Customer Reviews

Flesh and Bone: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Once again we meet Dr. Bill Brockton - whom we met in Carved in Bone - and his continued research at the Body Farm - Where Carved introduced the characters, Flesh gives them depth. Deals with murder, controversy, and reversal of fortune. Amidst this intensity, there is humor - my favorite character, Art, Brockton's best bud, adds much needed laughs in the book, especially after the intense opening of the book. But it is his steadfast friendship with Bill that remains steadfast and wish we could all have such a friend. We meet another character who I certainly hope will have a recurring role in sequels, Miss Georgia. Flesh continues the excellence of Carved and fans certainly will be looking forward to the next in the series. A great read.

Following the NY Times bestseller CARVED IN BONE, which was a great forensic mystery, Bass has produced one of the best forensic stories I've ever read. In this outing, Dr. Bill Brockton and his University of Tennessee's body farm are at the center of the crimes--in more ways than one. The crimes themselves will appease the most blood-thirsty reader, and the peril will stump the most avid suspense reader. I'm not going to give a hint of the story--you'll just have to take my word for it: This newe series is NOT TO BE MISSED!

"Flesh and Blood" is the sequel to the writing team Jefferson Bass' first fictional work, "Carved in Bone." 'Jefferson Bass' is a pseudonym from Dr. William Bass, the famed forensic anthropologist and writer of "Death's Acre" (a non-fiction autobiography and excellent treatise on forensic anthropology) and Jon Jefferson, who worked with Dr. Bass producing "Death's Acre" and two National Geographic documentaries on the Body Farm.

"Flesh and Bone" takes up close to where its predecessor, "Carved in Bone" leaves off. Dr. Bill Brockton and his faithful GA assistant, Miranda, are setting up an experiment on the Body Farm. Their goal is to reproduce a gory murder of a young may they believe to be a hate crime against homosexuals. By reproducing the crime using a donated cadaver, they are hoping to clearly establish the time of death of a young man left hanging in a tree dressed in drag paraphenalia and brutally mutilated.

As the story goes on, Dr. Brockton and Dr. Jess Carter, the Chattanooga, TN Medical Examiner, are getting much closer. It looks like Dr. Brockton may stand a chance at love after 2 years missing his deceased wife.

Of course, not all things are going smoothly. A classroom lecture gone somewhat awry, ends up with Dr. Brockton having to defend himself against creationists, mirroring the infamous 'Scopes Monkey Trial' which happened only a few miles from Knoxville in Dayton, TN. Some would call this plotline 'unnecessary' but I think it's very timely and interesting--considering this week an East Coast teacher was fired under accusations of witchcraft--for teaching counter to the views of her principal.

But the situation decomposes much faster than the bodies--when the crime scene mockup is tampered with, Dr. Brockton is the prime suspect for murder. As the stories hurdles on, Brockton's job, family, even his life are all at stake.

"Flesh and Bone" is a fast-paced and very real look at the life of a forensic anthropologist. The only fault I can find with the book is that it's perhaps 'too real.' The commonalities between Dr. Brockton and Dr. William Bass are just too similar to be missed and in this reviewer's opinion, show some lack of imagination. Art Bohannon, the Knoxville Police Department fingerprint expert and childrens' advocate, is really Art Bohannon and names of people credited with helping the team in some way were only changed slightly--if at all.

"Carved in Bone" depicted a situation in an East TN county that was very similar to reality. "Flesh and Bone" did go a step further--taking real situations and bending them to work in the book.

In "Flesh and Bone" we look at the judicial system from the point of view of the Defense, which definitely is a twist from the noted criminalist's usual position. That showed imagination and a whole lot of research. Well done, gentlemen--I hope to see book three very soon.

First Sentence: The chain-link gate yowled like an angry tomcat in the watery light of dawn.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton is helping state medical examiner, and his burgeoning love, Jess Carter with the case of a man's body found sexually mutilated, tied to a tree, and dressed in drag. He is also dealing with the suspension of this job after a lecture on evolution upsets a student who believes in creationism. When Brockton thinks things can't get worse, he is accused and arrested for murder.

There was a lot happening in this book and Jefferson Bass tied it all together into a gripping, interesting story. There was so much I liked about this book. Brockton isn't the classic macho protagonist; he's a bit unsure of himself, hesitant about a new relationship and able to cry. That he has been given interesting supporting characters adds balance and dimension to the story. Some may not care for the character's lecture on evolution, but I found it interesting and it is relevant to the story. The description of the protagonist's experience as a murder suspect provides a different aspect than one normally gets. Add to all this great dialogue, a strong sense of place and emotional tension, and the result is one very good book.

