Customer Reviews

Carved in Bone: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Patricia Cornwell made us aware of The Body Farm, and this book is dedicated to her. But Dr. Bill Blass, the person who created the real Body Farm in Tennessee, has written a wonderful book about the real deal. His hero, Dr. Bill Brockton, who I think is loosely based on Bass, is a brilliant forensic anthropologist professor who also teaches at University of Tennessee. A mummified body is found in a cave that begins the body of the book's plot, and it is a great ride. Brockton's friend Art helps him in the field work and his character is also sound and is a friend who you would like to watch your back on top of being a brilliant professional. We also meet several back woods characters that figure in and are also great.
This book sets itself up for sequels, and I cannot wait for the next - a digruntled ex-medical examiner is trying to get even after Brockton finds he botched an autopsy and there is unfinished business between them.
Fans of the Scarpetta books will not be upset at the descriptions of various states of body decomposition, autopsies, and other situations. Maybe someone who has not become familiar might. BUT this is a book to read and I almost finished it in 1 reading, so that tells you something. Excellent characters, sound plot, intruiging scenes put you in the book. Really wonderful.

Actually, the name of the site at the University of Tennessee is the Anthropology Research Facility, but it's known to the world as "Body Farm," a nickname chosen by a Tennessee FBI agent and made famous by Patricia Cornwell's popular crime novel. The facility, a three acre site devoted to postmortem-decay research, was founded some 25 years ago by Dr. Bill Bass, renowned for his expertise in forensic anthropology. Now, in addition to his studies and the assistance he gives to law enforcement officials, Dr. Bass has teamed with journalist/filmmaker Jon Jefferson to pen a novel so loaded with forensic detail that some may decide to sleep with the lights on.

This writing team wastes no time in snagging readers with a prologue detailing protagonist Bill Brockton's probing of a corpse with a hunting knife. After locating a space just behind the heart's lower chambers, "...I set the tip of the hunting knife there-it snagged in the soft flesh-then leaned in and began to push. It took more force than I'd expected......As my victim jerked and skidded from the force, a rib broke with the sound of a green tree branch splintering."

Definitely not a story for the squeamish or weak of heart. The graphic prologue is fair warning of descriptions to come as Brockton is called upon by Cooke County's sheriff Tom Kitchings to accompany him to a remote cave hidden in the Appalachian Mountains. This is a trip fraught with peril for Brockton as he suffers from vertigo and motion sickness. Nonetheless, his malaise is forgotten when he enters the cave and finds a mummified body on a rock ledge.

Of course, there are many questions: is it a male or female? How long has the body been there and how did he/she die? Those familiar with forensic science will find much in Brockton's descriptions of adipocere (grave wax) which, evidently, leaves a corpse resembling a wax museum figure. The body is returned to the Body Farm, and the research begins. It's a challenge that both intrigues and baffles Brockton as even with his wide experience he has never seen anything like this before.

Both affable and curious Brockton enjoys a challenge, but his investigation into this person's death is not all welcome among the residents of Appalachia, plus a jealous medical examiner throws roadblocks at every turn. In addition, Sheriff Kitchings, the all-powerful, chooses not to cooperate. Eventually, we learn of a long ago but not forgotten feud among the mountain people, but what really sets the narrative apart is copious forensic detail. Fans of this genre of crime fiction won't want to miss a word; others may shiver and shudder a bit.

- Gail Cooke

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 BONE remains high on my recommendation list.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Cooke County, Tennessee "Lord High" Sheriff Tom Kitchings asks University of Tennessee physical anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton of the Body Farm experiment to look at a body encased in a waxy substance found in a nearby cave that they left there. Fascinated by the remains, Bill realizes the victim, most likely a relatively tall female, was killed years ago, but somewhat preserved like a mummy by the cave's climatic conditions.

Using clues he finds on the victim he soon pinpoints the death to three decades ago. This shakes the narrow-minded totally homogenized populace as feuds left simmering but inactive explode. Rather quickly Tom demands Bill drop out of the official inquiry, but the anthropologist refuses feeling a need to provide closure to the deceased; perhaps he feels that way because of the recent death of his spouse or just the incompetence of Deputy Williams. Thus, Bill keeps investigating though the county officialdom and residents want him to back off or else.

