Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook

Although the pictures in this book are gruesome and disturbing it's not meant to be laughed at or lusted over by gorehounds. This is not gore for your pleasure.

"Death Scenes" is a presentation of a scrapbook kept by LAPD Homicide Detective Jack Huddleston while he was with the LAPD from 1921 until the early 1950's.

In the forward to the scrapbook he explains "The purpose of this collection of homicide pictures is to show the work of the peace officer and his problems." Then later "...crime does not pay."

This book is not made for all people. Here a brief description of some of the pictures I found most unsettling:

Pg. 58 -59 children who played with dynamite.

Pg. 102 two week old boy with head cut off by mother.

Pg. 73 fifteen year-old boy suicide with gun

Pg. 132 severely mutilated woman

Pg. 137 husband looking at 74 year-old wife who was raped and murdered.

I will never think of the idealistic "good old days" without thinking about the reality of this book.

This book is definately for people who are looking to explore the pictures and scenes of death and crime. The book is comprised completely of pictures from a detectives scrap book--be warned now that there is very little writing in this book. The pictures in the book are fascinating. When you look at the pictures you can almost feel how still and vacant the rooms must have felt at the time the photos were taken. Not all the photos in the book are death scenes, there are many pages of criminal head shots that include an explanation of the person crime under them. This part of the book is really interesting because it lets you get an idea of what the times were like back when the photos were taken. Many of the "crimes" they committed are not so by todays standard. This book is an interesting pictorial reflection on both death and the time period.
Some of the photos in the book are graphic and some photos contain images of sexuality. However, don't think that this book is overly filled with gore. All the pictures are in black and white so the images are not as vivid as the would have been had the moments been recorded on colored film. I think this book is interesting and I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in crime and death scene photos.

I rate this book highly because it is honest. It does not pretend to be anything other than what it is: a scapbook containing dozens of photographs of murdered remains, or bodies after suicide, of decapitations and decompositions, of naked bodies diseased or tattooed; it is a gallery of gruesomely altered human physiques. The pictures and their captions have a direct and stirring effect on the gut of the reader, and only later do they permit the reader's reason to come into play. The book's title is true to its contents; its cover is also honest (a sample of what is inside) and the brief introduction by Katherine Dunn is perceptive and functional. That introduction does what an introduction is supposed to do: prepare the reader for what is ahead while furnishing a sensible commentary on the nature of the work. In all this is a neat book, worth having.
I cannot understand the negative comments by some readers concerning "Death Scenes." Surely they were not ambushed into gazing at these (horrible) pictures. They should have known by the title, by the cover, and even by the publisher (Feral House) that this was not a book of, say, children's poems. Much can be learned from "Death Scenes:" it contains great beauty and even some rhapsodic traits which can be perceived once the initial horror has been bypassed. This book should be looked at by those interested in the facts or in the literature of true crime. It is sure to bring pause to those contemplating suicide. "Death Scenes" certainly contains aspects of reality which some will prefer to avoid but which others will incorporate into their view of the world.

I suppose I should start by saying that I have a certain morbid fascination with the strange and macabre. And that was a key factor into my purchasing this book.

It is primarily a collection of crime-scene photos involving death and murder from the early-to-mid 1900’s, accompanied by copies of handwritten notes, all by LAPD detective Jack Huddleston. Some entries are curious and intriguing, while others are distressing and disturbing. I consider myself to have a fairly strong stomach, but some of the subject matters were overwhelming to me after flipping through it for more than brief spurts.

Needless to say, this is a book you have to know you’ll be able to take. And respect. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just looking for cheap shock value. There are plenty of websites online for such things. But if you do have a genuine fascination with death and the true-crime genre, it may be worth picking up for your collection.

A final note: It is most definitely not recommended for people under the age of 18. And if you are at all worried the subject matter may be a bit “too much” for you, I’d advise against purchasing it. It’s an incredibly captivating collection, but as I said above… it can be overwhelming and distressing.

I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

I ordered this book because I assumed it would be accounts of murders and how/if they were captured. I was looking forward to the text by Katerine Dunn, but much to my dissapointment there was none to speak of. Being an avid true crime and forensic reader, I was shocked when I looked through the book. I knew there would be pictures, but MAN...that's all there was. It reminded me of Faces of Death. Not my thing, but if your into that than this book is for you.
I would recommend for you true crime lovers to pass on this book. I for one can do without seeing brains and parts of skull spread about someones front porch.

I admit I bought this book out of a sense of curiosity more than anything else. What I got was the printed equivalent of a nasty car accident - you know it's going to give you nightmares but you just have to slow down and look anyway. I gave this book three stars beause I can't honestly say I "enjoyed" it, but I was very unsettled by it. Warning - there are several pictures here of murdered infants and children; wish I had known this in advance, as I am pregnant and I can't get those painful images out of my mind.
If you want the unglossed truth about what violent death looks like, this is the book to buy. It doesn't need to be in color to be graphic - the b&w is detailed enough. Good documentation, but with too much emphasis on the shock value.

Mostly nude images of both males and females. Close-ups of private body areas. Lots of deceased infants and young children. These images did not "respect" the dead! There are thousands of autopsy images available, as well as other death scene images; the pictures chosen for this book were distasteful. I was hoping this book would be educational and provide "clues" as to the manner of death. The author seemed only interested in highlighting those left in embarrassing, inappropriate, or crude ways. A shameful selection. One star for featuring a wide selection of images. One star because the title was accurate.

Amazing book! Not for the squeamish though. Well worth it if you are interested in forensics or CSI .

The cover was affixed upside down (or maybe the inside was inserted upside down! ha) but that's not a big deal. I wish the pictures weren't so dark; makes it hard to see detail unless you're in a brightly lit room....and really, if you're ordering a book like this, it's for the pictures! I also wish the book would have included stories behind the pictures. I know it's just a reprint of his scrapbook, and he didn't have stories in it, but I wish the authors would have added the stories they could find. Quite a few would have made the papers. For the price, it's a great book for people who like this genre.

Great photos with lots of nasty details. Put this one on my bookshelf at work and now none of my co-workers make eye contact. Mission accomplished.