Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind

A new book by the author of the Sunday Times bestseller “All That Remains”! Our bones are silent witnesses of the life we live, and every part of our biography is recorded in them. Based on years of research and vast professional experience, world-famous forensic anthropologist and Officer of the Order of the British Empire Professor Sue Black invites us into an astonishing journey full of unexpected discoveries. Each part of our body—from the top of our head to the tips of our toes—skull, face, spine, chest, arms, pelvis, legs—tells its own story. Everything we eat, where we go, what we do leaves a trace that patiently waits for months, years, or even centuries until the forensic anthropologist comes to decipher it. Some of this information is obvious, but the rest is pure mystery—something that requires scientific knowledge to unravel. By gathering clues piece by piece, you can reconstruct the details of a person’s life. In every case—criminal, historical, or simply unusual—Sue Black, with her characteristic thoughtfulness and unwavering compassion, tells from the bones the stories of what remains after us.

“From the very beginning, this book ‘Recorded in Bone’ is simply magnificent! Compelling real-life case details combined with the author’s narrative style keep pulling you through page after page.” Richard Shepherd, author of The Times’s 2018 main book on “Unnatural Causes.”