Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-217) and index.

Foreword / Val McDermid -- Unveiling the dead : introducing the bog bodies of ancient Europe -- Discoveries & discoverers -- The world of the bog people : space, time and society -- The magic of bog preservation -- Crime scene investigation : the application of forensic science -- Accident, execution or murder? -- Modis operandi : ways of killing -- Instrumental violence : abuse with purpose -- The chosen ones -- Natural born killers -- Bog deaths & human sacrifice -- Listening to the dead : bog bodies uncovered.

It is time for a new book about bog bodies: the number of known bodies is growing. Lindow Man, the famous Pete Marsh discovered in Cheshire in the 1980s, has been joined by new finds from Ireland and elsewhere. Who were these unfortunate people, and why were they killed? Archaeologists, armed with the latest analytical techniques, are today investigating these cold cases to reveal much about our distant past. Forensic science allows us to deduce the age, physical condition, status, cause and time of death of these ancient victims, helping to answer the fundamental questions that they pose: were these people executed, simply murdered, or victims of human sacrifice? Who selected them? Who delivered the killing blow, and why? Drawing on all the latest evidence and research, Miranda Aldhouse-Green has written an engrossing detective story, uncovering the hidden truths behind these murder mysteries.