leannaaker's review against another edition
5.0
Top notch. Don't know if the biology appeals to me, or the story, the characters, or the familiarity with the Tennessee environment. This was a good one.
chadsan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
2.75
bookhawk's review against another edition
3.0
The Bone Thief delivered a strong dose of medical and forensic facts with a weak underlying mystery plot. 3 stars, barely.
mrs_durand's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
weaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
A disturbing tale of grave-robbing and black market traffic in body parts!
Author Jefferson Bass (well ... joint co-authors Bill Bass and John Jefferson, actually) have got a great thing going here! THE BONE THIEF is the sixth entry in the exciting and remarkably successful series depicting fictional forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's adventures, research, investigations and checkered life as the director of the Body Farm. The Body Farm, as it is quaintly known, is a very real and very renowned research institution located on the campus of the University of Tennessee that investigates the mechanics and the subtleties of bodily decomposition after death under a bewildering array of variable conditions.
Like Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, Preston and Child's Aloysius Pendergast or Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, Bill Brockton is a formidable sleuth but he's also a credible character who evolves with every passing story. As one would expect from a modern protagonist, like Bosch, Pendergast or Rhyme, Brockton is a little edgier, a little darker and a little more angsty than the literary heroes of yore. He's got communication problems with his adult son. His love life is definitely shattered in the sewer and the rats are gathering to feed on the remains. Although the story never comes out of the closet and spells it out, his feelings for his young assistant, Miranda Lovelady are honourable but clearly conflicted.
It ought to be sufficient to spark your interest if I disclose that THE BONE THIEF is a compelling and provocative story taken from today's headlines that digs into grave-robbing (get it? ... digs into grave-robbing) and peeks behind the dark curtains of the global black market in human organs and body parts used in transplantation as well as dubious research and surgical training methods.
One more highly recommended successful notch on your belt, fellows. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
Paul Weiss
Author Jefferson Bass (well ... joint co-authors Bill Bass and John Jefferson, actually) have got a great thing going here! THE BONE THIEF is the sixth entry in the exciting and remarkably successful series depicting fictional forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's adventures, research, investigations and checkered life as the director of the Body Farm. The Body Farm, as it is quaintly known, is a very real and very renowned research institution located on the campus of the University of Tennessee that investigates the mechanics and the subtleties of bodily decomposition after death under a bewildering array of variable conditions.
Like Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, Preston and Child's Aloysius Pendergast or Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, Bill Brockton is a formidable sleuth but he's also a credible character who evolves with every passing story. As one would expect from a modern protagonist, like Bosch, Pendergast or Rhyme, Brockton is a little edgier, a little darker and a little more angsty than the literary heroes of yore. He's got communication problems with his adult son. His love life is definitely shattered in the sewer and the rats are gathering to feed on the remains. Although the story never comes out of the closet and spells it out, his feelings for his young assistant, Miranda Lovelady are honourable but clearly conflicted.
It ought to be sufficient to spark your interest if I disclose that THE BONE THIEF is a compelling and provocative story taken from today's headlines that digs into grave-robbing (get it? ... digs into grave-robbing) and peeks behind the dark curtains of the global black market in human organs and body parts used in transplantation as well as dubious research and surgical training methods.
One more highly recommended successful notch on your belt, fellows. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
Paul Weiss
kim_m's review against another edition
4.0
Five stars for the science in this book. It was truly fascinating and obviously from writers with first hand experience. The writing, however, rambled a bit and the plot was sketchy and certainly did not "grab" you. I also found the main protagonist a bit dull. So two stars for the rest. I enjoyed it mainly for the forensics. This was the 5th in a series and I read it as a stand alone with no problem following the history. I will read the first, CARVED IN BONE, to see if I like it better before I recommend the series
joemmemm's review against another edition
4.0
I have been reading these books backwards ( out of order) as I come across them. While some of the story seems a bit too neatly tied up the characters are human and the. Way they weave real life situations in to the story is fascinating.
bibliophilelinda's review against another edition
2.0
The hardest part about finding good crime thrillers for someone who has a strong science foundation and a penchant for reading well-written crime novels is having to wade through the mediocre to find those rare diamonds (well, I guess the same can be true for much of life, like dating). Unfortunately, this is another one of those oh-hum, mass market appeal, watered-down forensics story. Bummer. The storyline felt sloppy, loose and totally predictable. Well, predictable except for one minor revelation at the end that was really unimportant. I had high hopes for this series, since it seemed similar to Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan books. Alas, Reich's still reigns. I wouldn't recommend the story to a friend unless they can't find anything better. And, there's ALWAYS something better.
mp_1018's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
appalonia's review against another edition
4.0
The writing team of Jefferson Bass has yet to disappoint me with any of their books, and this one was really good as well. The plot centered around black market body parts and human tissue research, which was a fascinating subject to explore. Bill Brockton is roped into assisting with a sting operation with the FBI, and risks alienating Miranda, his young assistant and good friend. For some reason, even though I've read a lot of the books Bass has set at "The Body Farm", this one really made me start thinking about what would happen to my body after I died. It made me start making decisions and putting plans in place. Although no one ever likes to think about such a thing, I was surprised at the peace of mind this gave me. What really disturbed me however (as this book highlighted) is that despite your wishes and plans, your next of kin can do whatever they like after you die, including disregarding your wishes. I think new laws should be put into place that gives the person the right to decide what happens to their remains and have an Executor enforce it similar to a Last Will.