Add your review
Avg. Rating: 4
Pretty good
This was another good read in the series, although I didn't like it as well as I did Carved in Bone: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels). I'm still enjoying the character of Dr. Bill Brockton, based on the author, but this second installment didn't hold my interest as thoroughly as the first title did.
That being said, though, there is a major shake-up in the plot with this one, and overall it's a good read. It just took me quite a lot longer to get through it than I had expected.
We'll see how the third one goes!
Maggots, blowflies and red herrings
This is the follow up to the novel Carved in Bone by the team of William M. Bass, a U.S. forensic anthropologist, and journalist Jon Jefferson. Like the first book, this one is heavy on the good, gooey stuff like decomposition and blowflies, not forgetting maggot trails of volatile fatty acids, and the obligatory boiling of the skull to get a good look at blunt trauma.
Also like the first book, the story-telling isn't very high up on the literary scale, but manages to adequately get the point across. The protagonist, Dr. Bill Brockton, is still the goofy, romantically challenged nerd of book one, but this time he takes a running jump at romance (misses by a mile), and manages to solidly plant both feet in his mouth by giving a rather one-sided lecture on the subject of evolution vs. intelligent design, thereby effectively alienating a large portion of the community and dropping large red herrings all over the plot.
The main part of the story involves the discovery of the body of a pedophile dressed provocatively in drag, and also rather creatively arranged to send a clear message against deviant behavior. This is compounded and complicated by another murder which literally lands in the lap of the investigation, and for which Brockton finds himself a suspect and persona non grata.
Two great characters (Art and Miss Georgia) and an unlikely legal alliance help to spice up a story that takes a few wrong turns but ultimately gets where it's going. Recommended for CSI buffs and people interested in reading stories from the Body Farm.
Amanda Richards, April 8, 2008
Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
Chattanooga medical examiner Jess Carter has been acting ME for Knoxville since the suspension of Dr. Garland Hamilton based on testimony by Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and founder of the Body Farm. When Brockton is asked by Carter to help investigate the death of a transvestite mutilated and bound to a tree in a state park, he recreates the crime scene at the Body Farm using a cadaver similar in appearance and body. As Carter and Brockton proceed through their investigation, they acknowledge their attraction for one another and tentatively begin a relationship. But very quickly, Brockton discovers Carter's nude body tied to the surrogate corpse at the Body Farm, and all clues point to Brockton as the murderer. Brockton is banned from his offices at the University of Tennessee and his house has been taken over by the Knoxville Police Department as they build their case against him. With the aid of friend and renowned criminalist Arthur Bohanan, Brockton begins a frenzied investigation into the murder of Dr. Carter, which puts his own life in peril.
Jefferson Bass is the pseudonym for the writing team of journalist Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass, the actual founder of the Body Farm. The two have once more created a good whodunit while providing an edifying look into the fascinating world of forensic anthropology. Although the book tackles an issue some may find offensive, this does not detract from an overall good read.
Couldn't put it down.
I will spare everyone the literary synopsis, and just say it was delicious. Bought at a gift shop when I found I'd left my other at home, it was a wonderful surprise. The science is fascinating, the humor is delightfully wicked. I am buying all the rest. I can't wait.
complete disappointment from start to finish
I had high hopes when I discovered Dr. Bass was writing novels. His expertise is something I rely on when writing my own novels. However, the book was a total disappointment.
It takes about 40% of the book to even get into the meet of the story. The beginning is there to impress you with his knowledge of the Knoxville and Chattanooga highway system and landscape, or details regarding the minute operations of law enforcement. Worse, there are long droning paragraphs of useless information, perhaps meant to provide red herrings to the true villain, regarding every turn he takes, every person he sees and every thought that develops.
I do understand wanting to show his relationship develop with Dr. Carter - but that either needed to be done in another book or some history needed to be "pre-recorded" (i.e. done outside the reader's scope) and just given in blurbs. We read mysteries for the mystery - not for the romantic development of two people who can't decide if they want to be romantically involved. (another problem I won't go into)
Finally, we have a crime and a seemingly well thought up frame. I won't list any spoilers, but I did think the villain was well chosen. However that positive was destroyed given the ending of the book. A complete and utter failure to solve the crime - instead Brocton got "lucky" and that just spoiled an already disappointing novel for me.
I'm not sure how the authors managed to garner such comparisons and positive reviews. Perhaps having an author that's also a journalist helps. I, for one, will not be reading another one of their fiction books.
Review this book
|
