sammilittlejohns's review against another edition
1.0
Omg do not understand how this book has such good reviews, it was honestly just terrible.
The characters in this are awful, and you'd think that as this was a series the main guy would have some semblance of a personality but aha you'd be wrong!!! I found this book to be written in quite a patronising style, which really was apparent when dr Bill took to explaining the skeleton to another character who worked crime scenes for the government... and saying things like 'correct!' and ugh. He also manages to get a few lewd comments in there about women which I always appreciate (obviously Im being sarcastic loooool). Also swear the rest of the characters are all the same. You have the token woman, the old school detective, the rouge vigilante that comes to finish the job and of course your nasty lil villains who are still petering around... Basically, nobody had a personality and everyone was a stereotype.
Also how archaeology and crime is represented in this book is so bad. Firstly, as an OSTEOLOGIST i had some major problems with how identified the bodies. With a child or teenage skeleton, the possibility of being able to successfully, and confidently, sex the individual is SO SMALL. I mean people can barely manage to positively identify the sex of ADULTS, never mind children and teenagers who have very few indicators of sexual dimorphism. Just find it so 'coincidental' that he managed to sex the individuals right by the second skull, but I'll allow it, in this case, seeing as they do find a males school after the second individual's skull appears. HOWEVER even worse is the fact he manages to identify their ethnicity?!?!?!?!?!? You CANNOT judge a persons ethnicity based on a few stereotypical, and outdated, methods. If this was possible, I guess there was no need to ever create the computer programs which help give a more accurate reading based off, like, 27 skull measurements. This was just plain stupid, im sorry, but I guess then everyone at the reform school had weirdly extra stereotypical and/or strong looks as it was easy to identify their age, ethnicity and sex just by looking at the skull. Sure, Jan.
Secondly, as i said, the crime scene in this... omg... As this contains spoilers, I'm going to put it under a read more.
Overall, so many things I did not like about this book. Found it to be too 'lucky', the story and the characters boring and predictable. Doubt I will ever be reading another book from this series lol
The characters in this are awful, and you'd think that as this was a series the main guy would have some semblance of a personality but aha you'd be wrong!!! I found this book to be written in quite a patronising style, which really was apparent when dr Bill took to explaining the skeleton to another character who worked crime scenes for the government... and saying things like 'correct!' and ugh. He also manages to get a few lewd comments in there about women which I always appreciate (obviously Im being sarcastic loooool). Also swear the rest of the characters are all the same. You have the token woman, the old school detective, the rouge vigilante that comes to finish the job and of course your nasty lil villains who are still petering around... Basically, nobody had a personality and everyone was a stereotype.
Also how archaeology and crime is represented in this book is so bad. Firstly, as an OSTEOLOGIST i had some major problems with how identified the bodies. With a child or teenage skeleton, the possibility of being able to successfully, and confidently, sex the individual is SO SMALL. I mean people can barely manage to positively identify the sex of ADULTS, never mind children and teenagers who have very few indicators of sexual dimorphism. Just find it so 'coincidental' that he managed to sex the individuals right by the second skull, but I'll allow it, in this case, seeing as they do find a males school after the second individual's skull appears. HOWEVER even worse is the fact he manages to identify their ethnicity?!?!?!?!?!? You CANNOT judge a persons ethnicity based on a few stereotypical, and outdated, methods. If this was possible, I guess there was no need to ever create the computer programs which help give a more accurate reading based off, like, 27 skull measurements. This was just plain stupid, im sorry, but I guess then everyone at the reform school had weirdly extra stereotypical and/or strong looks as it was easy to identify their age, ethnicity and sex just by looking at the skull. Sure, Jan.
Secondly, as i said, the crime scene in this... omg... As this contains spoilers, I'm going to put it under a read more.
Spoiler
So, the evidence was just so obvious?? They managed to get a DNA sampling from the 'bad' sheriff (that came back with in two weeks?!??!!? God they're efficient in Florida apparently.) that was obviously going to mean something later, and just instantly put the sheriff into suspicion for me, as why else would you sample something 'by chance'. I'm pretty sure the sheriff wouldn't need sampling as wouldn't his records be in the system as a legal requirement??? Not sure about that tho. Also, with the sheriff found it so easy that they managed to find his fingerprint on the dog collar even though it had been submerged in RUNNING water for a while? And with a bullet that matched his gun. It's also too coincidental they managed to find the diary at all and it survived. It had been in the water for soooo long, I just have so much doubt. Plus how it just manages to tell them everything they could ever need, it's like the detectives don't even need to do their jobs in this book. this story was soooooooooooooo annoying, everything was just so 'lucky' and there was SO MUCH EVIDENCE. I just feel this is so unrealistic its laughable, the killers spelt it all out and it took them YEARS to figure it out. Also love how the author got Angie involved, obviously because they needed the main character to somehow be down in the county, and then angies sister was barely mentioned until the end, when the boyfriend gave the story a nice, convenient little wrap-up. just so pointless!!!! DON'T even get me started on the predictable ending where it turned out Cockroach was still alive and the boy comes back to finish the job. Yes yes poetic justice and all that, such a new concept that's never been done before especially not in other cheesy crime novels who need an easy end 🙄🙄 Also why do all physical anthropologists i the states apparantly have such crazy and bizarre lives akin to action heroes??Overall, so many things I did not like about this book. Found it to be too 'lucky', the story and the characters boring and predictable. Doubt I will ever be reading another book from this series lol
chadsan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.25
mp_1018's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
unsolvedmysteries1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The abuse at institutions for children is shocking, terribly disturbing and sad. The fact that it is on-going is unconscionable. Jefferson Bass books are good mysteries, but also educational and enlightening.
