Carved in Bone: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novel, 1)

Great mystery story and very informative about forensic anthropology and the Body Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee. I lived in Knoxville for 16 years and I truly regret not visiting Deaths Acre. This is a wonderful start to an exciting series.

I really enjoyed learning about the facts of my neighbor city and with the fictional part, everytime when I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Really enjoyed this novel! On to Flesh and Bone!

Dr. William Brockton is forensic anthropologist with the University of Tennessee and overseer of the Body Farm, made famous in Patricia Cornwell's bestselling novel of the same name. This installment of the Body Farm series finds Dr. Brockton called to Cooke County, Tennessee by Sheriff Tom Kitchings, where a woman's corpse lies mummified in a cave. When evidence of murder is revealed, Brockton, with the aid of Arthur Bohanan, criminalist with the Knoxville Police Department, embarks on his own investigation as to who killed the young woman and the unborn child she carried. Brockton soon finds himself stonewalled by the Sheriff and his deputies while someone is stealing evidence from his offices at U.T. The investigation leads Brockton and Bohanan into danger more than once, and forces Brockton to face the grief he has carried over the death of his wife two years earlier. The name Jefferson Bass is a combination of two authors: Dr. Bill Bass, renowned forensic anthropologist with the University of Tennessee, and writer Jon Jefferson. Although Brockton is a fictional character based on Dr. Bass, Arthur Bohanan is a well-known criminalist, formerly with the Knoxville Police Department, and patented inventor of the process used to retrieve fingerprints from bodies and large objects. Carved in Bone is a twisting mystery delivered in an informative style, with plenty of forensics relayed for those so interested. Brockton makes for an engaging character, with Southern roots and mannerisms, and his sidekick Bohanan is charming and witty. This mystery series' magical blend of storytelling with edification is sure to develop numerous fans and is one series this reviewer hopes will continue for years on end.

Is it too much to ask that when we pick up a book involving one of the sciences of 'death' that the book has a good plot and great characters? Or that the book uses science to keep the readers engaged, rather than the usual raunchy sex and speech that is pockmarked with nastiness? Nobody, and I mean nobody swears that much. I don't like to hear it, I don't like to read it. If someone swore that much in front of me, I'd turn and walk away, and have done so before. Like Eleanor Roosevelt, I feel if a person cannot talk about interesting things, but instead uses sex and swearing to fill the pages of their books, then they must not have anything interesting to say. I quit reading Patricia Cornwell's books because of this a few years ago. The two men who wrote this book started the original 'Body Farm,' an idea that is now being copied world-wide to train police and scientists not only in the way to determine when crime has been perpetuated, but also to understand the death process for other sciences such as anthropology and archaeology. The story, the plot in this book is great. I'd heard things before about ingrown Appalachian areas, we have some of that here in parts of PA. But Jeffereson Bass write with a light touch, being careful to tell the truth, rather than continue the stereotype. The science in this book would have a big 'yuck' factor involved when a body is found covered with adipocere which is the kind of congealing of body fat in certain situations. They'd seen this type of thing in some bodies dug up in South America (high in the Andes where it is cold and bugs don't have a chance to clean the skelaton). But not only is the story in this book about death. It's about life, and who deserves it and who respects it. It's about teaching a new generation how to deal with human atrocities, and bring justice to those who are vicitims of crimes or man's inhumanity. It's frustrating to see that this book just came out this year; that we will have to patiently wait until these two guys finish another book knowing they have a real job to return to after they 'play' at writing. I can tell whatever these two men have done throughout their lifetime, they were sure to do it well. I've been aware that kids have developed an interest in CSI and the other crime shows on television. The trouble with those shows is they are very unlike real life. CS investigators do not go out and shoot -em ups like other cops. They stay behind the scenes and do their work. Kids don't realilze that what we see on tv and what we read in books like this are not the reality, they are an exception. I really look forward to the next book from these guys and hope they continue with their characters and their great writing. Karen l. Sadler

