Customer Reviews

The Bone Thief: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Anytime Grease calls, Dr. Bill Brockton knows the case could be dicey. "Grease" is the nickname given to Burt DeVriess, a wealthy Knoxville defense attorney. DeVriess wants Dr. Brockton to exhume the body of a eight-year-old corpse in order to determine if the wealthy decedent fathered an illegitimate child with one of the city's most notorious madams.

But, the body in the coffin isn't intact. Someone's chopped up the decedent. As Dr. Brockton continues his investigation, he uncovers more of the Ivy Funeral Home's former clients with empty graves.

But why are dead bodies being stolen? Parts are big business. Some unscrupulous tissue firm is clearly paying for cadavers.

When the FBI get a lead on a firm, they ask Dr. Brockton to go undercover and offer to supply the group with donated cadavers from the Body Farm. The assignment goes against everything Dr. Brockton stands for, but if the law has any chance of catching the grave robbers, he's going to have to help.

"The Bone Thief" is my favorite of the Body Farm novels by the award-winning team of Dr. Bill Bass, the founder of the real Body Farm, and Jon Jefferson, his film and writing partner. It's the grittiest and tightest paced of their efforts so far. The book will literally have you up reading well past your bedtime.

Rebecca Kyle, March 2010

THE BONE THIEF is the fifth installment in the Body Farm series by Jefferson Bass. And let me tell you, this book will take your mind off of all your troubles. I know. I had a 3 day case of stomach flu will reading this book. I couldn't eat, couldn't get out of bed, couldn't really do anything. All I could do was sleep...and read this novel. THE BONE THIEF helped me forget (at least temporarily) how really lousy I really felt. And that is a ringing endorsement!

Even though THE BONE THIEF is the 5th book in a series, it stands very well on its own. While there are important references to previous stories, they are well explained, and I never felt lost. With a multithreaded storyline based in the black marketeering of body parts, an FBI sting operation, the paternity of an unborn child, and the agony of a dear friend, THE BONE THIEF is a clear winner.

I zipped right through THE BONE THIEF, even in my dilapidated condition. The plot and pacing both worked well, with the science, the action, and multiple threads all blending seamlessly. The characters were likeable and well developed, and I felt that I had a good rapport with them, even the ones from earlier books. The characters truly felt real and very human in both their professional and personal foibles and woes. All in all, THE BONE THIEF is an excellent read, and I will definitely be reading more books in this series.

This book is partly a continuation of Bones of Betrayal: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels); two fairly personal side stories to the main mystery in this book are directly related to the events in the earlier book. If you haven't read that book you should read it before reading this book, not because you need to have read "Bones of Betrayal" to understand this book but because reading this one will spoil the ending of the other one.

The main story in this book starts with what should be a routine exhumation, but the body is missing its arms and legs. The resulting investigation brings the FBI to Dr. Brockton with a request that he go undercover to help them get evidence against suppliers of black market body parts by appearing willing to sell bodies donated to the Body Farm for personal profit. The interesting aspect of this book is that it is not about Brockton solving a murder by studying the remains but instead about crimes involving the bodies. And Brockton's undercover work shows a different side to his personality. And there is thought-provoking information about the business of medical research and transplants. I thought the book was very enjoyable.

I also read the Kathy Reichs "Bones" book series and think if you enjoy that series, you will also enjoy this series. Brockton is a much different character than Temperance Brennan but they have the same professional background. And Brockton is the fictional counterpart of one of the authors -- the founder of the University of Tennessee's Body Farm.

to start with, my typical novels that I like to read do not contain body parts description, and least of all in DETAILED MEDICAL form! however, the plot and the heart warming characters kept me turning the page. It is not one of those books that capture your attention by action packed moves, but it one of cleverly written plot, the mystery and characters that you can relate to. I likened many of the characters to Warehouse 13! (sorry if you are ny syfy fans)

The plot is about a middle aged anthropologist, working in university, who was already had some unfortunate running with the law is asked to partake in more crimes, not willingly, by the FBI. As the plot unfolds, loyalties are tested and friednships are lost. I hate to say it, but there were parts of the book that was so moving that I had tears in my eyes, which is unusual for a book that had a lot of description about bone surgery!

So if you are like me and wouldnt ordinarily pick up a book like htis one; be surprised and enjoy the ride!

