The Bone Thief: A Body Farm Novel (Body Farm Novels)
The latest Body Farm novel picks up not too long after the previous one, Bones of Betrayal (2009), ended. Isabella, the murderous seductress, still haunts Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and founder of Tennessee’s unique research facility known as the Body Farm (he’s loosely based on Dr. Bill Bass, the Body Farm’s real founder and one-half of the novel’s writing team). Isabella disappeared at the end of the previous novel, and Brockton is concerned she might not have gone too far. Current events, however, including a couple of cases of corpse-dismemberment, are helping him keep his mind off her—until he makes a shocking discovery that could turn his life upside down. The Body Farm novels get better with each new book; not only are they more compellingly plotted and more tightly written but Brockton also has become a more fully realized character, not merely a stand-in for his creator. A very good mystery, suitable not just for fans of the Brockton novels but also for readers who enjoy forensic thrillers by Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell. --David Pitt