2008-01-08 Old school

Dr. Garrett shares many fascinating stories from his long career as a pathologist. Some of his "patients" were victims of some of Britain's most notorius killers. Others were killed by mobsters, the friendly neighbour, or even their father or husband. The doctor also gives us a glimpse into the working conditions of the mortuaries, which I hope have improved since then! Even if some cases propably were pretty straightforward, the author manages to create a suspense that kept me from putting the book down. There are also a lot of "english understatement" that adds to books over-all quality.
The weakest passages are where the dear doctor moves to fields where he has no expertise, and may I add, not very well funded opinions. It is not surprising that a pathologist form beliefs of right and wrong and how the legal system should work, after all they see the raw consequences of crime. The problem is that he does not add anything of value to this discussion, and I found these chapters boring and outdated. For this reason I rate the book 3 stars. I still think Cause of Death is worth reading as it contains a lot of interesting facts and well written stories.