Remains Silent

by Michael Baden, Linda Kenney Baden, Linda Kenney

Book Overview

From Michael Baden (former New York City chief medical examiner, chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police and for the U.S. Congress investigations into the assassinations of President... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400044197
• ISBN13: 9781400044191
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.6" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Forensic Entertainment at its Best

I saw the interview by Charles Gibson on Good Morning America of Dr. Baden and his lovely wife, who is an attorney at law, and as Charlie asked questions about this intriguing novel, it turns out it is more of an autobiography of Dr. Baden meeting his wife and the case they were working on together. This interview prompted me to buy the book and once I started to read, I couldn't put the book down until I finished. Sprinkled with the good guys and the bad guys, it is a outstanding murder mystery with forensic science and just a hint of a romantic love story. The story flies and before you know it, you are at the end wanting more. I hope there will be more books to come by these authors.

Slow start

This book starts off extremely slow and I even considered not finishing it, but around a hundred pages in I actually started to enjoy it. It isn't liek the traditional murder mysteries, and that can be understood considering Baden's previous job titles. It got into great detail and was very descriptive. I would certainly read another book this married writing duo writes. Once you get past the beginning and into the story that took a little while to develp you will enjoy it a lot. Two thumbs up!

A fast-paced and well-written mystery about a medical examiner and trial lawyer duo

Writing an entertaining mystery novel is not a simple task. Collaborating on such an effort is even more difficult. Collaborating with one's spouse represents perhaps the trifecta of writing difficulty. Michael Baden and Linda Kenney --- authors, collaborators and spouses --- have overcome the inherent difficulty of such a writing assignment in their debut novel, REMAINS SILENT. This is a fast-paced, enjoyable mystery that takes full advantage of the professional careers and experiences of its authors. Michael Baden is a nationally known medical examiner and host of the HBO series "Autopsy." He has testified as an expert witness in courtrooms across America and is recognized as one of the law's leading forensic scientists. Linda Kenney is an experienced trial attorney who serves as a legal commentator for CNN and Court TV. Readers therefore should not be surprised that this mystery has as its protagonists a chief medical examiner for New York City and a crusading female trial attorney. "Write about what you know" is indeed the first lesson taught at most writing seminars. Dr. Jake Rosen and trial attorney Philomena "Manny" Manfreda first appear in REMAINS SILENT as combatants in a civil rights trial involving the alleged wrongful shooting and subsequent death of a young woman. While Jake is testifying against Manny's client, the attorney violates a cardinal rule of trial practice and asks a question to which she does not know the answer. Jake's response sends a missile into the heart of Manny's case, exploding any chance of victory. While Manny is devastated, Jake views his performance in court as an exercise where expertise and science yield a just and truthful result. Trial attorneys and expert witnesses both recognize that once a case is finished, the file is closed and preparations begin for the next battle. For Jake a new investigation commences with a phone call from his former boss and mentor Pete Harrigan, who retired from the full-time practice of medical examiner but still serves rural Baxter County in its occasional needs for death certificates and autopsies. When construction begins on the site of a new and desperately needed shopping mall in Pete's community, skeletal remains of several bodies are discovered. The city fathers do not want anything to stand in the way of their new mall, but Pete knows no loyalty other than to the truth. He summons Jake to help him investigate the suspicious nature of the bones found near a long-ago closed mental facility. The investigation convinces Jake that something is amiss. After identifying one of the bodies found in the excavation, he refers a relative of the deceased to an attorney, none other than Manny Manfreda. The lawyer and pathologist form an investigative alliance that not only ferrets out the truth but also results in a romantic relationship. Their first date is interrupted by an emergency autopsy gloriously described by the authors in a fashion that suggests a battle of wills that

Kathleen

Exciting book, vivid characters, exciting to the end. Can't wait until the next one!!!!!!!!

Could be better

I wasn't really sure how to review this book....3,4 or 5 stars....it was a really fast, fun, interesting, hard to put down book...yet it was a little shallow, and.....surface..... not sure how to explain. I guess what I am trying to say, it was predictable, and mystery "light", yet it was so fun, and I read it in a day...it has been a long time since I started a book and couldn't put it down until it was finished. Well worth the read, I hope there will be another one coming with the same characters because I am not ready to let them go..... Hard to explain....fun, quick book, good mystery, interesting forensics, not a five, but a strong four.