Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook

Very interesting to see humans of the past doing some pretty awful stuff. Great photos and text.

I think to understand happiness, you must first understand horror.Not the horror as entertainment, but the horror of everyday life. The horror disguised as banality. The horror that doesn't necessarily elicit you moving your head away in shock. I'm talking about the horror that makes you stare. The kind of horror that makes you contemplate. When you see the horror that happens everyday and you understand why it happens, I think you can see the happiness that happens everyday and understand why that happens as well.Or the horror consumes you, as it has for others.This book isn't like the news or a horror film where you don't have to endure the sickening images of carnage for very long as it flashes on by. This isn't information overload. You are left to look over pictures of explicit violence and death at your own speed. I found myself staring at a picture for a while, just taking it in: every inch, every detail. You become acquainted with it, creating scenarios in your head that led to the picture being taken (especially on the photos with no description). You see these bodies as people. You begin to empathize with them.This may make you question if the book was made to be voyeuristic and exploitative. Well, I think we're all voyeuristic with this. We obsess over what we don't quite fully grasp. However, I do not find it exploitative. Intention of the creator is detached from the observer, of course. Though you may feel like you're intruding on these people's lives (or lack thereof), the purpose of this book is to understand many things:You are going to die, people have died violently since the inception of our species, and these pictures are a testament to what the life of an officer of the law is like.As detective Jack Huddleston tells us before his book begins: he put out this book to show the public what a peace officer must work with everyday. Just as you empathize with the victims of violent crimes, the book allows you to empathize with the men and women who witness and investigate these circumstances every day. After all, we do not see these images in color, we see them in the safety of black and white; we do not smell the rotting, we smell paper; we do not have to look at the death in haunting closeness, we see it through inherently distant photographs.Katherine Dunn (the writer of the introduction) discusses the morality of the images dutifully - allowing it to have an ambiguity. And that's what sums up a recommendation: you take away from it only as much as you expect from it. It's hard to grade the book objectively because what is there is simply there. It occasionally peeks into Detective Huddleston's mind when captions are present, but the majority of the book is tinged in a clinical atmosphere. It presents what it has and allows you the freedom to judge it on your own terms.This book can be shocking, explicit, even - yes - horrifying. But it is important. It is important because it takes the world around us and shows us what happens behind the shallow veneer of peace and order. "There were no good old days," writes Dunn. There probably never will be. I think that's something good to understand. Don't be blissful in ignorance, be blissful in spite of it all.

Perfect for my collection. Very descriptive and the photos are crazy to see. Great book if you’re into criminal justice.

I suppose I should start by saying that I have a certain morbid fascination with the strange and macabre. And that was a key factor into my purchasing this book.It is primarily a collection of crime-scene photos involving death and murder from the early-to-mid 1900’s, accompanied by copies of handwritten notes, all by LAPD detective Jack Huddleston. Some entries are curious and intriguing, while others are distressing and disturbing. I consider myself to have a fairly strong stomach, but some of the subject matters were overwhelming to me after flipping through it for more than brief spurts.Needless to say, this is a book you have to know you’ll be able to take. And respect. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just looking for cheap shock value. There are plenty of websites online for such things. But if you do have a genuine fascination with death and the true-crime genre, it may be worth picking up for your collection.A final note: It is most definitely not recommended for people under the age of 18. And if you are at all worried the subject matter may be a bit “too much” for you, I’d advise against purchasing it. It’s an incredibly captivating collection, but as I said above… it can be overwhelming and distressing.I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

If you are easily offended or can't handle gore, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!! It is very graphic, which is what I was looking for. It takes alot for me to cringe but a few pages in I had to stop and take a moment. Dare I say, I do like this book though. It feeds my morbid curiosity

this book will freak you out but it also is the black and white photo's & not of color -( for a good example of whats not to be seen you can take a picture of -" a fallen plate of spaggetti " . {1st photo you take is color slide } & { 2nd is same plate of spaggetti in black and white or sepia } - then imagine what is gone missing for a class show and tell is the 1st color photo frame slide . You will be showing only 2nd photo to class ) that becomes in a visual spectrum less graphic content of the same subject. & its tamed for that reason . but its a rare historical time piece & as it was made by the homiciede detective that glued its content . I hope he made more !!! I would buy his whole series and top dollar i would pay ..... Five stars ....!!! .....favorite of my collection.....im a crime slueth sk8 & sk/9 seattle girl .... I have dug up some cases that would not be solved without my insight & my meddaling mittens - the local police are not supposed to go out and find body remains like bones and evidence till they get a tip - but i can and have on many csi mysteries in seattle . That is my favorite thing do with my bone sniffing labrador - so my scrapbook might be next . ......,

Unlike other books of this sort, Death Scenes does not shy away from gore. These are old photographs; all black and white; and a few of them give the viewer quite a jolt. Recommended for fans of the macabre.

Very interesting

Pretty good book that shows some very troubling images but really brings up the fact of what investigators and police have to witness and deal with. To me this book is a great representation of that as well as the hardships people had to go through. Not only do I sympathise with the investigators who took these pictures but also question the affect it had on them. It is great if you are into crime scene investigations as well as looking at mugshots. Would recommend for the cuprous and the overly curious. Would not recommend as a bedtime story book for kids.

EXTREMELY EXPLICIT! There will be those who have an interest in crimes scenes etc but this book is not for the faint hearted. There are close ups of hermaphrodite genitalia, dead babies and young children who have been raped and strangled, close ups of people who have been shot in the face and murdered rape victims. I work in the field and I regard this book as VERY graphic. It is not scientific. More like a shock factor magazine

Well, what can i say. Although the book is a tad flimsy, i still have to give it 5 stars. It is exactly what it says it is. Not for the faint of heart. Definitely not something you would normally see! A historic true crime masterpiece, the images wont leave your head.

Although the photos of crime scenes were thought provoking, I feel this book is a total waste of money. I finished reading it in about 15 minutes and most of the photos discussed were repeated again later in the book. I would seriously think before purchasing as not worth the £8!

I have just recently bought this book and have read it in one sitting! A must have for people who have an interest in such a topic. Yes some of it is a bit gory but I thoroughly enjoyed it and very happy with my purchase! A must have for crime fanatics like myself! Definitely worth five stars!