CARVED IN BONE is an interesting first "Body Farm" case that fans of forensic whodunits will appreciate. The story line is driven by the deep look at forensics science and to a lesser degree the cast especially Bill who seems obsessed with learning the truth. Fans of Cornwell will receive immense satisfaction from this fine work and look forward to more investigations by Dr. Brockton.

Harriet Klausner

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

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?

Having just finished reading both "Carved in Bone" by William M. Bass and Jon Jefferson (writing as Jefferson Bass) and "Book of the Dead" by Patricia Cornwell (who is credited by Bass for making his Body Farm famous), my conclusion is that they should come together and write books, perhaps under the name Jefferson Cornwell Bass.

The Bass team covers every juicy (literally) detail of the autopsy process, something lacking in the glossed over versions found in Cornwell's stories, but Cornwell generally tells the story better.

Comparison:-

Gross stuff:
Bass - Yeah!!
Cornwell - Not often

Story-telling:
Bass - Corny jokes are distracting
Cornwell - Better writing style

Plot:
Bass - Takes too long to get the job done, transparent plot
Cornwell - Sometimes gets lost in the details

Love life and family life of major characters:
Both suck big time in this department

Earnings from books:
Cornwell, by a landslide

Anyway, on the subject of this book, the body of a woman is discovered in a cave, covered by waxy stuff, apparently having been weirdly preserved for at least 30 years. Anthropologist Bill Brockton (with lots of Body Farm experience) is called on the case, which soon evolves into a mountain of a mystery, with lots of molehills.

After the body reveals its deep, dark secrets, the search is on for her killer, and leads in some very unlikely directions. Although Brockton spends quite a bit of time throwing up from attacks of vertigo and mountain tobacco, he soon comes to realize that nobody can be trusted, and that it's better never to have a mountain man as your driver and tour guide.

The story wends its way around Cooke County, providing lots of local color and humor too, but alas, the plot is so transparent sometimes that you'll be thinking that Dr. Brockton has rocks in his head.

Entertaining, gruesome enough to make the squeamish squirm, and with a very human hero, a little more tweaking of the plot would have made this a better book. Rated: 3.5 stars



Amanda Richards, December 31, 2007

In CARVED IN BONE, forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton obviously is the fictionalized version of his creator, Dr Bill Bass, the founder of the real-life Body Farm, a research facility that he runs in Knoxville, Tennessee. Although THE BODY FARM and DEATH'S ACRE were both exceptionally well written and compelling non-fiction books that provided clear, graphic, easily understood explanations of the exciting, innovative, pioneering research conducted on THE BODY FARM, many readers will still find a non-fiction approach just a little too cut and dry for their tastes. You'll pardon the joke if I suggest that CARVED IN BONE puts flesh on those real-life bones and converts the story of this research into a novel that manages to convey considerable scientific information in the format of an exciting, if somewhat predictable, thriller.

Solid, well-explained and credible forensic science; the decades old strangulation of a young pregnant mother-to-be; the limited gene pool and controversial social structure of a close-knit, parochial, religious mountain community; and a diverting side plot in which Brockton grieves for his recently deceased wife but is mortified to find himself romantically attracted to his graduate student assistant and a promising undergraduate student who is quite young enough to be his daughter; plus a decent smattering of red herrings and narrow escapes. Presto, you have a wonderfully enjoyable novel that knocks the stuffings out of the over-the-top and sadly unrealistic imaginings of the CSI screenplay writers.

Well done, Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. I was a fan of the non-fiction material and now I intend to seek out the rest of the fiction series as well.

Paul Weiss

I read this book because I will moderate a panel discussion with Dr Bass and Mr. Jefferson at the Virginia Festival of the Book. I real a lot of true crime, thrillers and mysteries and thoroughly enjoyed this book. The details are incredible and the descriptions make you feel like you are bumping along the road with the doc. I'm glad to say that I didn't know "who did it" before the end. The characters are vivid and blend well with the setting for the story. The personal touches to show the expert is human were a great touch. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a well written thriller. Can't wait to meet you both in March :)

UPDATE - I just met Dr Bass and Jon Jefferson and they were great. It was a joy to be there when they talked to potential readers about their books. Its also amazing the number of questions I knew the answer to, because I'd read Carved in Bone and Death's Acre. Looking forward to the next fiction and non fiction. My parents attended the programs with me and are now interested in forensics for the first time. Great job guys :)

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.