Bloated bodies, burned victims, bones, and bite marks

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Bloated bodies, burned victims, bones, and bite marks

In the spring of 1983, I began to assist the newly appointed state medical examiner with the identification of a “John Doe”, whose body had been pulled from the murky waters of the Cumberland River, here in Nashville, Tennessee.  The badly decomposed body was bloated, discolored and bore an odor that would choke most. Visual identification would be impossible. Fortunately, the decedent bore a mouthful of expensive gold inlays in his molars that would uniquely differentiate him from any other person. That was my baptism in the world of forensic identification.

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Behind the Scenes: Picking the Story

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Behind the Scenes: Picking the Story

Have you ever watched a movie where they flash a “based on real events” notice at the very beginning? I don’t know about you, but when I see that I think, “Hmmm, what is real and what is fictional?” When something is “based on real events” you know that the story or movie is built around a true event with a chunk of fiction weaved throughout. It’s cool to know that this event actually happened, but the details are very interesting and we want to know what is true and what is made up. 

In my line of work as a forensic scientist, details are important so I come by that general wondering honestly! But this week we will get into more detail regarding the story behind WALK OF DEATH to let you in behind the scenes. So first this question: Why was this particular case chosen to be the topic for my first novel? 

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Killer Nashville

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Killer Nashville

During the week of August 22-24, Nashvillians will have a chance to meet some very famous people. Country Music? Not this time. Mystery authors’ convention! That’s right! Didn’t know there was such a thing, huh? 

On August 22, 2013, crime scene tape will go up at Nashville’s Five-Star Hutton Hotel, and hundreds of crime fiction readers and writers will converge to learn from and sometimes match wits with forensic anthropologists, dentists, psychologists, attorneys, and law enforcement professionals. 

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