Jefferson Bass, Carved in Bone

Carved in Bone

Jefferson Bass

Morrow, Jan 2006, $24.95

ISBN: 006075981X

Cooke County, Tennessee "Lord High" Sheriff Tom Kitchings asks University of Tennessee physical anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton of the Body Farm experiment to look at a body encased in a waxy substance found in a nearby cave that they left there. Fascinated by the remains, Bill realizes the victim, most likely a relatively tall female, was killed years ago, but somewhat preserved like a mummy by the cave's climatic conditions.

Using clues he finds on the victim, he soon pinpoints the death to three decades ago. This shakes the narrow-minded totally homogenized populace as feuds left simmering but inactive explode. Rather quickly Tom demands Bill drop out of the official inquiry, but the anthropologist refuses, feeling a need to provide closure to the deceased; perhaps he feels that way because of the recent death of his spouse or just the incompetence of Deputy Williams. Thus, Bill keeps investigating, though the county officialdom and residents want him to back off or else.

CARVED IN BONE is an interesting first "Body Farm" case that fans of forensic whodunits will appreciate. The storyline is driven by the deep look at forensic science, and to a lesser degree the cast, especially Bill who seems obsessed with learning the truth. Fans of Cornwell will receive immense satisfaction from this fine work, and look forward to more investigations by Dr. Brockton.