Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's hard to put down. Very detailed (and often could be considered graphic). I've really appreciated how open and honest this book is. A lot of books about CSI's (and related subjects) are censored or vague; this one isn't. It's a nice change and a great read. I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in what CSI's (actually) do for a living. This book really opened my eyes to the reality of what all has to be done on a crime scene, etc.

If you are at all squeamish about, well virtually anything, this book might not be for you. Then again, perhaps for that very reason you should read it. Most of us go about comfortable lives unaware of gruesome details associated with certain jobs necessary in our society. Television shows like the various incarnations of CSI have moderately raised public awareness of this particular field. Dana Kollmann's book strips away the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's version of the work they perform. Her vivid recollections help readers comprehend assaults on the senses (particularly smell) this line of employment endures. Narratives are filled with easily understood explanations of processes and sprinkled liberally with her humorous outlook on life. Some might find offense in the occasional cavalier attitude yet it becomes abundantly clear this defense mechanism is necessary to preserve sanity in this line of work. Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand is highly entertaining and extremely informative. It should be required reading for starry eyed CSI wannabes. I now have a deeper appreciation for their skills, dedication and willingness to endure unspeakable circumstances in order to assess situational truths we as a society require.

This is a memoir type nonfiction book by Dana Kollman; a current graduate and undergraduate professor at Towson University and a former CSI. It is told in a flashback style, and jumps around from different points in her career. Her experience with crime scenes and her knowledge of the field shine on every page. It is intentionally hilarious-from the chapter "A sucker is born every minute(where the title story comes from); "Grave Matters (reading the part in the chapter about how she deals with uncovering a forgotten grave site is worth the price of the book alone) to " All good things must come to an end," which is , WELL, about number 2 funnies that happen to CSI's. It is a short and fun summer read for the upcoming hot months. It is not for the faint of heart, as Ms. Kollman has no difficulties in giving the straight stories of what the smells, sights, and tastes (yes, that too, see the first chapter I wrote about) of dead people.

If you want sensationalism, watch CSI. If you want the way things are really done in the world of forensics, read this book. Dana captures not only the truth of the not-always-glamorous field but the humor that a sucessful practitioner must possess in order to not go insane. If you are interested in forensics, this book is a must buy!

Without a doubt, Dana Kollmann's book is the frontrunner for the Most Evocative Book Title of 2007. If seeing "Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand" above a colorful lollypop crawling with flies doesn't get you to pick up the book, then nothing in life holds any curiosity for you. If you put it down after that, however, I'll understand. Kollmann draws from her 10-year stint investigating crime scenes in Baltimore County, Maryland, some of the most disgusting stories I've ever come across. They make the toilet scene in "Trainspotting" look like a visit to Mr. Rogers neighborhood. As she makes clear from the first page, this isn't "CSI," "Bones," "Without a Trace" or any of those other corpse-of-the-week shows that marries gee-whiz technology with "ripped from the headlines" stories. The work that Kollmann others like her do is like taking field trips to Hell, where you walk into the darkness, far beyond the light of hope. Death is in the air you breathe. You feel it in your skin. In addition to those benefits, the job comes with mandatory overtime, and work on nights, weekends and holidays. You get to collect evidence in the rain and snow and indoors where the bodies are ripe beyond the aid of Vicks and high-powered fans. Kollmann combines these gruesome stories with insights into her upbringing -- she was a dedicated bonehunter and wanted to be an archaeologist -- and depictions of her family. There's her Sicilian mother with her roster of superstitions brought over from the old country, her ex-cop father whose "been there, done that" attitude spares him from going on invited ridealongs, and her brother, whose day spent on the job was the one where she encountered the suicide under the fan. For those who want to watch the process from a safe and scent-free distance, Kollmann's memoir is a fast-moving tour through the forensic world that you won't see on television. That Kollmann and others like her are willing to do this necessary but sometimes nasty job deserves commendation. The taxpayers certainly aren't paying them enough.