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    Flesh and Bone: A Body Farm Novel
    Flesh and Bone: A Body Farm Novel
    Flesh and Bone: A Body Farm Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    Flesh and Bone: A Body Farm Novel

    Written by Jefferson Bass

    Narrated by Erik Singer

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    About this audiobook

    Dr. Bill Brockton, the founder of the world-famous Body Farm, is hard at work on a troubling new case. A young man's battered body has been found in nearby Chattanooga, and it's up to the talented Dr. Brockton to assemble the pieces of the forensic puzzle. Brockton is brought into the case by the rising star of the state's medical examiners, Jess Carter.

    Just as they're on the verge of breaking the case open, events take a terrifying turn. Brockton has re-created the gruesome Chattanooga death scene at the Body Farm, but a killer places another corpse at the site, putting Brockton's career and even his life in jeopardy. Soon Brockton is accused of the horrific new crime, and the once-beloved professor becomes an outcast. Brockton must use all of his forensic skills to prove his own innocence...before he ends up behind bars with some of the very killers he's helped to convict.

    Flesh and Bone is another roller-coaster ride into the world of forensic anthropology, raising powerful questions about the nature of justice, loyalty, honor, and evil. This astonishing novel confirms Jefferson Bass as one of our most talented authors of suspense.

    Performed by Erik Singer

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJan 23, 2007
    ISBN9780061262265
    Author

    Jefferson Bass

    Jefferson Bass is the writing team of Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass. Dr. Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, is the creator of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, widely known as the Body Farm. He is the author or coauthor of more than two hundred scientific publications, as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career at the Body Farm, Death's Acre. Dr. Bass is also a dedicated teacher, honored as U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Jon Jefferson is a veteran journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and Popular Science and broadcast on National Public Radio. The coauthor of Death's Acre, he is also the writer and producer of two highly rated National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm.

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    Reviews for Flesh and Bone

    4/5

    241 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Not as good as the first one in the series. Seems he bent some characters for the plot, but it was still pretty good.

      I didn’t enjoy this narrator as much as I did the one for the first one.
    • 3/5
      Very good mystery focusing on forensic science, BUT ... I figured out both killers way before our hero did. And the ending was rather abrupt and neat. The writing team really moves the story along (which is a must for murder mysteries), and gives you some insight into the characters (which shows some maturity of writing style).
    • 2/5
      I really liked the story but the recording itself was flawed. At the critical end of the story, it seems like a chunk was missing and the confession started in the middle of something else with no idea how it got to that point. Really difficult to listen to.
    • 4/5
      Unlike the other novels in the Body Farm series—this novel is a sort of a prequel to the career of forensic anthropologist, Bill Brockton. It is summer of 1992, in the sweltering hills of Knoxville at the University of Tennessee, and Dr. Bill Brockton is the new head of the Anthropology Department. Brockton wants to revolutionize the study of forensics to help law enforcement better solve crime, and in that quest we see the beginnings of the Body Farm as we know it in the later novels. But soon his plans are derailed by a chilling murders whose bodies that bear eerie resemblances to cases from Brockton's past. The story is told in several points of views, including that of the killer and his victims. I enjoyed learning more about Brockton’s background, including more information about his wife and son—though I did miss some of the characters from the earlier books—particularly his assistant Miranda. I found this novel suspenseful, fast paced and enjoyable. 4 out of 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      I can't remember the last time I read an entire book within 24 hours. In this second book in the series, the murder of a close friend shocks anthropologist Bill Brockton. And then his world is turned upside down when he is identified as the prime suspect. Although the resolution to the mysery was fairly obvious, I still loved the story.
    • 4/5
      First one read in this series, I will certainly seek the original and other series volumes.
    • 5/5
      New author for me and I loved it! Sad at the loss of a character who looked to be a solid one but thrilled with the rest.

      One comment on other issues with home trampling on cherished beliefs. Nope. establishing the character as a strong scientific thinker was fine. Maybe the fact I have no tolerance for the bunk of intelligent design helps.

