Helpful Score: 9
Great book. If you like Patricia Cornwell you will love this. I will definitely be looking for all books in this series. This was fast paced and kept me guessing. The characters were fun to get to know. If you are interested in forensic anthropology, this is a book to read. There is also some humor. I found myself laughing out loud sometimes. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 8
My new favorite forensic fiction writer is the team of Jefferson Bass! I like the plotline of this novel and although the ending was not a completely surprise, the action leading to it was enough to keep my interest. Jefferson Bass is able to weave lots of background information into the story without overpowering it. They are also able to use enough technical jargon to lend realism to the story without losing the reader. I also liked the offhand mention of both real and fictional medical examiners (if you skip paragraphs, you'll miss it)!
Helpful Score: 5
Yes - I am hooked on CSI. But only the original Las Vegas one and I must admit I preferred the beginning stories to the recent - the ones where they would graphically show the damage caused by the bullet or knife, etc. So of ocurse I had to read this one...I am a Kay Scarpetta fan also. Very interesting story line - and very interesting authors - Jefferson Bass is a team, one of whom (Dr. Bill Blass) actually founded the Body Farm at the University of Tennesee's Anthorpology Research Facility. So this was almost a must read!
Helpful Score: 4
Very interesting factual account of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility (the Body Farm of Patricia Cornwell's novel) described in a fictional setting. Also, gives a captivating account of life in the isolated and clannish backwoods of the Tennessee mountains.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed this book tremendously! Wonderful setting, interesting characters, a little bit of science, a little bit of humor and lots of action. I read Bill Bass's nonfiction work Death's Acre first, but that really isn't necessary to appreciate this great read!
Helpful Score: 2
This is the first in the Body Farm series. Dr. Bill Brockton is a forensic anthropologist at the Body Farm still mourning the death of his wife two years before when he is contacted by Sheriff Tom Kitchings of Cooke County Tennessee. A mummified body is found in a mountain cave which turns out to be a young woman who supposedly ran off years ago. Added to that fact, she is found to have been found to be pregnant at the time of her murder. Added to that, there's a lot of illegal goings on in Cooke county, everything from cock fighting to marijuana growing, added to that the possibility that there is corruption going in the sheriff's office. Leena Bonds, the young woman was related to the sheriff, she was dating a young man who went to Vietnam and when he returned, she was gone. There is bad blood between Kitchings and O'Conner. This was a terrific first novel, you have the Appalachian mountain folk with feuds dating back to the Civil war, you have the Body Farm and of course you have murders and intrigues and of course forensic anthropology which Kathy Reich's novels and TV series brought to people's notice. Even if forensic anthropology doesn't interest you, there's enough of other stuff going on to make this a fast paced novel that's hard to put down
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. Although fiction, it read like fact and was a pretty good story.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of facts worked into the story. Exciting storyline. Lots going on murders, break ins and a little romance worked in.
Helpful Score: 1
Renowened 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 corspe of a young woman dead for about thrity years has been discovered in a cave, the body bizarrely preserved and transformed by the enviroment's unique chemistry. But Brockton's investigation is threathening 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
This is a Body Farm novel and is perfect for the reader who wants to know more about forensic anthropology.
This was a very interesting book. I enjoy forensics type books. Can't wait to read the next one.
A great series for those who are early Cornwell fans, the inspiration for her book based on one of the real life authors of this book. Fast paced, detailed. A must read for CSI type fans.
Patty J. C. (theblue-greenlight) reviewed Carved in Bone (Body Farm, Bk 1) on + 66 more book reviews
Excellent southern location, backwoods murder mystery.
I really enjoyed this book, there was good character developement, a great plot and a easy to read storyline. This was the first book I had read from this Author and look forward to reading more of his work. Excellent book.
Completely engaged in this story quickly and stayed that way through to the end. Great story, interesting characters and a couple great twists and turns. Looking forward to this series.
