STORY BEHIND THE STORY; FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST

Meet Dr. Robert Lawrence, respected forensic pathologist who has served San Joaquin County for decades. Bob is the son of Ernest Lawrence, Nobel Prize winning Berkeley nuclear physicist. He has a keen, sharp intellect and a passion for his work seldom found in those who have been at it for decades.

Bob always took special pleasure in crime scene lectures to fellow physicians while at lunch or dinner, zestfully explaining their unique puzzles with photos that could upturn the sturdiest stomachs.

I was fortunate to have Bob as my forensic pathology advisor for Mark to Murder. He recommended the mysterious mechanism of the initial assassination, one that we slightly modified in the final manuscript. When I asked him if he’d ever seen such a crime he said, “No, but wouldn’t it be a wonderful way to kill someone?”

Bob also instructed me to “cut someone’s hand off and throw it away,” and I did.

He was pleased with the final result and is eager to assist with the sequel.

If you think that glamorous forensic pathologists reside only in major cities or unreal TV shows, think again.