This volume had its inception at a session of the eleventh annual conference of the European Association of Archaeologists. Murphy (geology, archaeology and paleoecology, Belfast University) and her colleagues studied atypical burials in Europe from Neolithic times until the early 29th century. Examples include those who suffered violent deaths due to execution, sacrifice or murder. The body of a Down syndrome girl found in total isolation could have been any of these. They also discuss unusual burials that may be simple an alternate custom, not yet well understood. Some "deviant" burials examined include the elaborate circumstances of royal funerals. Among the saddest are the plots in Ireland for unbaptized babies. The essays all involve the interactions among disciplines in order to use as much evidence as possible in all fields to approach the facts. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)