Carved in Bone: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels)

On the campus of the University of Tennessee lies a patch of ground unlike any in the world. The ''Body Farm'' is a place where human corpses are left to the elements, and every manner of decay is fully explored -- for the sake of science and the cause of justice. The scientist who created the Body Farm has broken cold cases and revolutionized forensics, and now, in this heart-stopping novel, he spins an astonishing tale inspired by his own experiences. A woman's corpse lies hidden in a cave in the mountains of East Tennessee. Undiscovered for thirty years, her body has been transformed by the cave's chemistry into a near-perfect mummy -- one that discloses an explosive secret to renowned anthropologist Bill Brockton. Dr. Brockton has spent his career surrounded by death and decay at the Body Farm, but even he is baffled by this case unfolding in a unique environment where nothing is quite what it seems. The surreal setting is Cooke County, a remote mountain community that's clannish, insular, and distrustful of outsiders. The heartbreaking discovery of the young woman's corpse reopens old wounds and rekindles feuds dating back decades. The county's powerful and uncooperative sheriff and his inept deputy threaten to derail Brockton's investigation altogether. So do Brockton's other nemeses: his lingering guilt over the death of his wife, and the fury of a medical examiner whom Brockton dares to oppose in court. Carved in Bone is a richly atmospheric, superbly suspenseful, and magnificently rendered trip into the world of forensic science, the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, and the dark passageways of the human psyche. Full of vivid characters and startling twists and turns, this thrilling novel heralds the debut of a major new voice in crime fiction -- and an unforgettable work from the hand of a scientific legend.

There Is A Patch Of Ground In Tennessee Dedicated To The Science Of Death, Where Human Remains Lie Exposed To Be Studied For Their Secrets. The Real-life Scientist Who Founded The Body Farm Has Broken Cold Cases And Revolutionized Forensics . . . And Now He Spins An Astonishing Tale Inspired By His Own Experiences.

Renowned 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 Corpse Of A Young Woman Dead For Thirty Years Has Been Discovered In A Cave, The Body Bizarrely Preserved And Transformed By The Environment's Unique Chemistry. But Brockton's Investigation Is Threatening 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.

with Fascinating Insider Information On The Body Farm!

publishers Weekly

the Pseudonymous Bass Makes A Successful First Foray Into Fiction. The Author Is Actually The Writing Team Of Dr. Bill Bass, The Forensic Anthropologist Who Founded The Legendary Body Farm (tennessee's Experimental Laboratory Devoted To The Study Of The Way Human Corpses Decompose), And Jon Jefferson, A Journalist And Filmmaker. Their New Sleuth, Dr. Bill Brockton, Is Obviously Based On Dr. Bass, Sharing His First Name, Initials And His Status As Founder Of The Body Farm. (the Two Coauthored Death's Acre, A Nonfiction Account Of That Macabre If Scientifically Valuable Facility.) Still Recovering From The Emotional Devastation Of His Wife's Death, Dr. Brockton Stumbles Across A Mummified Female Body, And His Passion For The Truth Enmeshes Him In A Probe That Verifies Rumors Of Local Corruption. His Particular Skills Are Vital To Identifying The Corpse As Well As Those Who Might Have Been Motivated To Kill The Victim Decades Earlier. The Pacing And Action Bode Well For This Crime Series, Though Mystery Fans Who Enjoy Whodunits Might Hope That Subsequent Books Pose More Of A Puzzle. 7-city Author Tour. (feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

An investigation of the discovery of a woman's body, mummified after 30 years in a Tennessee cave, brings forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton of the Body Farm into conflict with inhabitants of a remote mountain community. The county's uncooperative sheriff and incompetent deputy threaten to derail the investigation, as do Brockton's personal demons-- lingering guilt over the death of his wife and the fury of a medical examiner whom Brockton opposes in court