Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book, but nothing new for people who are already familiar with true crime and cold cases. I expected this book to be more about the cases and less about the podcast than it was, which was why I docked a star. I have never listened to the author's podcast, so that felt out of place for me. However, the investigation and how non-professionals could help with cold cases was very informative and interesting.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette books for access to this arc.

Death and DNA fascinate me. Last year I read and reviewed “The Forever Witness” which discussed, in terms of a horrific crime, new and amazing things being done with DNA to catch criminals. This book is similar but talks about other means as well that are being used to identify John and Jane Does and give them their identities back. It’s a book that rewards a bit of patience and perseverance.

I’ll be honest and say that I found the start of the book to be very scattershot and a little disorganized – which didn’t surprise me anymore after the information (far too much, IMO) about how author Laurah Norton packs for a trip. At times there was way too much of her in this. Some things were overexplained while others weren’t explained enough. Norton is a writer (and teaches college classes) but at first this reads like an early draft. I hope that this has another round of editing and polishing before it gets published. The writing style is also more like a spoken podcast (of which she has two). There’s also a feel of a too earnest amateur tagging along with her friend the forensic anthropologist as they go to the recovery scene of a crime that Norton is interested in.

Estimates of the number of unidentified decedents in the US range from 40,000-60,000. I think Norton does a good job in getting across to the lay public just how hard it can be to identify a decedent or to get journalists interested in continuing to cover cold cases after a news cycle flips to something new. Those involved with these investigations know that publicity is important as it can help keep cases from going “cold” and maybe lead to a clue that cracks the case. Kudos to her for emphasizing that just because a police/sheriff department is small, it doesn’t necessarily mean those LEOs are yahoos or uninterested in keeping up with the latest technology or that they don’t care about solving cases.

Those who do continue to follow people with no name have all kinds of websites and reddit threads they read, contribute to, and obsess over. There are some amazing sites out there (which Laurah Norton discusses a bit about). Most of them are labors of … well I won’t say love as that sounds macabre given the subject but let’s say these people care about the Does who end up lost to their loved ones, families, and friends. There are also sites focusing on trans and other LGBTQIA+ Does. Through her podcast, Norton has met and worked with artists, dentists, and scientists in various fields who all work to reunite the UID (unidentified dead) with their names. The chapters on what forensic dental odontologists can and have done is fascinating. The skill and flair that forensic artists employ to give a (hopefully) identifiable face to a victim have solved decades old cold cases. The new DNA technology such as DNA Phenotyping is mindblowing. I was glad to see the care and respect that forensic anthropologists are trained to render to the remains they work with.

Most of these skills and professions (no phenotyping was done for this case that I remember) were put to use to try and identify a woman known for almost thirty years only as Ina Jane Doe. (WARNING – GRAPHIC) Her head was found in a southern Illinois recreation park by two twelve year old girls. The interval between her death and discovery was thought to be fairly short. Sadly the area was no stranger to violent deaths and the police department along with the Illinois State Police got straight to work but as time dragged on, the case went cold. Then Norton and her friend, Dr. Amy Michael, contacted them to offer to reevaluate the skeletal remains. Thankfully genetic genealogy had just become a thing, a lab managed to obtain DNA in excellent shape, this was uploaded to GEDmatch, the genealogy wizards at Redgrave Research Forensic Services did their magic and Ina Jane Doe had her name back.

As this case moved into high gear either the writing smoothed out or I was so interested that I didn’t notice the earlier ticks that were annoying. I do wish that some of the other cases in the book had a follow-up of where things stand with them including a mummy discovered at a private school and a mummified head gifted to another school which Laurah and Amy were trying to link genetically to descendants or ethnic communities. I’m glad I stuck with the book as I ended up getting to see the inside details of some amazing tech and the hard work of caring people.

Lay Them to Rest is a great read for anyone interested in true crime mysteries. Podcast host Laurah Norton is the author of the book, that brings readers through the search for cold crime killers. The book includes detailed information about forensic, crime scene investigation, and work of 'amateur detectives'. Norton tells a great story and keeps the reader engaged, but spends too much time detailing the interactions of Dr. Amy Michael and others who work to solve the 1990s cold case involving missing twins. Overall an entertaining book.

Cold cases are hard to solve. Time, distance, and the loss of witnesses and evidence can make it difficult to close a case out. However, every now and then, someone comes along that can help make or break a case.

Through "Lay Them To Rest" Laurah discusses several cases that they worked on, and the one that takes center stage - the one that they worked diligently on to solve. It was an interesting mix of science, internet sleuthing, and know-how.

Enjoyed this read! It was a really good one, and a lot of fabulous information.

I'm fascinated with the ability of those cold case investigators who fight for their victims using every scrap of evidence and the technology of today's crime lab. Their jobs are made harder with time and mother nature as enemies. LAY THEM TO REST follows several cases that rate 5 stars for difficulty alone. Yet these dedicated investigators will accept no excuses for the cases to be closed unsolved. A fascinating look at a job that is no meant for everyone. It takes special people to follow through and give the victims and their families the resolutions they deserve.