dhammond_x4's review against another edition
3.0
Like Jefferson Bass but this one didn't grab me like the others!
appalonia's review against another edition
3.0
As the book opens, Dr. Bill Brockton is teaching forensic techniques to a class visiting his “Body Farm” at the University of Tennessee. Angie St. Claire is a visiting Florida forensic analyst who leaves abruptly when she receives an urgent phone call. Later she calls Dr. Brockton and asks him for help – her sister’s death has been ruled a suicide, but she believes she was murdered by Angie’s brother-in-law. Bill and Angie form a professional bond over investigating the family death, and when a local man’s dog finds a human skull, Angie asks Bill to take a look at it and give his professional opinion. The skull eventually opens an investigation into a nearby juvenile detention facility that burned down more than forty years earlier.
As usual, the author’s storytelling pulls you immediately into the story. One problem I had with the story is that the investigation of Angie’s sister seems only to be a plot device to get Dr. Brockton to Florida. Because of the dual investigations the plot becomes a bit convoluted and confusing in places. This wasn’t really necessary as Angie could have just as easily called Dr. Brockton to consult when the skull was found; he didn’t need to already be in the vicinity. But once the focus is turned onto the juvenile detention facility, the story evens out and becomes absorbing, if heartbreaking. I must include a strong warning that this book involves stories of young boys being verbally, physically and sexually abused. It was difficult and disturbing to read. But overall the story was well told and as usual Dr. Brockton is professional and empathetic. Three and a half stars.
As usual, the author’s storytelling pulls you immediately into the story. One problem I had with the story is that the investigation of Angie’s sister seems only to be a plot device to get Dr. Brockton to Florida. Because of the dual investigations the plot becomes a bit convoluted and confusing in places. This wasn’t really necessary as Angie could have just as easily called Dr. Brockton to consult when the skull was found; he didn’t need to already be in the vicinity. But once the focus is turned onto the juvenile detention facility, the story evens out and becomes absorbing, if heartbreaking. I must include a strong warning that this book involves stories of young boys being verbally, physically and sexually abused. It was difficult and disturbing to read. But overall the story was well told and as usual Dr. Brockton is professional and empathetic. Three and a half stars.
elvenavari's review against another edition
3.0
Well written as always. A good story, one that made me very sad and at times sick to my stomach. But it didn't do much to progress the story set up in the last book. I look forward to seeing what the next book does.
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
4.0
To be completely honest I started reading these books because they are co-written by Dr. Bill Bass, the founder of the famous Body Farm and the University of Tennessee. I have degrees in biological anthropology plus I love crime stuff and Dr. Bass is an amazing man. Along with his co-writer, Jon Jefferson, the Body Farm series truly brings an accurate picture of forensic anthropology to life. This is not glamorous work with fancy labs and stilettos. This is work done in various conditions in and out of the field. It's understanding the archeological parts of it, much of which require stoop labor as you very carefully uncover truths. It's messy, smelly, and dirty, and if you travel the accommodations mostly suck.
Combine all this realistic science with great plotting and storytelling and you get a great thriller. These books are compulsively readable. This one, the latest in the series, is set around discoveries of reform school abuses. The events in the book are loosely based on the scandals at the Florida School for Boys' and the ever-growing number of children and teenagers who are killed at various boot camps.
The Bone Yard is a must-read for anyone who cares about how we treat our children and what we do in our prisons. What does it mean to be living in a country where the prison population is about 2.5 million? The US has the largest population of imprisoned or jailed people in the world. What exactly do we expect to gain from all of this? Is this solving our problems or making them worse? And, if we are willing to let children and teenagers be emotionally, mentally, physically, and sexual abused within systems that are designed to help them turn away from a life of crime and violence, then who are we?
Great combination of science, real life, and murders and bad guys, you won't be able to put this one down.
Combine all this realistic science with great plotting and storytelling and you get a great thriller. These books are compulsively readable. This one, the latest in the series, is set around discoveries of reform school abuses. The events in the book are loosely based on the scandals at the Florida School for Boys' and the ever-growing number of children and teenagers who are killed at various boot camps.
The Bone Yard is a must-read for anyone who cares about how we treat our children and what we do in our prisons. What does it mean to be living in a country where the prison population is about 2.5 million? The US has the largest population of imprisoned or jailed people in the world. What exactly do we expect to gain from all of this? Is this solving our problems or making them worse? And, if we are willing to let children and teenagers be emotionally, mentally, physically, and sexual abused within systems that are designed to help them turn away from a life of crime and violence, then who are we?
Great combination of science, real life, and murders and bad guys, you won't be able to put this one down.
tarheel99's review against another edition
4.0
I forgot how much I like this series, it's been awhile since I'd read one of them. This is a pretty decent little story about some pretty awful things that happened to boys at a reform school in the 60's...The "whodunit" part isn't all that shocking, but the parts of this series I enjoy is learning about anthropology from Dr Bass through Bill Brockton...If you haven't, I highly recommend the 2 nonfiction Body Farm books written by Dr Bill Bass, very interesting stuff.