2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 1 book toward her goal of 285 books.
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2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 5 books toward her goal of 265 books.
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Book Review: 18 Tiny Deaths by Bruce Goldfarb

Frances Glessner Lee is such a fascinating subject and a detailed biography is long overdue, so first and foremost thank you to Bruce Goldfarb for recognizing this and taking the time to craft such a detailed and homage-laden book. I first learned about Captain Lee in the book Savage Appetites – a very intriguing collection of brief biographies of four women “obsessed with” (the subtitle’s words, not mine) murder. It was a fantastic introduction to Lee and the Nutshells, and it set the hook for my interest in her life. When I saw Goldfarb’s biography on NetGalley I immediately requested it and upon approval I couldn’t wait to dig in…

Lee is a fascinating character and her story is a marvelous example of how one woman refused to be told no. Her tale is inspirational and her role in forensics is indisputable. Goldfarb does a marvelous job describing her role in the development of the modern field of forensic medicine, covering in equal measure her life and involvement as well as the obstacles that repeatedly popped into her path and her ceaseless efforts to overcome them through generous applications of time, money, and energy.

I must admit, at times the book moved a little more slowly than I wanted. I suspect this is because I knew about the Nutshells and the scope of her role in the Harvard program from the get-go. I knew what I wanted to know more about (if that makes sense) and sometimes the pace of the narrative frustrated me because it was so descriptive and detailed and I just wanted to get to the parts I was most interested in (which largely come later in her life). The details are fascinating and once I realized this was the source of my frustration I reminded myself to slow down and enjoy the ride, and that helped a lot – suggesting that, If I had approached this blind, I wouldn’t have had the same issues. The writing is clear and straightforward, and I don’t think the amount of detail provided was ever inappropriate – I was just that eager to learn more and wanted to get there as quickly a possible!

This is a marvelous story about the perseverance of one woman and the immeasurable impact that her actions had on the future of modern criminology. It’s a tale everyone should hear, and Goldfarb’s book is a fantastic addition to the field of criminal justice and a must-read for anyone interested in crime and its resolution.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

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