Our bones are the silent witnesses to the lives we lead. Our stories are marbled into their marrow.

Drawing upon her years of research and a wealth of remarkable experience, the world-renowned forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black takes us on a journey of revelation. From skull to feet, via the face, spine, chest, arms, hands, pelvis and legs, she shows that each part of us has a tale to tell. What we eat, where we go, everything we do leaves a trace, a message that waits patiently for months, years, sometimes centuries, until a forensic anthropologist is called upon to decipher it.

Some of this information is easily understood, some holds its secrets tight and needs scientific cajoling to be released. But by carefully piecing together the evidence, the facts of a life can be rebuilt.

Limb by limb, case by case – some criminal, some historical, some unaccountably bizarre – Sue Black reconstructs with intimate sensitivity and compassion the hidden stories in what we leave behind.

Praise for Sue Black:

‘Sue Black has a rare ability to make blood and bones come alive. A marvellous writer. Ruth Davidson, SMP
‘The corpse whisperer … Is it okay for Black, or us, to enjoy this quite so much?’
‘Fascinating’ – Spectator
‘Gripping’ – Guardian
‘Moving’ – Scotsman
‘Engrossing’ – Financial Times