Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History's Mysteries

How did King Tut really die?

The mystery of the young pharaoh's death is only one of the puzzles that modern science has helped solve. Thanks to forensics -- the scientific way of examining physical evidence -- we now know what killed Napoleon and whether Anastasia survived the massacre of the Russian royal family.

Seven intriguing stories about historical royal figures whose demise was suspicious, and hard scientific facts about crime-solving techniques make each event seem like an episode of CSI rather than a history lesson.

Kids will be fascinated to find out how scientists used autopsy results (and the waist measurement of his pants!) to prove that Napoleon died not of arsenic poisoning as suspected, but of stomach cancer; and how DNA testing revealed that King Tut died of malaria.

Other stories include:

• Who was the Man in the Iron Mask?
• What was the fate of Marie-Antoinette's son?
• Who killed an entire Maya royal family?
• Who knows what really happened to Thailand's young King Rama?

At times a gripping "whodunit," at others a guide to deductive reasoning, this book will be hard to put down for any kids who love mysteries, murder, and suspense.