The Girl with the Crooked Nose

Interesting Talent!

This book was not an ordinary crime story that is usually seen on CSI or other shows. This astounding life of a man who worked to reconstruct the faces of the dead was a very compelling book and hard to put down. To me, every individual case was a new venture and kept getting even more interesting as it continued. I never would have thought that someone in a completely different career could be as dedicated and successful as this man was. Frank Bender’s work has been the key to solving at least nine murders. In 2003, Mexican authorities asked him to observe bodies to help solve the tragic murders of 400 young women of Juarez. By just reading the book, it put me in the place of a co-worker or friend and it was easy to imagine every scene he describes. It actually made me more motivated to want to learn more about the careers associated with crime solving. However, there were some parts where I was afraid by thinking of how some of the victims were murdered and how easily it can still happen in today’s society. Discovery plays a major role in this book because the families and friends are always hopeful that Bender will give them a sense of closure. The parts that I found most interesting in the book were the sections that dealt with Mexico and how the police were not able to get any control. It was very sad and scary. The one part I disliked was when the author jumped from one scene to the next and back. I felt there were too many unnecessary side stories and at times would seem very prolonged and dull. By writing this book, I think that it gave a lot of people a behind the scenes look at what goes on every day. It could give people almost an idea of what kind of world we live in and possibly what could be done to lessen the crime rate. Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend it to those who are interested mainly in artistry and sculpting. I wouldn’t as much for those who are looking for more in depth forensics. It was still very interesting with an unexpected twist included in the ending.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended -- The Frank Bender's story

Ted Botha brings you the story of gifted self-taught artist, Frank Bender, who brought closure, through realistic sculptures and facial reconstruction, of missing murdered victims. His gift helped the public identify notorious criminals who long ago went into hiding to escape identification using aged reconstructions to show how age may have changed their looks.

Frank's a man who's gift brought answers, his work could be said was a love affair with skulls where for little or no payment he was driven to bring answers to those could not longer speak.

This interesting and remarkable man died way too early with still lots of work left to be completed. Maybe there another can pick up where he left off. RIP Frank Bender

Fascinating!

If you have always wondered, like I did how facial reconstruction is done from a skull, this is the book for you! Fascinating, easy to read, amazing story....

Fascinating Forensic Exploration

In The Girl With The Crooked Nose, Ted Botha follows the career of Frank Bender and his forsenic sculpting work. Frank was a commercial photographer but his love was sculpting. As with most sculptors, he hired models to try to determine how human anatomy worked to make his pieces more authentic. This desire to know about human anatomy eventually led him to the Philadephia medical examiner's office. There he started to study corpses.

After several visits, the police approached Frank about a murder victim who was unidentified. They explained that they had mimimal luck with sketch artists producing a likeness in such cases that helped with identification, and wondered if Frank could produce a bust that would be better. Frank didn't know anything about forensics but was persuaded to make an attempt. He created a bust that led to an identification, and found his life's work.

Over the years, Frank worked on multiple cases. He was successful in finding identities in many cases. The ones that he was proudest of were the children, often found in suitcases or boxes, thrown away after being murdered. Frank's work was able to give them back an identity, and to let them be buried under their own name instead of being sent to an anonymous grave.

Frank's biggest case was that of the scores of Mexican women who were murdered in the early 2000's. The Mexican government brought him in, along with an FBI consultant, but it was soon clear that there were politics at play and forces that did not want this case solved. While Frank went back to Mexico several times and created multiple busts, the cases still remain a mystery, although many believe either the Mexican police or the military had a hand in these deaths.

Another area Frank's expertise was used in was age regression and advancement. He was the sculptor that created the bust of John List that was used on America's Most Wanted to identify this man who a decade earlier had killed his entire family and disappeared. That case led to the government using Frank for several other busts to identify fugitives who had been missing for many years.

Ted Botha has outlined the life history of a fascinating man. Bender loved the work he did, but never made enough money at it to support his family. He had to take side jobs throughout his life to make ends meet. Frank lived life on his own terms, and his work was so valuable that he was able to live life as he wanted while still fitting in with the highly structured world of police work. This book is recommended for readers of true crime and those interested in forensic work.