
Mortuary Confidential
Undertakers Spill the Dirt
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Narrated by:
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Susan Larkin
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Allan Robertson
About this listen
When the casket reached the front of the sanctuary, there was a loud cracking sound as the bottom fell out. And with a thump, down came Father Iggy.
From shoot-outs at funerals to dead men screaming and runaway corpses, undertakers have plenty of unusual stories to tell - and a special way of telling them.
In this macabre and moving compilation, funeral directors across the country share their most embarrassing, jaw-dropping, irreverent, and deeply poignant stories about life at death's door. Discover what scares them and what moves them to tears. Learn about rookie mistakes and why death sometimes calls for duct tape.
Enjoy tales of the dearly departed spending eternity naked from the waist down and getting bottled and corked - in a wine bottle. And then meet their families - the weepers, the punchers, the stolidly dignified, and the ones who deliver their dead mother in a pickup truck.
If there's one thing undertakers know, it's that death drives people crazy. These are the best "bodies of work" from America's darkest profession.
©2010 Kenneth McKenzie and Todd Harra (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Over Our Dead Bodies
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- Narrated by: Dr Richard Shepherd
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As the country's top forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd has spent a lifetime uncovering the secrets of the dead. When death is sudden or unexplained, it falls to Shepherd to establish the cause. Each post-mortem is a detective story in its own right - and Shepherd has performed over 23,000 of them. Through his skill, dedication and insight, Dr Shepherd solves the puzzle to answer our most pressing question: how did this person die?
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Boring!
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Story
Fueled by a childhood fascination with death, journalist Hayley Campbell searches for answers in the people who make a living by working with the dead. Along the way, she encounters mass fatality investigators, embalmers, and a former executioner who is responsible for ending sixty-two lives. She meets gravediggers who have already dug their own graves, visits a cryonics facility in Michigan, goes for late-night Chinese with a homicide detective, and questions a man whose job it is to make crime scenes disappear.
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Excellent
- By Noelle on 09-01-22
By: Hayley Campbell
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The Chick and the Dead
- Life and Death Behind Mortuary Doors
- By: Carla Valentine
- Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Using the most common postmortem process as the backbone of the narrative, The Chick and the Dead takes the listener through the process of an autopsy while also describing the history and changing cultures of our relationship with the dead. The book is full of vivid insight into what happens to our bodies in the end. Each chapter considers an aspect of an autopsy alongside an aspect of Carla's own life and work and touches on some of the more controversial aspects of our feelings toward death.
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Dull
- By Leah on 08-19-17
By: Carla Valentine
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All That Remains
- A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes
- By: Sue Black
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Dame Sue Black is an internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist. She has lived her life eye to eye with the Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in this book, which is part primer on the basics of identifying human remains, part frank memoir of a woman whose first paying job as a schoolgirl was to apprentice in a butcher shop, and part no-nonsense but deeply humane introduction to the reality of death in our lives. It is a treat for CSI junkies, murder mystery and thriller fans, and anyone seeking a clear-eyed guide to a subject that touches us all.
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I wanted a science book about forensics. I got a mostly-memoir instead.
- By A Customer on 11-29-19
By: Sue Black
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Last Rites
- The Evolution of the American Funeral
- By: Todd Harra
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Why do we embalm the deceased? Why are funerals so expensive? Is there a reason coffins are shaped the way they are? Where does the tradition of viewing the body come from? Ceremonies for honoring the deceased are crucial parts of our lives, but few people know where our traditional practices come from—and what they reveal about our history, culture, and beliefs about death. In Last Rites, author Todd Harra takes listeners on a fascinating exploration of American funeral customs—exploring where they came from, what they mean, and how they are still evolving.
By: Todd Harra
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Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
- And Other Lessons from the Crematory
- By: Caitlin Doughty
- Narrated by: Caitlin Doughty
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty - a 20-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre - took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. With an original voice that combines fearless curiosity and mordant wit, Caitlin tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters, gallows humor, and vivid characters (both living and very dead).
