Jefferson Bass

It's not like I didn't see it coming. There were more than enough tells you'd have to be oblivious not to see it coming. You certainly don't expect to cry your eyes out while reading a book about a guy who runs a research facility where he studies the science of how bodies rot. But I did. Is it wrong to not have kind thoughts for authors who kill off good people? And then there's the main plot of the book. If you pay close attention, you might even recognize a name straight from today's show more headlines even though the story takes place more than a decade ago. Stellar read! show less

To be completely honest I started reading these books because they are co-written by Dr. Bill Bass, the founder of the famous Body Farm and the University of Tennessee. I have degrees in biological anthropology plus I love crime stuff and Dr. Bass is an amazing man. Along with his co-writer, Jon Jefferson, the Body Farm series truly brings an accurate picture of forensic anthropology to life. This is not glamorous work with fancy labs and stilettos. This is work done in various conditions in show more and out of the field. It's understanding the archeological parts of it, much of which require stoop labor as you very carefully uncover truths. It's messy, smelly, and dirty, and if you travel the accommodations mostly suck.

Combine all this realistic science with good plotting and storytelling and you get a great thriller. These books are compulsively readable. This one, the latest in the series, is set around discoveries of reform school abuses. The events in the book are loosely based on the scandals at the Florida School for Boys' and the ever-growing number of children and teenagers who are killed at various boot camps.

The Bone Yard is a must-read for anyone who cares about how we treat our children and what we do in our prisons. What does it mean to be living in a country where the prison population is about 2.5 million? The US has the largest population of imprisoned or jailed people in the world. What exactly do we expect to gain from all of this? Is this solving our problems or making them worse? And, if we are willing to let children and teenagers be emotionally, mentally, physically, and sexual abused within systems that are designed to help them turn away from a life of crime and violence, then who are we?

Great combination of science, real life, and murders and bad guys, you won't be able to put this one down. show less

Jefferson Bass is the nom de plume for two writers: Jon Jefferson, a journalist, writer and documentary film maker and Dr Bill Bass, the founder of the Body Farm. Bass’ expert knowledge of his subject shines through in every page. Have you ever wondered how bones are de-fleshed* for examination? Bass will tell you in detail. You will either find it macabre, grisly and deeply unsettling or macabre, grisly and totally fascinating. I happily admit to falling into the latter category.

Forensic show more based crime fiction has become very popular in recent years. CARVED IN BONE is a worthy entrant in this sub-genre. Not only is it chock full of scientific details of forensic anthropology in easily understandable terms, it is also one terrific yarn. The characters have depth and the setting is so well described it is easy to visualise.

I loved the book and found myself reading aloud passages that describe some of the forensic procedures, much to the chagrin of some of my family.

If you’ve read similar books in the past and have found them wanting in some areas, give CARVED IN BONE a try. With the immensely likeable but flawed Dr Bill Brockton and his associates, CARVED IN BONE puts authors like Cornwell and Reichs in the shade. I enjoyed the book so much I have taken steps to get hold of their second Brockton novel, FLESH AND BONE. show less

This was a book that kept me up past my bedtime. A very dead man is found tied to a tree dressed in women's undergarments and Dr Jessamine Carter, ME, asks Dr Bill Brockton to replicate the scene at his Body Farm to help determine time of death. Murder and mayhem ensue.

This is the second effort by the writing team Jefferson Bass - John Jefferson is a reporter and Bill Bass is the forensic anthropologist who created the real-life Body Farm on the U Tennessee campus. I read their first book, show more Carved in Bone just prior to this, and it was good but not great - this book was great.

I imagine it is difficult to put fictional characters into your own very real world. It's clear that Dr Brockton and Dr Bass have a a lot in common - I'm sure the descriptions of his work physical surroundings are dead-on (excuse the pun). What happens to Dr Brockton though has certainly never happened to Dr Bass - it's this close tie to reality that made it all the more exciting. I feel like an "insider" when it comes to crime investigation and procedure now.

I want to mention Art Buchanon. He's a real cop - a fingerprint expert and child-safety advocate that has been inserted without pseudonym into this (and the prior) story. His agenda in allowing this is straightforward - to raise awareness of the problems that confront him in real life: internet predators, the need for children's fingerprints, etc. There is an educational component surrounding these issues - during this novel his "character" was working undercover in online chat rooms, hoping to find and arrest another creep. He speaks freely of the need for laws and tighter parental controls in these issues. I think it's a great use of a book that promises to be well-read.

This was more than a great mystery with a lot of forensic science built in. There were some memorable characters (just wait till you meet Miss Georgia), some memorable crimes, and even a memorable trial. I cared what happened to the characters and couldn't wait to see what happened next, which is my mark of a great book. show less