Death's Acre by Dr. Bill Bass

Death's Acre by Dr. Bill Bass
Biography/Non-Fiction

Though this book may have better been called "The Body Farm", this title is taken by Patricia Cornwell even though it's based on a creation by Bass. Bass got into the forensic field almost by accident. Since then, he has become one of the leading specialists in human bones in North America. Bass practically created a specialization (and then a following from other universities) in human bone forensics and claims to have trained over a third of all professionals out there that specialize in this. He also is the creator of the "body farm", which studies the decomposition of bodies under different scenarios. Patricia Cornwell has worked with Bass in the writing of her books, and Bass and his team have assisted in numerous criminal cases.

Bass takes us through some of the important findings him and his students/colleagues have made. He then corresponds these findings to important cases he has been involved with. Some are heartbreaking, some are stupid. One of Bass's colleagues was involved in a murder trial in Toronto that was breaking news up here during the time.

This books gives you an in depth look at the art of bone forensics. I found it extremely interesting. I've also read "Jefferson Bass" novels before - where Dr. Bill Bass co-writes with another author and have enjoyed those books very much. I believe the reason is because they so closely follow Bass' real life experience. Bass has a friend that specializes in fingerprinting named Art, and surely enough in the fictional books there is a fingerprinting specialist named Art.

First Line: "A dozen tiny bones, nestled in my palm: They were virtually all that remained, except for yellowed clippings, scratchy newsreel footage, and painful memories, from what they called 'the trial of the century.'"

Rating:

(4.5/5)

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
Mystery

Dr Bill Brockton, the head scientist at the Body Farm in Tennessee, gets called out to Cook County for a grisly discovery. Brought into a cave by the Cook County sheriff and deputy, Brockton finds a body that has basically turned to wax. He brings it back to his lab and determines cause of death and that this murder happened 30 years ago.

When Brockton tries to investigate the murder, he is having troubles determining who to trust. Everyone seems to want to throw his investigation off, including the sheriff. As most mysteries, there are a couple more deaths during the investigation and quite a dramatic conclusion.

I really like books by Jefferson Bass because the characters are so human and likable, and because they explain complex topics so that anyone can understand. The mystery is suspenseful, but I can always guess who did it before it's actually revealed.

One thing I don't really understand however, is why Brockton investigates the crime itself. As the person who looks at the bones to determine what happened to the person, do these people really start to investigate the crime by interviewing others and going back to the crime scene? It seems like that should be left to the police.

Rating:

(4/5)