What the Dead Know

"""Butcher chronicles her career path and her journey to sobriety in unflinching detail, while her voice remains deliberate and measured, occasionally slipping into what sounds like a half-smirk when cracking a joke....She has a way with words, telling stories that are at turns hilarious, thought-provoking and, as might be expected, disturbing. This is a story of trauma, yes, but it's also a glimpse into the dark side of a city that most never see up close.""--New York Times Book Review ""[Butcher] is a witty, gifted observer who approaches her own struggles with mental health with the same keenness and curiosity as she approaches the bodies she encounters on the job. . . . Butcher's forays into memoir are heartbreakingly beautiful; their brevity leaves readers wanting more. A gritty, humorous portrait of a strong woman who found sobriety while working with the dead.""-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""What the Dead Know is wise and deep and completely unputdownable. Barbara Butcher's memoir is about finding home within yourself. It's fantastic.""--Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone ""Fascinating, compelling, and very real, Butcher's time 'on tour' with the New York OCME gives the reader a look behind the scenes of death investigation, demystifying the process by giving much-needed insights with a delicate but detailed hand. Both an excellent research primer and a touching memoir, Butcher's accessible storytelling makes this a must read.""--J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of It's One of Us ""In this riveting memoir, Barbara Butcher writes unflinchingly about death and loss with stories gleaned from decades of experience in the New York City Medical Examiner's Offices, but she also writes honestly and with surprising humor about her own life's challenges and recoveries. Reading this book felt like getting to know a new, fascinating friend.""--Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of Find Me ""An unprecedented gutsy view of the Rue Morgue in New York City, told by one of its greatest characters. Barbara Butcher stares life and death in the face and doesn't avert her gaze. She's the real deal. Her stories and insights are breathtakingly honest, compassionate, and raw. What the Dead Know is impossible to put down. A must read, it's destined to be a classic.""--Patricia Cornwell ""What the Dead Know is an extraordinary testament to an astonishing career. Butcher's vivid descriptions of horror and grief are clear-eyed but compassionate, never voyeuristic. The book is a hero's journey, and reading it feels like a privilege.""--Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of House on Fire ""What the Dead Know offers an unflinching look at the lives and deaths investigated by medicolegal death investigator Barbara Butcher in New York City. Her stories capture the integrity and empathy necessary for a professional career dedicated to understanding death, with a greater purpose: to support the living.""--Judy Melinek, M.D., author of Working Stiff ""A propulsive memoir; equal parts stories of how one lives and dies in NYC and Butcher's personal journey of self-discovery and recovery, coming to know, trust herself. Deftly well crafted, What The Dead Know tells a powerful story of what it is to be human, ever curious, and compelled to bear witness to the world around us.""--A.M. Homes, author of The Unfolding ""Barbara Butcher's What the Dead Know is three unputdownable books in one--a series of gripping true crime stories told with unflinching style, a revealing and fascinating look at crime scene investigation, and an engrossing, moving, and very funny memoir that will inspire everyone who reads it.""--Kate White, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Husband"