That's Gonna Leave a Mark: Chronicles of an Appalachian Coroner

If you've ever wondered exactly what role the coroner plays in the investigation of sudden and unexpected deaths, That's Gonna Leave a Mark will take you behind the scenes and give you significant insight into the day-to-day operations of the job. While one might believe that the job of the coroner is limited only to determining the cause and manner of death, there is a great deal more that happens completely out of the sight of the public. The coroner is responsible for making positive identification of the deceased, for autopsies and toxicology testing, for transportation of the body, for obtaining and reviewing medical records from physicians' offices and medical centers, for safeguarding evidence and personal property, for cooperating with police and other investigators, and for making notification of the family when a death occurs.

That's Gonna Leave a Mark is presented in layman's language to describe just a few of the thousands of experiences the author had over his thirty-year career in the coroner's office. All of the cases presented are real, and the facts are drawn directly from the records made and kept by the author himself. It takes the reader directly to the scene of homicides, motor vehicle accidents, plane crashes, fires, drownings, and every other form of mayhem and turmoil imaginable.

It invites you into the autopsy suite, where the cause and manner of death are definitively determined, and into the homes of grieving families struggling to come to terms with unforeseen tragedy and unexpected loss. Reading That's Gonna Leave a Mark is like doing a "ride along" with the county coroner... Just be sure to buckle up for the ride...

It gets a little bumpy along the way.