For readers interested in ageing and more specifically the lifecourse, this publication's theme, namely the issues that surround the end of life (and indeed what happens afterwards), will be of interest. As a field of study established by a handful of scholars in the 1960s, during the last decade there has been a significant and noticeable expansion of intellectual interest in death on both sides of the Atlantic. This has reflected the phenomenal growth in its visibility in popular culture through television, newspapers, the internet, and films. Because death has seeped into the everyday, many books and articles now quickly become out of date. Fortunately, Beyond the Good Death manages to be up to date by bringing together familiar examples of death from popular culture and relating them to intellectual and theoretical discussions. Indeed, the author's ability to interweave popular culture examples and academic argument is one of this book's great strengths.

After introducing some of the classic theories about contemporary death in the opening chapter, Chapter 2 considers how people die in contemporary societies, including a discussion around Terri Schiavo's high-profile death in 2005. Chapter 3 details what can happen to the body after death, including organ donation and embalming – squeamish readers should be warned that a section on ‘Soulscapes’ has graphic detail. Chapter 4 is a multi-cultural tour of beliefs about life after death, and Chapter 5 discusses how death is represented in children's literature. In my opinion, this is probably the most original chapter in the book and makes a significant contribution to exploring how practices surrounding death and the end of life are constructed and practised, asking (as the chapter title suggests) how knowledge and beliefs about death are ‘passed on’ in educated societies. Chapter 6 considers how the deceased are remembered and memorialised around the world. Chapter 7 serves as a brief conclusion that draws on a wide range of past and present practices to consider what the future holds. In this context, my one criticism of the book's structure is that each chapter would have benefited from a clear introduction – this would make it easier for those readers unfamiliar with the topic or wanting to ‘tap into’ different sections quickly.

Overall, nonetheless, this is a very well written book, with at times the author's descriptions ‘waxing lyrical’. Take, for example, the statement that ends an explanation of the process of bodily decomposition: ‘Like a balloon, the corpse fills and expands, patches of skin slipping off until the surface is breached and internal liquids spill out. In food and drink we enjoy the things of this earth every day we lived. Now the favour is returned’ (p. 46). The poetic writing sets this book apart from drier publications on death and means that it is probably more accessible for both scholars interested in non-death-specific topics and non-academic readers.

Another strength is the wide-ranging use of examples from around the world to illustrate key points. Given that the author is American and the book is presumably aimed at a US audience, I was particularly impressed with the inclusion of Ken West and his introduction of natural burial at Carlisle Cemetery in Cumbria during the 1990s. This enormous variety of examples means that this is a very informative book to read, which will be of interest and use to lay audiences, practitioners, students and scholars interested in end of life issues. Audiences interested in ageing may be slightly disappointed that there is not more discussion on dying in old age or the protracted experience of dying from a chronic condition over a long period that is seemingly coming to characterise contemporary (ageing) western societies. Nonetheless, this book in my opinion is what an academic work should aim to be – accessible and intellectually appealing – while making good use of relevant contemporary examples. It is this quality that will make it stimulating and interesting for those readers who want to find out more about the issues that surround the end of life.