Jon Jefferson

Carved in Bone is a book that's been sitting on my To-Be-Read shelves for years, and now was the time that I was in the mood to read it. It is a tale well told, with an interesting main character and lots of information to share.

Jefferson Bass does an excellent job in placing readers in the hills and hollows of eastern Tennessee, where people's memories are long and their willingness to forget and forgive microscopically short. The scenes in the cave are particularly well done, and they had show more me looking for a way out the entire time Brockton was down there. I also liked how Bass could go into forensic detail without graphic and gory detail.

If you like the subject of forensics, and let's face it, that's probably the main reason why readers would pick up a Body Farm mystery-- there's much to be learned here. I think the nugget of information that impressed me the most was about children's fingerprints. (Before puberty, a child's fingerprints are water-based and evaporate, which is one reason why finding missing children can be so difficult.)

There's a lot of good to be found in this first Body Farm mystery. The mystery was first-rate, and I thought the setting was excellent, but, ultimately, Dr. Bill Brockton did not "grab me" enough to make me want to continue reading the series. Your mileage may certainly vary. show less

DNF at 25% (which seems to be a tap out point for a number of people) when the protagonist starts making out with his student. I was already a bit icked out by him and how he sexualized every single woman he came across but that was just too much (and too unbelievable. Middle aged men need to stop watching so much professor/student porn - they think it’s an accurate reflection of college life.)

The science and forensic bits were interesting but after looking through reviews, I didn’t see show more anything that would reward me for continuing to deal with the sleazy professor and his erections so I’m putting this down. I might try their non-fiction book though. 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

From Amazon:

The Body Farm is a patch of ground in Tennessee dedicated to the science of death, where human remains lie exposed to be studied for their secrets.

Renowned anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has spent his career surrounded by death at the Body Farm. Now he's being called upon to help solve a baffling puzzle in a remote mountain community. The mummified corpse of a young woman dead for thirty years has been discovered in a cave, the body bizarrely preserved and transformed by the show more environment's unique chemistry. But Brockton's investigation is threatening to open old wounds among an insular people who won't forget or forgive. And a long-buried secret prematurely exposed could inflame Brockton's own guilt—and the dangerous hostility of bitter enemies determined to see him
fail by any means necessary.

My Thoughts:

One of the two men who wrote this book, Dr. William Bass, started the original Body Farm, at the University of Tennessee. So the book becomes a work of fiction about a very real place. The idea of the Body Farm 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. This is definitely not a book for the squeamish or weak of heart. The graphic prologue is fair warning of descriptions to come. Fascinating mix of country feuds and university science. Bill Bass and Jon Jeffeson present us with lots of very interesting 3-dimensional characters and a smart, sympathetic hero. Excelled story telling. show less