this book. I hope they feel the urgency of the need to identify those whoand#8217;ve been separated from their names and to reunite the missing with their loved ones. I hope this book inspires the addition of many more eyes and ears in this workand#8230;I know of no better guide for navigating this multifaceted world than Halberand#8217;s book.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Compellingand#8221;
Review
"The journey is fascinating."
Review
and#8220;Brilliant . . . Ms. Halber chronicles with lucidity and wit . . . the workings of this fascinating new subculture.and#8221;
Review
If you like tales of discovered body parts, heads in concrete in buckets, corpses whose hands have been cut off, decomposition, decay and death, then this fascinating, riveting book is for you.
Review
"Halber's intriguing book ought to bring in lots more volunteers."
Review
and#8220;[An] absorbing look at a very odd corner of our world.and#8221;
Review
"Engaging, arful."
Synopsis
Solving cold cases from the comfort of your living room...
The Skeleton Crew provides an entree into the gritty and tumultuous world of Sherlock Holmes-wannabes who race to beat out law enforcement--and one another--at matching missing persons with unidentified remains.
In America today, upwards of forty thousand people are dead and unaccounted for. These murder, suicide, and accident victims, separated from their names, are being adopted by the bizarre online world of amateur sleuths.
It's DIY CSI.
The web sleuths pore over facial reconstructions (a sort of Facebook for the dead) and other online clues as they vie to solve cold cases and tally up personal scorecards of dead bodies. The Skeleton Crew delves into the macabre underside of the Internet, the fleeting nature of identity, and how even the most ordinary citizen with a laptop and a knack for puzzles can reinvent herself as a web sleuth.
Synopsis
Solving cold cases from the comfort of your living roomand#8230;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;The Skeleton Crewandlt;/iandgt; provides an entree into the gritty and tumultuous world of Sherlock Holmesand#8211;wannabes who race to beat out law enforcementand#8212;and one anotherand#8212;at matching missing persons with unidentified remains.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In America today, upwards of forty thousand people are dead and unaccounted for. These murder, suicide, and accident victims, separated from their names, are being adopted by the bizarre online world of amateur sleuths.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Itand#8217;s DIY CSI.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The web sleuths pore over facial reconstructions (a sort of Facebook for the dead) and other online clues as they vie to solve cold cases and tally up personal scorecards of dead bodies. andlt;iandgt;The Skeleton Crew andlt;/iandgt;delves into the macabre underside of the Internet, the fleeting nature of identity, and how even the most ordinary citizen with a laptop and a knack for puzzles can reinvent herself as a web sleuth.
About the Author
Deborah Halber is a Boston-based journalist whose work has appeared in andlt;iandgt;The Boston Globeandlt;/iandgt;; andlt;iandgt;Technology Review;andlt;/iandgt;andnbsp;the interactive, illustrated digital magazine andlt;iandgt;Symbolia;andlt;/iandgt; and many university publications. A native New Yorker, she received her BA from Brandeis University and an MA in journalism from New York University. A member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Mystery Writers of America, and the National Association of Science Writers, she has chronicled breakthroughs in neuroscience, molecular biology, energy, and technology at MIT and Tufts, but is most enthralled with and#8220;quantum weirdness,and#8221; worm longevity, cell undertakers, and the properties of snail slime. Visit her at DeborahHalber.com.