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Loved it So Much I Bought it After Reading it Free
- By J. Mattox on 05-17-17
By: Caitlin Doughty
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Working Stiff
- Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner
- By: Judy Melinek MD, T. J. Mitchell
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Just two months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Judy Melinek began her training as a New York City forensic pathologist. With her husband and their toddler holding down the home front, Judy threw herself into the fascinating world of death investigation-performing autopsies, investigating death scenes, and counseling grieving relatives. Working Stiff chronicles Judy's two years of training, taking listeners behind the police tape of some of the most harrowing deaths in the Big Apple.
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Great story - but not for the faint of heart!
- By R. Freeman on 08-20-14
By: Judy Melinek MD, and others
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Morgue
- A Life in Death
- By: Vincent Di Maio, Ron Franscell
- Narrated by: Tony Ward
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Vincent Di Maio, MD, son of a famous New York City medical examiner, is one of the lions of forensic science. In this clear, gritty, and enthralling narrative, Di Maio himself guides us into the inner sanctum, through the cases that have made him famous, from the exhumation of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and the racially charged shooting of Florida teen Trayvon Martin to the unmasking of a serial baby killer and the mysterious death of troubled genius Vincent van Gogh.
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Biased book with little actual forensics.
- By Lila Fowler on 08-02-16
By: Vincent Di Maio, and others
What listeners say about Mortuary Confidential
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kylie
- 06-24-24
Be ready to laugh out loud, tear up a bit & enjoy the ride these stories take you on!
I listened to this as an audiobook. Normally it doesn’t take me long to finish an audiobook at all. Especially because I tend to listen at 1.5 speed or so. This one took me longer than normal but for good reason.
I kept having to pause after stories in the book because throughout my listen I laughed, I cried, I laughed so hard I cried & I also had to rewind a bit at times to make sure I heard that right.
This was such a great listen. The stories remind you that death is just a part of life & it’s really the experience of the living. It adds levity to it. It gives you a point of few we don’t always get to see. I can’t honestly say enough about this one. Absolutely worth the read or listen!
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- Ty
- 02-13-24
It was cool
I liked it, I really didn’t know what to expect, but it was cool. A collection of stories, each unique in their own ways. I think I will pick up the other book from the authors.
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- Nicole Keller
- 12-11-24
Superb story telling
I was a funeral director for almost 8 years and these stories are so relatable. I loved hearing them all, the good, the bad, and the sad.
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- Kari Delaney
- 02-05-23
I laughed, I cried, and I even got a little spooked at the end.
This is an outstanding collection of stories and each of the narrators does a great job telling them. Six Feet Under is my favorite show of all time and I’ve been *dying* for more content like that. This is a great listen for anyone interested, and definitely goes out with a bang with that last story! I’m already feeling sad that I’ve finished it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-05-24
entertainment of the best kind!
A good collection of stories. Had many laughs. Thoughtful stories. Good readers. Didn't want it to end.
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- T. Pannell
- 11-13-24
I loved the Stories!!
Good read if you like amusing dark tales. Some were humorous and others brought tears to my eyes.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-13-22
Funny, heart gripping, and a joy to listen too
The gentleman and lady reading have such wonderful voices! Soothing yet engaging and they do well to bring the stories some personality. Love the stories, absolutely fun to listen too. Some were hilarious, others more somber and better still were the ones that made me pause to really think and reflect. Will be listening again and encouraging family and friends to do the same.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Heather Dawn Ritchie
- 02-18-24
Nothing to writehone about
It was amusing at times, but not very memorable, I wouldn't bother referring it to a friend
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- Tania G. Hill
- 05-25-24
Good book!!!!
I loved the heartfelt stories, made me smile cry and remember some of my memories with past families I had served being in the same field of work.
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- Grace Adele Spruiell
- 12-25-22
A wonderful read!
I’m a chaplain and have always been curious about the funeral industry. This books gives the reader an inside look into faith, sorrow, loss, and a nice helping of humor and profound insight. Yes!! I recommend this book! Enjoy!!
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2 people found this helpful