"This book contains more medical detail than any of our prior books," say the authors in their Acknowledgments. This is (1) a good thing if you like learning about anatomy and forensics, but (2) a bad thing if you're a good visualizer and a bit squeamish about blood, surgical techniques, and decomposition. But decomposition details are what you expect from a "Body Farm" mystery, right?

The focus of this fifth entry in the intriguing series is illegal trafficking in cadaver body parts (used in organ transplants) and cadavers (used in surgical training). The cadaver trafficking problem is real--some readers will no doubt remember the headlines about the 2004 theft and sale of cancerous bones from Masterpiece Theater host Alistair Cooke's body for possible use in dental implants and orthopedic procedures. And if you thought that such body-snatching was rare, and unlikely to occur again soon, then this book will open your eyes by explaining how the laws of supply and demand make the human body parts business both lucrative and attractive for unscrupulous individuals.

Despite its grounding in reality, THE BONE THIEF is a well-plotted page-turner. Dr. Bill Brockton behaves true to form, doing the right thing even when that threatens to destroy his reputation and his professional relationships, and to land him in prison. Except for a brief chapter or two that includes the apparently obligatory scenes of the medical examiner or forensic investigator's being stalked by the killer or evil-doer, the story moves along swiftly, with many twists and turns that are both unpredictable and believable, and reaches a satisfying conclusion.

A sub-theme that will likely cause many readers to reflect on their own mortality is Dr. Brockton's use of time-lapse photography to chronicle every stage of decomposition of the body of a particularly beautiful TV anchorwoman. Shortly before her sudden death on camera, she had aired a news feature on the "Body Farm" and decided to donate her body to further its research, so Dr. Brockton decides to extend her on-camera presence, postmortem.

One warning: THE BONE THIEF includes spoilers regarding Dr. Brockton's romantic relationships from prior books. Although THE BONE THIEF functions quite well as a stand-alone novel, it is not the book to start with, if you're interested in reading the full "Body Farm" series. The first book in the series, CARVED IN BONE, is also a great read.

The "Body Farm" books are authored by Jefferson Bass, the pen name for the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass (the forensic anthropologist who founded the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm") and Jon Jefferson (a professional journalist, writer, and documentary film maker). Once again, the team has produced the perfect blend of mystery fiction and nonfiction medical/anthropological forensics.

For some reason, I've never read any of the Body Farm novels by the team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson (hence, the author pen name of Jefferson Bass). I'm not quite sure why, as I like the forensic anthropology genre made popular by Cornwell and Reichs. So to rectify that, I picked up the latest book in the series, The Bone Thief. I'm guessing I'll end up going back to read the earlier ones also, as The Bone Thief was enjoyable and well written.

The story revolves around Dr. Bill Brockton, the person who runs the Body Farm, a place where bodies are left to the elements in order to study the effects of nature on decomposition. He's asked by a local lawyer to look at a body that's being exhumed as part of a paternity suit. When the casket is opened, they find that someone had taken a few of the body parts before burial. Other disinterments show that the funeral home involved in these burials was also involved in the trafficking of body parts, and Brockton is reluctantly enlisted by the FBI to play a part in a sting operation to try and uncover who is buying and selling. This puts him in an extremely difficult position in terms of ethics, as he can't tell his lead assistant what is going on. She uncovers his involvement, mistaking it for actual trafficking, and submits her resignation. Unless the FBI closes the case quickly, Brockton stands to lose his reputation, his job, and possibly even his life. There is a lot of money involved in the trafficking business, and they don't really like to have their operations disrupted.

There are a couple of subplots running through the novel, both of which are continuations from the prior novel in the series. I really wish I had read that one first, as it would have helped quite a bit here. He's trying to reconcile his affair with a fellow doctor of Japanese descent, who turns out to be a killer motivated by revenge by the atomic bombs dropped during World War II. She escapes capture, and Brockton wonders what's become of her. This concern gets ratcheted up even higher when one of her hideouts is found, and it appears that she's now pregnant, very possibly carrying Brockton's baby. The other subplot involves a medical examiner who was subjected to an extremely high dose of radiation during the autopsy of the person killed by Brockton's lover. His hands were destroyed, and his only chance of regaining a normal life is a double hand replacement. But that's rarely done, and finding donors is next to impossible. Will Brockton use his place in the trafficking scheme to try and help his friend regain a normal life? What line will he cross to help a friend if the actions don't harm a living person?

