What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator

Butcher worked in New York City’s Medical Examiner’s office, primarily as a medicolegal death investigator. for more than 20 years. Her book gives insight into a lesser known branch of law enforcement that entails surveying corpses, scenes, and all types of deaths, including suicides, homicides, accidents, and natural deaths when the decedent’s primary physician isn’t able to provide the basic information necessary to obtain a death certificate. A masterful storyteller, Butcher takes readers on an unforgettable journey into her personal and professional life. Masterfully woven tales include how participation in AA led her to this unique job opportunity, her consideration of how death (and life) vary depending on a person’s relative prosperity or lack thereof, and her sympathy for those who have died, no matter the circumstances. Later chapters focus on loss on a larger scale, including 9/11, and reflect on the toll such events take on victims, families, and first responders. The book also depicts Butcher’s life after she left the job that had become such an enormous part of her identity.