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Carved in Bone: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels)
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Customer Reviews
Rating:  - A must if you have read any of the other Body Farm Novels
This is a very good mystery novel. It is a must if you have read any of the other Body Farm Novels. If this is the first of the novels then I would highly recommend the ones that follow this one. It is good, but the ones that follow are even better.
Rating:  - Surprised by all the Good Reviews of this Book
I'm apparently in the minority here, but I really thought CARVED IN BONE was a pretty poor effort. This is a forensic anthropolgy mystery, in the style of Kathy Reichs, but it's far inferior to her work.
The flaws with CARVED IN BONE are many. The characterization in this book is paper-thin, and the main character Dr. Bill Brockton is about as bland a hero as you can imagine. The romantic subplots involving Brockton are almost embarrsingly bad and sophomoric. The mystery plot just plods along, and the novel is filled with page after page of numbing exposition. Overall, this book just has a flat, uninspired quality that makes it a subpar read.
There's some interesting information about forensics in CARVED IN BONE, but nothing you couldn't find in a far superior book by Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell. Unless you're a hardcore forensics junkie, my advice is to stick with those authors and to skip this misfire.
Rating: - Decent entry into the thriller/mystery genre
The Body Farm is a research facility located in Tennessee and popularized by Patricia Cornwell's novel of the same name, as well as nonfiction books such as "Death's Acre." Now, a scientist (Dr. Bass) and a novelist combine to write a story set in and around the Body Farm. The protagonist, Dr. Bill Brockton, is a professor at UT. The case he's handed involves a somewhat preserved corpse found in a cavern and the local yokels (I can't describe them any other way) who'd rather her killer not be found.
The fact that this is a 'first novel' is evident in the thinly drawn characters. There's a bit of a plot twist at the end, but anyone who's read Patricia Cornwell before could probably figure it out. References are made to real-life Body Farm cases in the narrative (such as an explosion in a fireworks factory). It's good...not great, but not bad either.
Rating:  - COMPELLING DEBUT NOVEL OF A BONE DETECTIVE...
This is a superlative mystery, well-written and full of rich forensic detail that is seamlessly woven into the intriguing plot. The characters, especially the engaging protagonist, are well-fleshed and interesting. The anthropological forensics are explained in fascinating detail. Moreover, the author certainly has a way with words, as he has mystery, humor, and science join forces in a way that ensures that the reader will remain riveted to the pages of this book.
The story takes place in Tennessee, where the world renowned "Body Farm", officially known as the Anthropology Research Facility of the University of Tennessee, is located. It is there that the highly respected forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton works, heading up the postmortem-decay research lab.
When he is called to a crime scene by Sheriff Tom Kitchings of Cooke County, which is located in the remote mountains of Tennessee. Dr. Brockton is taken to a cave where he sees the body of a young woman who has been dead for about thirty years. He is shocked to find it preserved in a unique manner that is due to a set of unusual environmental conditions in the cave in which the body was laid to rest.
Removing the body to his research lab, Dr. Brockton sets out to unravel the mystery surrounding this woman's death. Little did he know the can of worms that he would open. Secrets that had long been festering in that insular, backwoods mountain community would now rise to the surface, and old wounds would come to a head, unleashing a bitterness that threatens to derail Dr. Brockton's efforts. It seems that those intent on preserving the status quo will stop at nothing. Moreover, It also seems that those least expected to be involved in a cover-up are doing their best to thwart Dr. Brockton. Just what is going on in Cooke County?
Rating:  - Good Read But......
A good forensic tome but those awful jokes and a lack of character development need improvement. Middle-aged men in action adventures is better left to other writers. Bass' skill is in the field of forensics and he should stay there.
Better than Cornwell who has become bizarre, not as good as Kathy Reichs who has a much better literary style.
Cut the action, ramp up character development and add a little depth to style and story developments. Leave the forensics alone....they are fine.
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