A good read. I enjoyed it. It was a bit slow in the middle, the ending was a good one.
great forensic thriller great details
I was looking forward to reading the book since it was cowritten by a legend in forensic anthropology. Indeed it is a very captivating story and I certainly enjoyed it. I was, however, disappointed that there are a lot of educational moments. These are points which veteran readers of forensic mystery (or if you watch "Bones" on TV) absolutely do not need. It slows down the action immensely. Further, you have to endure a lot of forced and often tired metaphors. While opening a grave, the backhoe scraped the roof of the vault "like a thousand fingernails on a thousan blackboards." Combine these two factors and I am not sure I need to read another one in the series.
Great Book. Keeps you on edge through the entire book.
I really liked this book, glad I started out reading this one first as I found out there other books to follow. I enjoyed the writers style of writing and the medical terminology used.
This book kept me on the edge till the very end, I didn't expect to find the person I thought was the killer wasn't.
This book kept me on the edge till the very end, I didn't expect to find the person I thought was the killer wasn't.
This is the first in "The Body Farm" series. Really great technical details about bones and forensic anthropology, as you might expect since one of the co-authors is the guy who established "The Body Farm". An appealing main character, and his friends are well-drawn, but most of the plot was about the threats to them after finding the body and not so much about them solving the murder. I would have liked more effort along that line before the murderer was uncovered suddenly in the last few pages. I also thought there were several side trips in the plot which seem only to provide set-ups for future books. It's got a strong sense of place - I won't vouch for accuracy, but I did have clear mental images of the surroundings. Having the main character be an instructor provided excellent reason for him to lecture on the details, it does not feel at all like an infodump. I found it amusing that the main character refers early on to Patricia Cornwell and her crime novels, but later mentions Kay Scarpetta as a real person. My copy has some nice illustrations of skeletons in the back plus interviews with the co-authors, very interesting.
a very good read, and forensics was very accurate. I ordered the next two in this series.
I bought this to read on a plane and the only reason I finished it was because there was no in-flight movie :P I was expecting it to be more forensically detailed but the story seemed to focus on the generic characters who seemed a bit two-dimensional to me.
if you like Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs, you will enjoy this book.
Excellent writers and good story.
Great book. The authors clearly know the Body Farm, and they have a wonderful ear for dialogue.
This book is written by a scientist and it shows. It's very technical and reads like a textbook not a novel. I found it very dry and rather boring. I know it's about death and corpses but there was absolutely no life to the story. Just blah. It was tough to keep my mind on the mystery with all the extraneous medical and autopsy-like information thrown out there. This is not an author that I will read again.
This is a fantastic book with tons of drama AND science. A great read for anyone interested in forensics.
Applachia backwoods happenings & forensic anthropology all mixed in together. As good as Kathy Reichs or Parricia Cornwall any day. I am wishlisting the next book.
An excellent read, well written.
Great book!
Very good! First I"ve read by this author but will definitely read more!
Excellent for a first attempt. The real person behind the Body Farm
I thoroughly enjoyed Carved In Bone. It is one of Bass's best to date. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very first page. The plot is extremely well designed.
Nice book! Excellent forensic detail and a great mystery.
This is the first book in this series and the first I've read by this author (which is actually two people). I thought it was a cut above some other mystery series (i.e., "Monkeewrench" by P.J. Tracy and the Tess Monaghan series by Laura Lippman). Some of the one- and two-star reviews described the book as practically pornographic because of the "crude sexual talk" and the "uncalled for. . .sex scenes"; another stated the author was "embarrassingly sexist" and a "creepy, dirty old man." I'm fairly straight laced and I didn't find there were any overt "sex scenes." There was an instance where one of Dr. Brockton's students came onto him but what transpired was pretty tame, only involving a kiss. I didn't find anything remotely racy in that scenario.
Some of the descriptions of procedures were too long and uninteresting to me. I also found the Dr. Brockton character somewhat unlikeable; however, his wife had died a couple years earlier and he seemed unable to move forward from that. By the end of the book, the doc finally seemed to be taking the next step in the grief process. So, I will read the book #2 in the series.
