by Patricia Wiltshire

One of my favorite books. Patricia’s expertise in forensic ecology has led her to solve crimes by painting a picture of the landscape in which bodies may be buried or crimes have been committed. She’s truly dedicated to her work.

*The audiobook is read by the author.

by Caitlin Doughty

I first found out about Caitlin through Ask A Mortician. I’ve continued to follow her through The Order of the Good Death. She’s an amazing resource in the Death Community for information and insight.

by Caitlin Doughty

Her second book, this one explores the rituals of death across the world. I loved this book so much, especially the Japanese tributes to their dead.

by Mary Roach

What happens to our bodies after we die? What if we donated them to science or had chosen a natural burial over cremation? Mary Roach goes into the details about all the paths our bodies could take once we kick the bucket. I loved the details about The Body Farm, and the truth about what donating your body (organs or otherwise) really means.

by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

A dive into the women behind the occult we may or may not know about already. Really intriguing mini biographies that stand as wonderful starting off points for further research. I loved this book.

by Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell

Zoe and Claire take us back to the 16th century to witness the absurdity and horror of the Scottish Witch Hunts. A timeline of what led up to the fear and control fueled war against women, with in depth details on the names and trials you ought to know about.

by Amit Katwala

Step back to the 1920s San Francisco and the morally dubious invention of the Polygraph Test. Follow the stories of John Larson, Gus Vollmer, and Leonarde Keeler as they apply the lie detector test to modern crime, all with separate hopes for what it can achieve for themselves and the world.

by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian

This book was both beautiful and uncanny, like remembering something long forgotten. It held a delicate balance of heartbreak and hope, fascination and sorrow. Kaishian masterfully reveals our deep interconnectedness, but only after exposing the ways we’ve chosen disconnection for the comfort of conformity and ease. As a self-proclaimed bogwitch, I, too, just want to return to the mud.

by Hallie Rubenhold

Rubenhold takes us into the lives of the victims of Jack The Ripper, removing him from the story all together. From her, we hear the stories of five women who were more than just found bodies discarded as ‘prostitutes’ to a boogey-man’s fame. Eye-opening and heart breaking.

by Harold Schechter

The tale of the infamous Belle Gunness and the many victims she killed during her strange and brief life, in La Porte Indiana, in the early 1900s. The story continues even after her death as they sort out which poor souls were involved in her schemes, if she faked her own death, and just why she did what she did.