      Great read. Now I must read the rest!
    • 5/5
      One of the most exciting of the "Body Farm" books as our hero is very professionally framed for murder. A must read!
    • 4/5
      This book flowed from the 1st book with the charactures, I really enjoy the medical side of these books. The bummer about book 2, is they kill off one of the main charactures. Just when Bill, is getting over the loss of his wife and starting to fall into a relationship with Dr. Jess Carter, she is murdered. What a loss for Bill, wish he could have had a chance with Jess.Can't wait to read the next book.
    • 2/5
      I found book two of the Body Farm series to be incredibly predictable. while I wanted to like this series, I don't think I will continue to book three. There are just too many other books out there. The main character has all the traits to be likable but something is missing for me.
    • 3/5
      I did not enjoy this second body farm novel as much as the first one, but the forensic details were still fascinating. Professor Bill Brockton becomes embroiled in a battle with creationists. He also testifies against a colleague, and gets involved with Jess Carter, the new medical examiner. From there the story gets rather far-fetched, but it was still a good read with an exciting ending.
    • 5/5
      This is a big book physically and in impact. This is the second in the series about Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and director of the Body Farm, the facility that investigates the forensics of decompositionlBrockton develops as a character quite a lot in this book, and it is a character worth knowing. He is a decent man, a good man, with empathy for the people he deals with. In this novel, he begins a romance, his first since his wife's cancer death a couple of years ago. But things begin to go badly wrong for the doctor, a Perfect Storm of troubles on the personal and professional front. One problem is the threat of a lawsuit after he gives a pro-evolution lecture in one of his classes... the chapter is marvelous, by the way. Brockton is tested and how he changes and comes through this makes for a fascinating story.
    • 5/5
      This was a book that kept me up past my bedtime. A very dead man is found tied to a tree dressed in women's undergarments and Dr Jessamine Carter, ME, asks Dr Bill Brockton to replicate the scene at his Body Farm to help determine time of death. Murder and mayhem ensue.This is the second effort by the writing team Jefferson Bass - John Jefferson is a reporter and Bill Bass is the forensic anthropologist who created the real-life Body Farm on the U Tennessee campus. I read their first book, Carved in Bone just prior to this, and it was good but not great - this book was great. I imagine it is difficult to put fictional characters into your own very real world. It's clear that Dr Brockton and Dr Bass have a a lot in common - I'm sure the descriptions of his work physical surroundings are dead-on (excuse the pun). What happens to Dr Brockton though has certainly never happened to Dr Bass - it's this close tie to reality that made it all the more exciting. I feel like an "insider" when it comes to crime investigation and procedure now.I want to mention Art Buchanon. He's a real cop - a fingerprint expert and child-safety advocate that has been inserted without pseudonym into this (and the prior) story. His agenda in allowing this is straightforward - to raise awareness of the problems that confront him in real life: internet predators, the need for children's fingerprints, etc. There is an educational component surrounding these issues - during this novel his "character" was working undercover in online chat rooms, hoping to find and arrest another creep. He speaks freely of the need for laws and tighter parental controls in these issues. I think it's a great use of a book that promises to be well-read.This was more than a great mystery with a lot of forensic science built in. There were some memorable characters (just wait till you meet Miss Georgia), some memorable crimes, and even a memorable trial. I cared what happened to the characters and couldn't wait to see what happened next, which is my mark of a great book.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      I generally like to start book series by new authors at the very first one and follow the characters through their adventures. But I needed to pass two hours at Costco while they were putting new tires on our automobile, so this is the best that I could come up with.This is not a badly written book, but it is entirely predictable. I even predicted the murder victim (and the murderer) before I had read a third of the book. I know it is hard to have any suspense if the protagonist knows who the killer is, but it does damage the build up of the protagonist being brilliant when he can't imagine the killer, who is perfectly obvious to every reader. I didn't mind the time I spent with this book. There are some very fine individual jokes and asides, but I don't think I will be returning to these characters.
    • 4/5
      Oh dear, oh dear...I was so enthralled with the first JB book I got this in hardcover as soon as I could - and it was a major let-down.Perhaps it's the curse of team writing, especially when both guys seem like they're probably very sweet people who aim to please, but this book is WAAAYYYYY under-edited. There are huge globs of narrative that lead nowhere, and either appear to be paid for by the Tennessee Bureau of tourism (descriptions of restaurants, buildings, even country drives that send you straight to sleep)or seem to be taking the plot somewhere but then fizzle out.Also, the Big Event (attempting not to be a spoiler) happens too far into the book. The arc is all wrong. The reader shouldn't be expected to slog along being mildly entertained by the secondary plot (even if it's entwined)for so long before everything gets turned upside down and the REAL action begins.Somewhere in the middle is the Intelligent Design sub-plot. I got on that bandwagon a little (opposing it, that is) so I was pleased to see it addressed creatively and satisfyingly in fiction, BUT - it had nothing to do with the plot, other than to add a minor red herring. This sort of passion should be addressed in essays. Carl Hiassen would be a good model for these guys; his wonderful advocacy is well-known through his columns and, in his fiction, is hinted at. MUCH more effective than a heavy-handed treatment.I'm also a little uncomfortable with Miranda's continuing role. It was creepy in the first book to have the 25 year old coming on to the 55 year old. It will be difficult to sustain this relationship both believably and without the ick factor. (I have to admit that if I was the author I would take the coward's way out and either make her gay - not a potential lover - or else a daughter figure.)I also have a little problem with the character of Miss Georgia. She's definitely a lively addition, but the problem is her dialog. I truly think it's nearly impossible to pull off a dialect, in particular this one, without sounding either patronizing or worse. It is NOT that anyone's intentions are less than sterling, it's just too risky in fiction. "They be along directly" can be done in film, but on the page it's...I don't know, odious.On the plus side, I think the villain was a pretty good choice. Though for him to have full effect, you have to have read the first novel.Dr. Brockton's "aw-shucks" charm continues to work. He's a good hero and I'll keep buying the books because of him.And Art & the rest of the gang are engaging and pleasant. I think JB could build a "Crossing Jordan"-style ensemble to good effect. And most of my other complaints are completely fixable. This might just be a perfect example of the problems that plague a sophomore book: aiming too broadly, working too hard, and evincing strain where it should appear effortless.