Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass

From the blurb:

"Anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton founded Tennessee's world-famous Body Farm—a small piece of land where corpses are left to decay in order to gain important forensic information. Now, in the wake of a shocking crime in nearby Chattanooga, he's called upon by Jess Carter — the rising star of the state's medical examiners — to help her unravel a murderous puzzle. But after re-creating the death scene at the Body Farm, Brockton discovers his career, reputation, and life are in dire jeopardy when a second, unexplained corpse appears in the grisly setting.

Accused of a horrific crime — transformed overnight from a respected professor to a hated and feared pariah — Bill Brockton will need every ounce of his formidable forensic skills to escape the ingeniously woven net that's tightening around him... and to prove the seemingly impossible: his own innocence."

What I love about this series:

The effortless authenticity of it...in the forensic science, the crime scenes, the characters and the murder investigations. All the little details really. And it's because one of the co-authors, Dr. Bill Bass, is a world-renowned forensic anthropologist who founded the Body Farm in Tennessee, and who really knows his stuff. And that comes through in these books...but in a way that's easy, effortless, incredibly interesting,  not too gory, and very compelling.  

I read Carved in Bone, the first book in this series, a year and a half ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this next book, but Flesh and Bone is a terrific read, too. Dr. Bill Brockton is an easy character to like--smart, funny, a bit sarcastic, and so human. I like his friends, and the other secondary characters, too. And even though there's a lot of forensic science in these books, the story (and the suspense) never bogs down. At least it didn't for me. I definitely won't be waiting another year and a half to read the next book in this entertaining mystery series.

Happy Reading!

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

"The small, fragile bone I held in my hand not only proved that a murder had been committed, it also told us how it happened. A rush of excitement surged through me. I liked to think of it as the wholesome satisfaction of a fruitful scientific inquiry. The truth was, though, it was more like a drug. Other people were hooked on cocaine or cigarettes or runner's high; I was addicted to forensic discovery."

Dr. Bill Brockton is one of those genuine characters that I instantly liked. He's a forensic anthropologist and head of the Body Farm at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and he's a bit of a bone geek. Death and decay are his life. He searches for the truth that's written on the bones of the dead, and he's very good at his job. (Though not as good at telling jokes.) He's also a character with a lot of depth and authenticity.

His latest case involves the corpse of a young woman found in a remote cave in the mountains of Appalachia. The secrets he uncovers about her life, and her death, "reopens old wounds and rekindles an old feud" that started decades ago. Carved in Bone is a compelling mystery, with good suspense and a lot of forensic science. (Some might not like the detailed explanations about Brockton's work and how he examines the bones of the dead, but I found all those science-y details fascinating.) And the pace really picks up towards the end. This turned out to be a 4-star read for me.  I'm really looking forward to checking out the next book in this series.

Happy Reading!