The Devil's Bones: A Body Farm Novel

Dr. Bill Brockton, the anthropology professor who created the famous Body Farm, juggles three investigations in this episode in the Body Farm series. A woman's charred body was discovered in a car on her property. Was her death an accident or was it murder? Her husband would be the prime suspect if she was murdered, but he was thousands of miles away. A prominent local attorney believes there is something wrong with his aunt's cremated remains and asks Brockton to take a look. This leads to a gruesome discovery at a Georgia crematorium. Finally, the medical examiner turned murderer who had set Brockton up for murder in the previous book in the series is due to be tried. However, he escapes from custody before the trial. Will he come show more after Brockton again?

Bill Brockton is a thinly disguised version of the University of Tennessee's famous anthropologist, Dr. William Bass, who happens to be one half of the Jefferson Bass writing team. If I had any doubt about the accuracy of the scientific details in the book (which I don't, given Dr. Bass's credentials and reputation), they would be put to rest by the accuracy of the local details. For me, half the fun of reading this series is its local setting. I know the roads, businesses, and local media outlets mentioned in the book. Even little details like CNN's cable channel number are accurate. One thing I love about this book is that it highlights the good work done by many real local agencies to address the problem of homelessness in our community. I know many who volunteer with these agencies and how much of their time they contribute. There's a reason Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State! Another thing I like about this series is that it doesn't reinforce the negative stereotype of Southerners that is so common in movies, TV, and books. Dr. Brockton and his anthropology students and local law enforcement agencies are all portrayed as competent professionals, just as they are in real life. Readers with any interest in the Body Farm should make sure this series is on their reading list. show less

Well, that was a quick read. I enjoyed it although I feel it is somewhat derivative of Kathy Reichs' books and not quite as good.

The basic story: Dr. Bill Brockton is a forensic anthropologist working in the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He previously helped catch an ME, Garland Hamilton, who had killed Brockton's lover but Hamilton has now escaped. Fearing for his life, Brockton continues to work. His first case is to prove that a woman burned in a car was already dead and then to prove that the woman's husband did it even though he was in Las Vegas at the time of the car fire. Then he is asked by his lawyer to check into a crematorium in Georgia because the cremains of the lawyer's aunt don't seem right. His faithful show more assistant, Miranda, helps with these investigations and so does the police criminalist, Art. Of course, Hamilton lurks in the background and finally is hunted down. Or is he?

Any one who likes CSI and Bones on TV or Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell will probably like this book. Not for the faint of stomach though. show less

Another good entry in this quite good series. The authors continue to expand our knowledge of the art and science of forensics. The angst of Dr Bill gets a little cloying at times but lively and interesting supporting characters continue to carry the storyline well. Injuries abound as the key characters are assailed by the evildoer(s). Hopefully, they will recover in time for the next episode.

The Devil's Bones is the third outing by the writing team of forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass and journalist Jon Jefferson, known collectively as Jefferson Bass. The Body Farm novels feature Bill Brockton who, like Dr. Bass, is a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, informally known as the Body Farm. Brockton is a likable character, a late middle-aged widower who knows everything there is to know about human bones and who gets terribly excited about his research into the effects of the decay of the human body, and the various types of environmental factors that cause it. He's pretty darned cheerful for a guy who not only works around and thinks about death all the time, but who is show more also forever getting pulled into tight situations in which his own death or that of a loved one is threatened.

Jefferson Bass likes to take real life headlines and write a novel around them; in this instance, one of the several story lines concerns a discount crematorium which is not disposing of the dead respectfully (or honestly); as Bill Brockton discovers, the owners have their own version of the Body Farm: although they're not studying anything, they are dumping hundreds and hundreds of bodies in the woods on their very large fenced in property. Brockton stumbles upon the situation when he is contracted by Burt "Grease" DeVriess, the lawyer who once defended him on a murder charge, to determine if the supposed cremains of his beloved aunt really are what they're purported to be. Bill quickly determines they're not human ashes, and his investigation begins.

And he's awfully glad to have this investigation to keep his mind occupied. Otherwise, he'd be constantly worried because his nemesis, the criminally insane former medical examiner Garland Hamilton, has escaped custody while awaiting trial for murder and is out for his revenge. We can only imagine the gruesome death Hamilton has planned for our boy Brockton.

The most interesting bits of The Devil's Bones are the lessons the layperson gets in forensic anthropology. We learn about human bones, their strengths and weaknesses, what they can tell us about how a person lived and how he died. Additionally, there are some nifty lectures on the workings of crematoria. All of this has the potential to be both gruesome and boring, but the upbeat, optimistic character of Bill Brockton keeps keeps the novel from getting too heavy. Add a decent cast of supporting characters, and you have a series that you'll gladly return to whenever a new title is released. show less

The Devil’s Bones is the third novel in the Body Farm forensics series. This time Dr. Bill Brockton is involved in a number of plots that involve remains, bones and fire including charred remains found in a burned-out car, and a disreputable Georgia crematorium that simply dumped bodies on its grounds. I enjoyed this novel (I have read several others of the series) though I found the flow somewhat disjointed because there appeared to be little real connection between the different plots. It was interesting to learn about the science about how fire consumes flesh and bone. In addition to these mysteries, Dr. Brockton is also dealing with his nemesis Garland Hamilton who has escaped from prison. Though I have enjoyed others in this show more series more, the Devil’s Bones was still a good read--3 1/2 out of 5. show less

Reading this book is as easy and enjoyable as if the author is sitting right with me and telling me about his experiences. Amazing. I’ve never felt so comfortable in a book before, especially considering the theme. Jefferson Bass is the pseudonym for a team comprising Dr. Bill Bass, world-renowned forensic anthropologist who founded the real “Body Farm”, and Jon Jefferson, journalist, science writer, and documentary filmmaker. With a background like this you know the novel will be informative and factual. The Devil’s Bones is the 3rd novel, and how I wish I had already read the first two! I loved the flow of the book, it was descriptive, entertaining, the characters and the relationships are strong and believable. The show more conversations are entertaining yet informative and the storyline held my interest completely. If I could have spared the time I would have read it at one sitting.The main character is Dr., working with a team of PhD students and others. As the book begins, he has lost the woman he loved (also a colleague) when another member of the department murdered her and tried to frame Bill for the murder. The man responsible, Dr. Garland Hamilton, is in jail for murder. This story begins when Dr. Brockton is sent a box of supposed “cremains” to determine if this is indeed what the box contains. A request has been made by the very lawyer who defended his case. There appears to be something stran, and the realization that this is a much bigger case than one would expect. As a suspected murder comes to light, the knowledge gained checking the crematoriums plays a part in solving this case, not to mention his brilliant PhD student and assistant Miranda. The escape of Hamilton from jail adds suspense and fear to the mix throughout the remainder of the book. A tiny chip of bone leads to a fitting finale. I enjoyed the book immensely, would recommend this book to anyone and now have a new favourite author! show less

Excellent writing style, plots that make you care about the characters, twist that are actually unexpected - they all combine to make a thoroughly enjoyable weekend read. Best of all, if you're familiar with the work of Dr Bass, you'll be able to pick out real cases that are used as "background" material in each book.

One other thing - many authors try to write using the word choice, phrasing, local color, etc of where the books takes place. They usually fail. Jefferson Bass succeed in getting down on paper some of the unique language of East Tennessee.