Cause of Death: Memoirs of a Home Office Pathologist

Dr Geoffrey Garrett was for over 30 years a Home Office pathologist. This is his personal memoir, in conjunction with crime journalist Andrew Nott, of many infamous, unusual and heartbreaking cases and a fascinating history of his professional life, giving a unique insight into a pathologist’s work.

Beginning with a no-holds-barred account of the basic methodology of a post-mortem examination, the book chronicles many memorable cases, including:

The discovery of a preserved body on the Yorkshire moors later identified as the first victim of the Moors Murderers
The murders of three policemen plus the apprehension of a murderer who turned out to be a policeman’s son
An examination of sex crimes
The Moss: a seminal piece on Manchester’s ‘Bronx’ – Dr Garrett reveals life in the ghetto, the drug gangs and how they operate
How a man’s face, burned beyond recognition, was reconstructed to help solve a murder

Plus examples of many other baffling crimes which were resolved on the pathologist’s table.