This is the account of how a group of people, with only a years old skull found in a state forest to work with, identified a victim and brought peace to a family. Norton is an academic, writer and most pertinently, a true crime podcaster. She takes the reader behind the scenes to show us how genetic genealogists, forensic dentists forensic anthropologists and forensic artists work. She shares the background of those who helped identify this Jane Doe. I very much enjoyed this book and learned a lot.

You know how sometimes you pick up a book based on the cover & the title, with only a vague understanding of what it might be about, & then it blows you away? That’s ‘Lay Them to Rest’ for me. (In fact, that seems to be happening a lot with me when I pick something up from Hachette Books.) ‘Lay Them to Rest’ is a book that breaks down all the ways that the unidentified (mostly the unidentified dead) are given back their names. And it is so incredibly interesting & inspiring & fascinating…& sometimes a little over my ability to understand ha. (But I appreciate that the book treats the reader as an intelligent human being who might be able to understand these complicated processes.)

In the age of advanced DNA identification techniques & genetic genealogy, it feels like there’s a “famous” true crime case getting solved every day, whether the unidentified is the suspect (as in the Golden State Killer) or the victim (as in The Lady of the Dunes). But outside of the vocabulary that is familiar, I don’t think I ever gave too much thought to how these identities are discovered & how it’s more often a collaborative effort of investigators & techniques. Focusing on mostly one case, this book breaks down all the different techniques that might be used - facial reconstruction, composite sketches, dental identification, citizen detectives, & genetic genealogy.

While I didn’t make the connection at first - having picked up this book blindly - I realized that I was already familiar with the work of the author, Laurah Norton, through her podcast ‘The Fall Line.’ I have always enjoyed Norton’s work because of the care that she puts into the cases she works on & shares. We see this in her book, too, which gives us a blend of beautifully written narrative & easy-to-digest technical explanations of the various processes. It’s easy to become attached to her story, along with the stories of the other professionals & families that she works with.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in missing person cases, true crime, genealogy, & the justice system. It truly illustrates the reality of it all, which is sometimes upsetting, but also incredibly inspiring. It’s easy to assume that the behind-the-scenes work is “easy” or automated in the age of better technology & more robust reference databases, but this book shows that it’s anything but. It also shows that there are a lot of good people out there putting their skills, time, & money toward finding answers for families who have been waiting too long. These are “The Helpers” that Mr. Rogers told us to look for & they deserve all the attention & support needed to give the names back to many, many more of the too-long unidentified.

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette Books for providing an advanced digital copy of this book for review. All opinions & thoughts expressed are my own.

This follow everything involved in investigating Jane/John Doe cases. How things have changed through the years. Through most of the book we are following one case and the journey that they went through to find the identity of the person. I had no idea the cost of the techniques and the difficulties they went through with DNA analysis. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Lay Them to Rest by Laurah Norton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thanks to @netgalley and @hachettebooks for the ARC. Pub day is October 17!

For lovers of medical nonfiction and true crime, add this to your TBR pile.

This book follows the author’s quest to solve a cold case for Ina Jane Doe. Norton is a podcaster/researcher/professor. I found her perspective successful because she was able to explain what was happening in language that could be understood to me.

She was personable in her writing and while I did enjoy that, sometimes I felt like it distracted from the overall goal of the book. There were times when personal antidotes were kind of like a dog being like SQUIRREL! When they weren’t out of left field, sometimes they felt a little unnecessary where they were placed in the flow. It would be right in the middle of a scientific explanation, so I would be reading this aside as if it was also super relevant info to the case. A little editing with this would have made it a 5-star read for me.

The organization of the book was super successful. The main focus was the cold case, but it flipped between the cold case and the methods that were being used to work on the case. Each of the method explanations had additional examples. This offered a great framework that was easy to digest and track.

All in all, this was a great read that explained the intricacies of figuring out who someone was. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves true crime.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette for the ARC of this!

Perfect for fans of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, this follows the investigation(s) into specific Jane/John Doe cases. Well explained the difficulties and costs that can come up when trying to solve such as case. Overall, the main thread of the book was easy and interesting to follow, and the author had an interesting narrative voice.

Amazingly well written, informative, and interesting book. I have Always had an interest in forensic anthropology and this was incredibly easy for me to understand. I will be reading more by this publisher and author.

From one of the hosts of the podcast, The Fall Line, comes a look into the world of forensics with regard to unidentified bodies. I thought a lot of the info here was really interesting. However, I do feel like it could’ve been organized better. It might have also just been the writing style that felt a little rambling.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very, very interesting. Even though parts are slow I couldn't put it down. Lots of details, lots of explanations. Not a white knuckle ride. It's not that kind of book. It's about what happens in the lab AFTER the white knuckle ride. If you are intrigued by forensics as I am you will appreciate this book.

