Mop Men: Inside the World of Crime Scene Cleaners by Alan Emmins

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The strangely enthralling true story about the men who clean up the mess that violent death leaves behind…

As every CSI enthusiast knows, murderers often leave gory scenes. But who cleans them up after the forensic wizards are done with their work? To answer the question, journalist Alan Emmins went behind the yellow tape to scope out the work of Crime Scene Cleaners Inc., a nationwide business described in its flyers as "a cleaning maintenance service specializing in the cleanup of homicide, suicide & accidental death." Mop Men offers a fact-filled, tongue-in-cheek profile of Crime Scene Cleaners mogul Neal Smither, a family man who leads a life more double than that of any serial killer.

From the Publisher

Neal Smither doesn’t hide his work. The side of his van reads: “Crime Scene Cleaners: Homicides, Suicides and Accidental Death.” Whenever a hotel guest permanently checks out, the cops finish an investigation, or an accidental death is reported, Smither’s crew pick up the pieces after the police cruisers and ambulances have left.

Publishers Weekly

Who cleans up when a killer leaves a really big bloody mess? In a chatty, tongue-in-cheek profile of Neal Smither, chief of Crime Scene Cleaners Inc., journalist Emmins lets the "Boss Cleaner" speak passionately of how he tackles spills and splotches resulting from the San Francisco Bay area's murders, suicides and other deaths. Emmins delves into the zany character of Smither, a loving family man who puts on a coarsely humorous persona as "protective armor" as he surrounds himself with the dark realm of death, monitoring his multimillion-dollar business in a highly competitive field. Hanging around with Smither means a grisly experience of suicide surrounded by transgender porn, bodies splattered by gunfire or the decayed corpses of those ruined by meth or contagious disease. For a totally gonzo way of looking at the crime scene cleaning business, try this engrossing, wisecracking assessment (of Smither, Emmins writes, "[I]f not actually one of Death's litter, he must be at barest minimum a cousin") of a world we know exists but ignore as we go on about our lives. (Jan.)

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