The Girl with the Crooked Nose: A Tale of Murder, Obsession, and Forensic Artistry

MORE THAN THIRTY MURDERS, NINE FUGITIVES, AND ONE OBSESSED MAN

In this thrilling and fascinating account of Frank Bender and his work, readers will be drawn into the cases he has solved, the intricacies of his art, the colorful characters he encounters, and the personal cost of his strange obsession. Through breathtakingly realistic sculptures, Frank Bender reconstructs the faces of the missing and the dead based in part on forensic science, and in part on deep intuition, an uncanny ability to discern not only a missing face but also the personality behind it.

His skills have led to the solving of many murders and other serious crimes, and have given faces to the victims, including the infamous case of the feminicidios—in which hundreds of murdered women were found outside Juarez, Mexico.

With a conclusion as shocking as its story is gripping, The Girl with the Crooked Nose will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.

“A compelling glimpse into a gruesome profession.”—Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman

“Frank Bender is one of the unsung heroes of crime detection . . . In an original and highly readable nonfiction thriller, this book brims with authenticity and the complexities of crime-solving procedurals . . . [A] fascinating story of a brilliant forensic artist’s quest to solve some of the most baffling murder cases ever. It is exceptional crime writing that is timely and informative.”—Tucson Citizen

“Action-packed . . . Botha’s work relays Bender’s surprising conclusions about the case and imparts more information about reconstructing the faces of the dead than most readers will expect.” —Booklist

“[A] crackling account of a quirky, maverick forensics artist, Frank Bender, and his largely successful efforts in facial reconstruction of murder victims . . . What is extraordinary is Botha’s writing, with his unerring depiction of Bender’s painstaking work and the eventual unraveling of the brutal crimes it solves . . . The tales in this book accurately capture the dark motives and complexities of senseless murder, and even the most savvy true crime reader will not be able to resist the author’s insightful storytelling.”—Publishers Weekly

Ted Botha is the author of Mongo: Adventures in Trash, Apartheid in My Rucksack, and the novel The Animal Lover. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, and Outside. He lives in New York City.