Profits of Death

An Insider Exposes the Death Care Industries

by Darryl J. Roberts

Paperback, 240 pages
Published by Five Star Publications
Publication date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 1877749214

Synopsis

This controversial book takes an unvarnished look at the funeral service business in the Jessica Mitford muckraking tradition. The author spent thirty years in the trade, and now reveals some of the predatory practices that unethical funeral directors use to squeeze profits out of grieving customers.

With an average cost approaching $4,000, the modern funeral is an expensive social event. It's possible to spend less, and the author explains how to cut costs without compromising quality. Overall he does a good job of revealing what goes on behind the scenes of a modern funeral.

The author writes in a direct, popular style that borders on tabloid journalism at times. Arcane industry details and statistics are juxaposed with sometimes funny "Eerie But True!" sidebars laced with gallows humor. The book occasionally veers in the direction of pandering to morbid curiousity, but it's hard to write a book about the funeral industry without getting into some of the details that most people rarely consider.

This book was featured on the CBS television program 60 Minutes on February 1, 1998. The subject of the program was the rapid consolidation which is taking place withing the funeral service industry. Three megafirms now handle about one fourth of all the funerals conducted in the United States. Author Roberts believes that consolidation leads to price gouging. The corporations, on the other hand, argue that economies of scale enable them to offer better services while minimizing overhead. The author's aggressive views have landed him in legal hot water with one of the largest funeral service conglomerates, which sued Roberts for libel and defamation.

Roberts has extended his campaign to the net, offering a web site called Profits Of Death. The site solicits visitor feedback about experiences with the death care industry and includes an online newsletter.

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