Lay Them To Rest by Laurah Norton is a highly informative non fiction work perfect for fans of the true crime looking for a book more focused on the victims and granting an identity back to those it has been stolen from.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 17, 2023
Laurah Norton is an author, researcher, podcaster and true crime fanatic. Her novel, “Lay Them to Rest: On the Road with Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless” is a non-fiction, scientific deep dive into the very exhaustive, very comprehensive world of forensic anthropology. Don’t expect anything like Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan though, as “Rest” is definitely written for informative, not entertainment, purposes.
In 1993, a severed head was found in the woods of Illinois by two young girls. The head, at first glance, appeared to belong to a redheaded female, but further investigation would be needed to identify the head, and to finally uncover the person behind it. That’s where Laurah and her team come in. In each chapter, Laurah exhaustively details the minutiae that takes place to identify the thirty-year-old skull. Her team includes forensic anthropologists, genetic specialists, artists and scientists from all walks of life, all of them playing a specific role in identification. Laurah brings her recording technology along for the ride, and shares the journey with readers.
I was fascinated from the get-go in the identification of the unknown, and Norton presented many organizations (government, paid and volunteer) that exist solely to “name the nameless”, delving into cold cases and bodily remains that have been unidentified for years and decades. I had no idea that so many organizations like this existed, let alone that many of them actually played important roles in discovering the truth behind actual missing person’s cases.
Norton’s writing is very scientific and very detailed. Readers can expect to get pages and pages of detail on DNA sequencing, bone, skin and tissue analysis procedures, technology usage, among other things so anyone expecting a quick dead-body to case-solved story should stick to television. Norton, however, does eventually find out the identity of the person behind the missing head, and I was grateful for that fact.
“Rest” will appeal to fans of “Bones” and “CSI”, but Norton’s novel focuses more on the scientific methods and technology used to uncover the identity of the deceased than Hollywood provides. Although the body in Norton’s case is identified, the mystery surrounding what happened to her remains, and there are numerous other unidentified corpses nationwide that are equally shrouded in mystery. “Rest” is definitely unique, as Norton uses her writing skills to translate the details given to her from the scientific community.

How does one go from the skeletonized remains of a dismembered head to a mother, sister and wife who loved animals and had bad teeth? That is the path that this book follows. The rise of the internet has made identification of Jane and John Does, people unknown in death, if not easier at least more public. The author has a podcast herself, and she brings that expertise to this book. Since Norton is not a scientist, she had to partner with forensic and genetic experts and, as is obvious in this volume, they are a good fit together. The advances in the technical field of genetics have also helped, but someone still needs to do the work, make the calls and analyze the data. I’m not a fan of true crime, and I’ve never listened to Norton’s podcast, but I was interested in this book because of the science. What is possible to learn from bones and how the forensic anthropologists like Doctor Brennan work in real life. I was not disappointed, it is amazing how much work goes into identifying these remains, and how involved the people behind it are. What I didn’t love was all the details about the author’s life, which made it a little too long and cause me to lose focus. This may be a true crime feature and genre readers may not mind. I was also disappointed at the lack of progress, even if it’s understandable that’s how these people work, which makes it more commendable that they keep trying.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Hachette Books!

This was a really interesting book. With my nursing background and interest in true crime, I found myself drawn to the premise of this book. The book is broken down in to multiple chapters, each one focusing on a different aspect of body identification. There were definitely times throughout the book that I got overwhelmed with all of the information and terminology, but overall it is fairly easy to follow and understand. I especially enjoyed the chapters about the development and use of dental records and forensic art. It’s amazing how far technology has come, especially in relation to DNA.

Overall, a fascinating book that I would recommend to readers who enjoy medical nonfiction and true crime.

Well researched and respectful. As someone who spends a ton of time researching true crime, I found this to be incredibly fascinating. There were a few instants when the science felt a bit confusing, but I think Laurah explained it as best as she could.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

I am so thankful to Hachette Books, Novel Suspects, and Laura Norton for granting me advanced physical access to Lay Them To Rest before this gem hits shelves on October 17, 2023. I am such a fan of true crime warriors such as Sarah Turney, Payne Lindsey, Paul Holes, and so many other advocates who've gone above and beyond to lay cold cases to rest, secure justice and answers, and provide a resolution to decades-old queries.

From the advancement of scientific measures and other methodologies to the intellectual progression in law enforcement departments, and even looking at cases from a different perspective, with an emphasis on handling evidence more securely, it's magnificent how far we've come, but also sad that our system had the bar set so low.

I can't wait to see what else comes out of this project and can't wait to see what my pals think of this collection.

Fans of true crime will find this book interesting. Lay Them To Rest primarily focuses on forensic science and how it is being used to help identify John & Jane Does. While I learned a lot about the identification methods being used to solve cold cases, I found some of the chapters to be extremely difficult to get through. Norton uses very technical language while trying to explain complex forensic processes. There were certain chapters that I wish were “dumbed down” a little more as I had a difficult time getting through them.