Some of the descriptions of procedures were too long and uninteresting to me. I also found the Dr. Brockton character somewhat unlikeable; however, his wife had died a couple years earlier and he seemed unable to move forward from that. By the end of the book, the doc finally seemed to be taking the next step in the grief process. So, I will read the book #2 in the series.
This is the initial story in a continuing series on forensic anthropology. One of the authors (Dr. Bill Bass) is the scientist that created the Body Farm in Tennessee. It is fascinating to learn a bit of what they have learned through the cadavers residing at the Body Farm.
After finishing this book, there was a show on Discovery about ginseng being grown in Tennessee and the rampant thievery of this valuable crop (sold for millions to the Chinese). Talk about art copying reality.
The story flowed easily, with lots of interesting characters and situations. I thought the romantic twist with the undergraduate student wasn't interesting. Overall, however, I enjoyed the story and I'm looking for more books in this series.
Body Farm Series
** 1) Carved in Bone (2006)
2. Flesh and Bone (2007)
3. The Devil's Bones (2008)
4. Bones of Betrayal (2009)
5. The Bone Thief (2010)
6. The Bone Yard (2011)
7. The Bones of Avignon (2012) aka The Inquisitor's Key
8. Cut to the Bone (2013)
9. The Breaking Point (2015)
10. Without Mercy (2016)
After finishing this book, there was a show on Discovery about ginseng being grown in Tennessee and the rampant thievery of this valuable crop (sold for millions to the Chinese). Talk about art copying reality.
The story flowed easily, with lots of interesting characters and situations. I thought the romantic twist with the undergraduate student wasn't interesting. Overall, however, I enjoyed the story and I'm looking for more books in this series.
Body Farm Series
** 1) Carved in Bone (2006)
2. Flesh and Bone (2007)
3. The Devil's Bones (2008)
4. Bones of Betrayal (2009)
5. The Bone Thief (2010)
6. The Bone Yard (2011)
7. The Bones of Avignon (2012) aka The Inquisitor's Key
8. Cut to the Bone (2013)
9. The Breaking Point (2015)
10. Without Mercy (2016)
If you are a forensic junky like me you will enjoy reading this book. The book in co-written by the man who founded the Body Farm in Tenn.
This was a great book! If you enjoyed Patricia Cornwell when she used to write really good forensic mysteries (basically, her first three or four books), then you'll love the BODY FARM series of books by Jefferson Bass. This is a must-read for fans of CSI, BONES, and similar shows/books.
Enjoyed this book, anyone who is a fan of Sandford, Reichs, Deaver will love this book.
The Dukes of Hazards meets CSI.
lots of action, country "talkin" and nice twist at the end!
Tense and intriguing. Forensic science and detective work involving dedicated people and criminals in Knoxville and the Tennessee mountains of East TN among rednecks, clans and generations long feuds. The professor in charge of the body farm gets called out to find a mummified woman in a cave, and then things get complicated... when the lawmen in the hills are involved in lies and cover up, and more bodies appear and evidence is stolen. A very interesting book, taut writing and good character development, can't wait till the next one.
Enjoyed this book and learned a lot about The Body Farm but information seemed to not flow as a story but more in the lecture form. The plot moved a little slow at times but the characters were very interesting. Hopefully the authors will pick up the pace in the next installment of the series.
I can't seem to find anything I disliked about this book, I loved Bill and Art, I hope that they are together on the next case... Bill is so real to me that I feel like I could reach out and hug him, wish I could!!!
I liked this mystery set at the "Body Farm" and in the Appalachian mountains. I especially liked the interactions between Brockton and police officer Art Bohanan as they work together to solve the murder of the woman in the cave. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Flesh and Bone.
This book was amazing! It's a wonderful mystery/thriller with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. The characters are realistic, complete with human frailties and as well as talents.
Awesome book ... now I want to read them all!
NY Times Bestseller
This book was interested, First book I had read of this author and i did enjoy it! good shape