Did you read and love DEATH'S ACRE, the nonfiction account of the forensic anthropology research center known as the Body Farm? Are you a diehard "CSI" fan? If you can't get enough forensic crime drama but want the realism of nonfiction, then I have the book for you. Dr. Bill Bass, the brains behind the real life Body Farm and a celebrity in the world of forensic anthropology, has teamed up again with his DEATH'S ACRE writing partner, Jon Jefferson. As Jefferson Bass they have written CARVED IN BONE, the first in what may be a series featuring Dr. Bill Brockton (a very, very thinly veiled Bill Bass). In CARVED IN BONE we follow Dr. Brockton from his basement offices under the stadium at the University of Tennessee out into the wild Tennessee hills as he works with law enforcement, and even those on the other side of the law, to solve a case involving a mummy found in a cave. The remains of a pregnant female were left in a cave many years ago and naturally mummified. Recently discovered, the mummy is brought to Dr. Brockton and he and his team begin trying to identify the body. It soon becomes clear that the death of this young woman and the discovery of her body (not to mention the evidence of her pregnancy) will be traumatic for the small Cooke County community where she had lived. Once she is identified, her former boyfriend, as well as the relatives who had taken her in over thirty years ago, all become involved in the case. The case is complicated by the interest of both local and federal officials and by dark family secrets, but with the help of colleagues and students Dr. Brockton acts as the voice of the young woman murdered decades ago and hopes to bring her killer to justice. The forensic details are the heart of this novel. The science is fascinating and written in a way easy for readers to understand, even for those not familiar with things like adipocere, zygomatic arches and gracile skulls. The chapters are short and the action moves quickly. The "Jefferson Bass" writing team has even thrown in some sexual tension to spice up the clinical (for lack of a better term) aspects of the story. The good guys and bad guys are pretty obvious, and the outcome and resolution of the plot is not quite unpredictable, but for a first foray into fiction Jefferson Bass gets a lot right. If you have read DEATH'S ACRE lately, much of CARVED IN BONE will be very familiar. The voice of Bill Bass, the research he does, the atmosphere he works in, and even many of his explanations and jokes are the same --- only here they belong to Dr. Brockton. So much will seem like a re-read, but the actual case and the drama itself is fresh. This is a well-plotted mystery with plenty of highbrow gore. It is an enjoyable, not to mention educational, read. The forensic accuracy and attention to detail are much appreciated, and Dr. Bill Brockton is a likable character. Although the pace is not always consistent and the tale is a bit repetitious in parts, CARVED IN B

Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass (founder of the Anthropological Research Facility at the University of Tennessee--affectionately known as the Body Farm) have teamed up to write a suspenseful, well-written tale of murder and mayhem in the backwoods of Tennessee. Forensic anthropologist, Dr. Bill Brockton (those who've read Death's Acre will recognize him as a very close relative of Dr. Bass) assists in the identification of a body that, because it was left in a damp cave, has undergone transformation to the waxy substance known as adipocere (a variation of putrefaction). Quickly suspected of the murder are the sheriff and his deputy, thereby creating grounds for suspicion of local law enforcement on the part of the good-natured anthropologist. To whom can he turn for help in answering the questions the death has evoked in the mind of Dr. Brockton? Thankfully, a local Knoxville Police Dept. criminalist, Art Bohanan (the real life name of one of Dr. Bass's graduated students), is a very likeable character, who helps Dr. Brockton at every turn. Throw into the mix an incompetent medical examiner, a less than admirable lawyer, incest, a long-standing feud, cock-fighting, marijuana growing, chewing tobacco, the hint of moonshine, humor, and an assorted collection of rednecks, and one finds the ingredients for a Southern concoction one wishes to devour at one sitting. Anyone familiar with the real Body Farm, the University of Tennessee, and its cast of characters will find a lot of tidbits here that come directly from Dr. Bill Bass's case files, and that makes for a story that has the comfortable feel of being shared among friends, maybe rocking on the front porch of an old Tennessee home. The forensic details are outstanding. The tale a page turner. When's the next book coming out?