18 Tiny Deaths

The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics

By: Bruce Goldfarb

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

The story of a woman whose ambition and accomplishments far exceeded the expectations of her time, 18 Tiny Deaths follows the transformation of a young, wealthy socialite into the mother of modern forensics....

Frances Glessner Lee, born a socialite to a wealthy and influential Chicago family in the 1870s, was never meant to have a career, let alone one steeped in death and depravity.

Yet she developed a fascination with the investigation of violent crimes and made it her life's work. Best known for creating the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, a series of dollhouses that appear charming - until you notice the macabre little details: an overturned chair, or a blood-spattered comforter. And then, of course, there are the bodies - splayed out on the floor, draped over chairs - clothed in garments that Lee lovingly knit with sewing pins.

18 Tiny Deaths, by official biographer Bruce Goldfarb, delves into Lee's journey from grandmother without a college degree to leading the scientific investigation of unexpected death out of the dark confines of centuries-old techniques and into the light of the modern day.

Lee developed a system that used the Nutshells dioramas to train law enforcement officers to investigate violent crimes, and her methods are still used today.

18 Tiny Deaths transports the listener back in time and tells the story of how one woman, who should never have even been allowed into the classrooms she ended up teaching in, changed the face of science forever.

©2020 Bruce Goldfarb (P)2020 Recorded Books

such a great history told about forensics science.

The history was very well covered and incredibly detailed. The 18 nutshell dioramas are fascinating!

What an amazing woman

The narrator was engaging. She brought Mrs. Lee and her amazing creativity and vision to life. I would be interested to see those diaramas. I did get a little queasy at the description of an autopsy.

Her Life Revealed

This book was a very enjoyable listen. I had never heard of the main character, nor her very important work that combined medicine with policing. I wish Harvard hadn’t been so male dominated, so unwilling to welcome women.

I want to be just like FGL!

What an amazing and inspiring life story. This could have been a boring biography book but it was performed and written so well that I feel like I know FGL myself now. So sad to hear the dioramas are not out for public viewing but maybe one day in my lifetime they will be an exhibition again. I’ll take flights to see them if I can. We owe this woman so much. I know her family and legacy must be so proud to descend from such a brilliant and strong woman. And on top of everything, this book was as entertaining as much as it was educational. Fantastic. 5 stars!

The story of medical forensics

100 years ago, coroners did not necessarily have any medical experience. This book talks about the hard fight (especially buy some a very intelligent, hard-working, unrelenting women) to separate coroners from being political cronies, individuals who were paid to stay a cause of death, and paid advocates.
It also talks in depth about organizing and classifying causes of death.
Further, it is about the recognition deserved by women in the field of medical forensics as well as their pioneering work to make being a coroner or medical forensic examiner a position for dedicated medical specialists.
All of this is an excellent book, it is for a niche audience.

Great book!!

I knew somewhat about this story but the book gave a lot more information. It was a great audiobook.

Legal medicine

Very interesting to know a woman was behind forensic science! Also hard to hear that Harvard dropped the ball in regards to legal medicine studies

So much love went into this biography.

It is clear just how fastidiously researched this book is, and written with deep respect.

Fascinating history of forensics!

This was a well-written biography of a woman I had never previously heard mentioned, but now wish thst I could have known her! The work she started natters - and there is stoll so far to go! I find jyself praying that God wouod send along another wealthy person with such passion for justice, to continue the great work the Ms. Lee started!

Another improbable lady giant

Heiress to an International Harvester Fortune, our heroine, a ferociously committed woman,
fiddled away early years looking for a challenge for her formidable intellect. She found her calling in the study and practice of
legal medicine, a field she discovered more or less by accident (no pun intended) She and bankrolled
the study of forensic mediciine, in the face of skepticism and indifference, She is famous for her "nutshell" miniatures of
crime scene that re-created crime scenes. She paid for the scale model death scenes and built many herself.
Born in the second half 19th century, she among the female leaders at the forefront of change that swept the country.
I'd never heard of her. And she's well worth knowing.