Did anyone else out there know there REALLY IS a Body Farm? And it's located at the University of Tennessee?? Everyone else knew this?? That's what my husband said anyway!! OK...so I've never HEARD of the Body Farm. Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass is actually written by 2 Doctors from the REAL body farm. So if you are a CSI fan, then this book will probably appeal to you. And you if you are "faint at heart" pass right on by! There are some seriously graphic scenes in this book. A couple dealing with maggots and blowflys that even I had to skim! That being said, I really liked this book. It is the second in a new series of books about the Body Farm, which is where they study dead bodies! Dr. Bill Brocton is the director of the Body Farm and a professor at the University of Tennessee. When he is isn't teaching, he's consulting on crime scenes as a forensics expert for the police or the FBI. When he gets a call from Dr. Jess Carter, about helping recreate a crime scene, he jumps at the chance. Jess is the Medical Examiner for part of the state, and also a woman he has feelings for. He hasn't dated anyone since his wife passed and Jess is the first woman he has desired in quite awhile, though she is only recently divorced.

A man's body was found, dressed in a blonde wig and black corset, hanging from a tree in the woods near Chattenooga. Is it a hate crime or something else? Jess and Bill are trying to determine who the man was and why he was killed. Bill is also trying to fend off a lawsuit brought on by a religious organization that wants creationism taught in the classrooms. When the murder victim is identified as a known pedophile, things get even worse. I really can't say much more without giving away any key items in the plot.

I thought this was a good, solid read. The mystery was enough to keep me intrigued, and so were the human interest issues. I liked the developing relationship between Bill and Jess. Aside from all the gory dead body stuff, I really enjoyed Flesh and Bone!

Having just finished this I have to say that I didn't find it nearly as riveting as the first book from these authors. Oftentimes a first book is a bit wanting, and by the time the second comes along things get better. Flesh and Bone seemed to me to be slower and just not as interesting. Rather predictable as well. Would still read another book by these guys. Hopefully they'll get it back together for number three.

To put my review in perspective, I work directly across the river from the body farm and can see the hillside from my office window. I have known of Dr. Bill Bass and his work for many years. His work is extremely facinating and has revolutionized forensic investigations and likely helped solve many cases.

That said, I feel that the first book, Carved in Bone, was a better, more entertaining read. That's not to say Flesh and Bone is not good, I do recommend it. I just liked the first one much better. To me, the first half of Flesh and Bone was very slow and drug the story out too much. The context of the evolution vs intelligent design, although I'm sure Dr. Bass has dealt with similar situations in his real Body Farm experiences, seemed to be out of place and not germain to the story line. The extra layer to the story that it provided was never really used and seemed to distract from the main plot.

However, the last half of the book, after the murder of a key character, raced by and reminded me of how much I enjoyed the first book. The story, the investigation, and the outcome was very well written and I enjoyed reading it.

All in all, this is a good book that I enjoyed. Though not as good as the first in the series, I still recommend it.

Chattanooga medical examiner Jess Carter has been acting ME for Knoxville since the suspension of Dr. Garland Hamilton based on testimony by Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and founder of the Body Farm. When Brockton is asked by Carter to help investigate the death of a transvestite mutilated and bound to a tree in a state park, he recreates the crime scene at the Body Farm using a cadaver similar in appearance and body. As Carter and Brockton proceed through their investigation, they acknowledge their attraction for one another and tentatively begin a relationship. But very quickly, Brockton discovers Carter's nude body tied to the surrogate corpse at the Body Farm, and all clues point to Brockton as the murderer. Brockton is banned from his offices at the University of Tennessee and his house has been taken over by the Knoxville Police Department as they build their case against him. With the aid of friend and renowned criminalist Arthur Bohanan, Brockton begins a frenzied investigation into the murder of Dr. Carter, which puts his own life in peril.

Jefferson Bass is the pseudonym for the writing team of journalist Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass, the actual founder of the Body Farm. The two have once more created a good whodunit while providing an edifying look into the fascinating world of forensic anthropology. Although the book tackles an issue some may find offensive, this does not detract from an overall good read.

In their second effort, Jefferson Bass has put forth a fast paced novel again featuring Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthroplogist, college instructor and founder of the Body Farm. When Dr. Brockton begins to investigate the murder of an unknown male, the plot starts rolling. Assisted by Dr. Jess Carter, M.E. From Chattanooga, Brockton uncovers the victim's identity. As they dig deeper into the case, the stakes are raised and it is obvious that someone does not want the truth known. Somewhat predictable plot twist awaits the reader half way through the book, but all-in-all, a fast read.

In FLESH AND 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 FLESH AND 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; a brutal murder that, to all appearances, is a homosexual hate crime; a controversial and most diverting side plot in which Brockton finds himself sued by a young creationist for belittling his religious views in a public forum; a little romantic byplay; some exciting behind the scenes courtroom drama from the point of view of the defense; and a scenario in which the hero, Bill Brockton, finds himself under investigation as the most likely suspect in the murder. 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