I found the blend between story and ethics to be balanced and effective. Too often the author has a point he or she wants to make, and they bludgeon the reader with it. That's not the case in The Bone Thief. The only thing that kept me from completely diving into the story was the missing backstory on the characters as they interact here. If you're making your first foray into the Body Farm series, try not to do it here. You'd probably enjoy the story if you do end up here first, but I think it would be a much richer experience if the backstory is in place first.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed

This fifth book in the Body Farm series was fairly interesting and moved quickly though a long drawn out scene at the end of the book seemed unnecessary and pointless. Suffice to say that before starting this one, you should have read the other 4 previous novels in the series in order to completely understand the characters and the plot.

In this work of fiction based loosely on the real life of the author, Bill Brockton -- somewhat the stereotypical "goody two shoes" -- is drawn into an investigation of body part snatching, tissue and organ donation scams, and transplant issues. He's recruited by the FBI to set up a sting operation and stumbles along helping to set up the unscrupulous and expose the nefarious deeds committed in the name of scientific advancement. His "Body Farm", though mentioned at the start, doesn't really figure much into the story line of this particular book in the series.

Dr. Brockton eventually outs the bad guys -- all too obviously portrayed from their introduction -- and this particular work ends on a positive note.

This isn't the best thriller series on the market, but it does provide a lot of forensic and anthropological science detail that I find interesting. The medical facts should prove scintillating to most fans and does provide that glimpse into the nature and process of decomposition and the study of the dead that many find fascinating.

Recommended for fans of the series.

I really enjoyed the first couple Jefferson Bass novels however the last two have been pretty unbelievable. Not sure how realistic the plot is and therefore it makes me wonder about the other parts of it. I feel like the characters are changing way too much and way too fast in this series. Some of them are doing things that I never dreamed they would do or say. I thought the plot about the selling of human body parts was going to be interesting. However it became unbelievable very quickly. I'm not even going into Dr. Garcia's predictment with his hands that continues from the last book. I'm going to have to re-evaluate whether or not I want to continue reading this series. The medical knowledge and forensic science parts of this series are fanastic, but the storytelling is getting to be almost too much. The characters are growing more and more shallow. Their interactions with each other are becoming simplistic and almost rote. I don't know that I would recommend this book to anyone other than true lovers of the series. This series may have jumped the shark.

Author Jefferson Bass (well ... joint co-authors Bill Bass and John Jefferson, actually) have got a great thing going here! THE BONE THIEF is the sixth entry in the exciting and remarkably successful series depicting fictional forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's adventures, research, investigations and checkered life as the director of the Body Farm. The Body Farm, as it is quaintly known, is a very real and very renowned research institution located on the campus of the University of Tennessee that investigates the mechanics and the subtleties of bodily decomposition after death under a bewildering array of variable conditions.

Like Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, Preston and Child's Aloysius Pendergast or Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, Bill Brockton is a formidable sleuth but he's also a credible character who evolves with every passing story. As one would expect from a modern protagonist, like Bosch, Pendergast or Rhyme, Brockton is a little edgier, a little darker and a little more angsty than the literary heroes of yore. He's got communication problems with his adult son. His love life is definitely shattered in the sewer and the rats are gathering to feed on the remains. Although the story never comes out of the closet and spells it out, his feelings for his young assistant, Miranda Lovelady are honourable but clearly conflicted.

It ought to be sufficient to spark your interest if I disclose that THE BONE THIEF is a compelling and provocative story taken from today's headlines that digs into grave-robbing (get it? ... digs into grave-robbing) and peeks behind the dark curtains of the global black market in human organs and body parts used in transplantation as well as dubious research and surgical training methods.

One more highly recommended successful notch on your belt, fellows. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Paul Weiss

This book is written by the writing team of Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Blass (the founder of the Body Farm anthropolgic research center in TN). The story involves an illegal body part buying scheme, and the FBI asks Dr. Brockton to help shut them down. Had some good moments of suspense in the novel. And occasionally they referred back to previous stories (which I didn't know existed until I read this book).

I was so impressed with the writing style that I went looking for the previous books after finishing this one, and I read them all. I thought it might be pointless to read the prior novels since I figured I would know what happened already, but the writing style is such that there were still some surprises. And you don't need to have read any/all the books to appreciate the book. Even though references are made back to the others, each book can stand indepently of the others.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who like suspense and forensic investigations.