Ron Franscell will sign his new book that he co-authored, “Morgue: A Life in Death,” from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on June 12 at the Cheyenne Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 1851 Dell Range Blvd., Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more information call: 307-632-3000.
Ron Franscell’s official website:http://www.ronfranscell.com
by Tanya Rene Martin Abernathy, reporter for Sweet as Cotton Candy
Morgue: A Life in Death, by Ron Franscell and Dr. Vincent Di Maio
When “Morgue: A Life in Death,” the newest book by true-crime author and former Wyoming journalist Ron Franscell, was released on May 17, readers got their first glimpse of the life and career of his co-author, renowned pathologist Dr. Vincent Di Maio. The book covers some of the most famous cases such as the Trayvon Martin case, the exhumation of Lee Harvey Oswald, the murder case against music icon Phil Spector, and even a case here in Wyoming. Yet of all the dozen cases in the book he found those involving people that were not as well-known to be the most enthralling.
Franscell began to build his interest in true-crime stories as a young reporter. Franscell explains, “I had a couple of forensic texts by Dr. Vincent Di Maio on my reference shelf. The books were invaluable, but he was just a name. Over time, I learned just how influential he’d been in forensic pathology, the discipline practiced by medical examiners.”
After watching Di Maio’s pivotal testimony in the 2012 Trayvon Martin shooting, Franscell proposed a book project to the doctor. Although Di Maio had authored some of the most influential forensic medical texts, no books had ever examined his life and work. But Franscell quickly discovered why: Di Maio didn’t see himself and his work as more or less important than any other.
Piercing the emotional walls that most in the field of pathology tend to build in an attempt to shield themselves from the images of their work was a challenge. “The real world behind the morgue doors is very different from Hollywood’s depictions, so our real-life expectations of forensic science can be unfairly impatient and unscientific.”
Not only do Franscell and Dr. Di Maio explain the process and role of the pathologist in death but weave the basic human emotion of what death and the human race is capable of at their worst. Franscell explains, “Unlike a lot of other true-crime writers, I’m not especially fascinated by mass murders or serial killers, except as the catalysts that set greater human stories in motion. I’m far more interested in the people who are splashed by this horror and who must deal with it. The greater the evil, the greater the hero.”
Franscell states that the stories, out of the thousands that Dr. Di Maio has worked on, were chosen based for their reflection of our basic human faults and the level in which they would intrigue.
“Morgue: A Life in Death” not only brings a true perspective of the process that the pathologist precipitates within the criminal justice system but also gives an intimate look at the individuals who are a part of the story itself including family, law enforcement, community, the courts, and the media. It gives the reader a broad perspective of details that connect with both the factual and emotional aspects of these horrific crimes. The book is well written and offers the reader a chance to see through the eyes of pathologist Dr. Di Maio as he explains the challenges and individualized perspective with each case.
Franscell will sign his new book 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. June 12 at the Cheyenne Barnes & Noble. If you like “Morgue: A Life in Death,” then please check out some of Franscell’s other books, “The Darkest Night” about a 1973 Casper crime, and “Delivered from Evil: True Stories of People Who Faced Monsters and Survived,” among others.
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