Bodies We've Buried: Inside the National Forensic Academy, the World's Top CSI TrainingSchool Paperback – Illustrated, May 1, 2007

The College Of Carnage. The Harvard Of Hellish Violence. The National Forensic Academy has earned many nicknames from its students. In this book, you'll find out why.'Bodies We've Buried' takes us from day one of classes at this esteemed institution through all ten intensive weeks (two and a half months) of the program. From how to properly use a camera through an extremely detailed description of an actual autopsy (put on a glove and come feel this), the steps of a CSI investigator are outlined chapter by chapter.Down On The Farm, Diggin Up Bones, It's A Rigorous Job But Someone's Got To Do It, Vinyl Resting Place, Heart Strings, and Spatter Up! are the best chapters in the book, gruesome and filled with extremely grisly details. These are the chapters that focus on dead bodies, blood splatter, bones, and "human effluence" of crime scenes.There are also chapters on arson and bombings. (Did you know that there are five degrees of burns and not just three? The last two occur after death) The leading chapters tend to be the most boring, like the authors were warming up to a subject. Stick through the details of photography and fingerprinting to get to the "meat" of the subject. The authors themselves tend to become more relaxed as the subjects get gorier. There's lots of pictures, though very few are of the gruesome nature (but look out, some of them are!).The details of this book show the tremendous impact that a good CSI can have on a crime scene, and the problems that an untrained CSI can inadvertently cause. I can hardly imagine spending two and a half months in the intensive training program that these dedicated people go through. Though close to being a technical novel, I ate this book up in a single day - it's that interesting.There's a detailed Glossary of terms, a "Who's Who In Forensic Investigation" giving specific titles of who handles what evidence, a Resources bibliography, Acknowledgements, and an extensive Index. If your truly into the field of dead bodies, then this book is worth the hardcover price, otherwise wait for the paperback. Also, check out 'Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadavers' by Mary Roach. Enjoy!

I bought this in hardcover years ago, and was thrilled to see the digital version available, so I bought it again. This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in forensic investigation. And while they don't reveal all the tips and tricks that law enforcement uses, it provides a fascinating glimpse into the basics. I wish people would invest more time in education regarding the reality of forensic examinations rather than relying on very poor representations of it on popular TV shows.

An excellent book! I graduated from Class XXXI at the NFA & am proud to say that I didn't just read this book, I lived it! It is a well written narrative of what the NFA is really like and I will always cherish this book.

I can't seem to put this book down. A great look at behind the scenes of a real CSI school. I wish I could attend this intense course but it is for police officers and crime scene technicians only. Makes you want to change careers.

very descriptive and informative and witty. reads like a txt book at times, but it is about a class. very interesting to see how much work goes into each and every case. I enjoyed it.

Bought this as a gift item, but immediately recommended it as another gift for someone who is wanting to study forensics. Nicely written and the photos are helpful and not too gruesome.

I was surprised to see nobody had reviewed this book yet. I read it over a year ago but I remember it being a good jack of all trades sort of primer. A chapter on photography, chapter on fires, etc. Lot of new stuff not in other books I had read. Really good.

I wasnt expecting the book to be about the school- I was more expecting it to detail the lessons etc ( which it did- just not as in depth as I thought it would). Overall though it was from a great seller and a good book.