The Seven Ages of Death: ‘Every chapter is like a detective story’ Telegraph

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These autopsies, spanning the seven ages of human existence, uncover the secrets not only of how a person died, but also of how they lived. Sometimes Amazing Things Happen: Heartbreak and Hope on the Bellevue Hospital Psychiatric Prison Ward - quite good also awaiting a review and best of all, He loses his mind in senility. His hair and teeth fall out and his sight goes. Then he loses everything as he sinks into the oblivion of death. Shepherd not only has a very unique and interesting occupation, but he is a terrific writer, and keeps the reader engaged in every chapter, each of which is kind of its own mini-mystery with details about the deceased's life and cause of death. The book can best be summarized by the final paragraph, where Shepherd writes: From old to young, murder to misadventure, and illness to accidental death, each body has something to reveal - about its owner's life story, how we age, justice, society, the certainty of death.

Each chapter is like a finely crafted detective story in which he expands on the causes of death as revealed by the post mortem, or the hidden reasons that precipitated it. Some are ordinary, others extraordinary. Shepherd writes beautifully, and despite its subject, the book is very funny in parts Daily TelegraphAs a medical detective, each autopsy he carries out is its own unique investigation, uncovering the secrets not only of how a person died, but also of how, through every stage of life, the risks to each of us ebb and flow. He regards himself as wise and experienced and doesn’t mind sharing his views and ideas with anyone and likes making speeches. He’s made a name for himself and is prosperous and respected. As a result of his success, he’s become vain. He enjoys the finer things in life, like good food.

He is old and nothing like his former self – physically or mentally. He looks and behaves like an old man, dresses like one and he has a thin piping voice now. His influence slips away. An absolutely brilliant book. I really recommend it, I don't often say that but it's fascinating' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2 The heart-wrenchingly honest new book about life and death from forensic pathologist and bestselling author of Unnatural Causes, Dr Richard Shepherd. So while the book at times discusses some less-than-ideal death scenarios with some gruesome detail, it also provides a message of hope--that death is not something to be feared, but to be embraced as a welcome release from the pains and struggles of this life. As Shepherd also says in his conclusion:According to William Shakespeare’s character Jaques in As You Like It men go through seven stages in their lives: The first part, the cause, he can do, but the second part relies on outside agencies and not all the cases are solved, and that is sometimes upsetting and always frustrating. But the honesty of not everything having an ending that ties up all the pieces is realistic, this isn't fiction. Conducting many thousands of post-mortems has given Dr Richard Shepherd the opportunity to examine death at every stage of life. Each autopsy is its own unique investigation, providing evidence of how, through life, the risks to us ebb and flow. From old to young, from murder to misadventure, and from illness to accidental death, each body has taught him something: about human development, about mortality, about its owner's life story, about justice and even about himself.