Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office

by John Temple

Book Overview

Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office chronicles the exploits of a diverse team of investigators at a coroner's office in Pittsburgh. Ed Strimlan is a doctor who never got to practice medicine.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157806743X
• ISBN13: 9781578067435
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 177 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Helped me immensely.

I picked this book up shortly after I started as an intern at a coroners office. It was very helpful to read about exactly was I was experiencing and to know that what I was feeling about those experiences was normal. Its a great read for a curious person and its quite accurate.

Awesome book about the life of coroners & staff...

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book actually helped me decide whether or not going into this field of work. I absolutely love CSI (but hate CSI Miami and CSI NY...too much Hollywood in those...ugh). This is a book about these professional's lives, NOT forensic science technology and the latest techniques used, etc..which I, for one, wasn't expecting by reading the overview of the book to begin with. If you want to get a feel of what it's like to live in these professionals shoes than this is your book, and a wonderful one at that! I like to read about stuff that people never talk about and that is so taboo. We should all get more comfortable with death and our immortal bodies. Thanks author, It was an enjoyable read!

Great read for professionals and laymen

As a physician, I usually steer clear of medical books or TV shows, as they are typically all drama, no reality. However, a friend gave me this book, and I was really surprised -- it is an accurate account of 'life' in the morgue, but told in a truly compellng manner. It was easy for me to empathize with the characters, especially the new interns, as I remember my first moments in medical school when I first dealt with death. I actually learned a lot too -- information about the infrastructure and politics behind the coroner's office. Temple is a great story-teller. This book is a great read, from its medical detailing to its character development. I strongly recommend this book ... maybe I'll use it for my next book-club!

Perfect for CSI fans...or those just looking for a great story

Deadhouse doesn't club you over the head with the specifics science of forensics (yawn) but does give enough info. to keep forensic science enthusiasts interested. This isn't a textbook but rather a fast-paced look at the lives of people intersecting through a topic that is endlessly fascinating but not often discussed: death. And it takes place in Pittsburgh, not Philadelphia. That's enough reason to read this on its own. This isn't the type of book I would normally pick up (I'm more of a Jane Austen, Larry McMurty reader) but I'm glad I did. The only bad thing about this book is that it didn't go on longer.