Clay and Bones: A Forensic Artist on Skulls, Murders, and Working for the FBI

“Clay and Bones” is an unfiltered memoir with a touch of dark humor—by the first woman to become a forensic sculptor for the FBI.

Lisa Bailey never planned to work on anything connected with death—until she saw a job posting for a forensic artist at the FBI. The chance to use her talent as an artist to help victims of crime was too tempting. Soon she was documenting crime scenes, photographing charred remains, and reconstructing faces from unknown victims’ skulls. What fascinated her most was facial reconstruction: Bailey understood that a precise portrait made of clay could identify the victim and help find the perpetrator.

Lisa became an authority in her field while working on many cases, but she also faced discrimination and harassment. FBI leadership protected the guilty, responding to her with threats and slander. Fed up with the hypocrisy, Bailey decided to fight back… Her book is a plunge into a mysterious and captivating world of a forensic artist’s work.