The Devil's Bones

By: Jefferson Bass

Narrated by: Tom McKeon

Drawing on research at the Body Farm - three acres of land in the backwoods of Tennessee, where bodies are left to the elements to illuminate human decomposition - Bass has moved fiction to a fascinating new realm, with forensics expertise drawn from his five decades of work as the world's leading forensic anthropologist. Yet this latest novel cements Jefferson Bass as one of the finest writers of suspense working today, and in a work of drama, cunning, and heartbreak, thrills the reader with fiction that feels all too real.

A woman's charred body has been found inside a burned car perched atop a hill in Knoxville. Is it accidental death, or murder followed by arson? Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's quest for answers prompts an experiment straight from Dante's Inferno: In the dark of night, he puts bodies to the torch, researching how fire consumes flesh and bone.

In the meantime, Brockton is sent a mysterious package: a set of cremated remains that looks entirely unreal. With the help of a local crematorium, he investigates and discovers a truth too horrifying to believe: A facility in another state has not been disposing of bodies properly, instead scattering them all around the grounds.

Little does Brockton know that his research is about to collide with reality with the force of a lit match meeting spilled gasoline. En route to trial, his nemesis, medical examiner Garland Hamilton, has escaped from custody. What follows is a deadly game of cat and mouse, played for the ultimate stakes: Brockton's own life. With help from his loyal graduate assistant, Miranda, and ace criminalist Art Bohanan, Brockton eventually tracks Hamilton, but when the police arrive, they find only a smoldering ruin. Sifting through the ashes, Brockton finds the incinerated remains of Hamilton...or does he? The answer, along with Brockton's ultimate test, comes in a searing moment of truth.

©2008 Jefferson Bass, LLC (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Great book

This book is well written and well read. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Devil's Bones

This was a great book! Dr. Bill Brockton just keeps getting better with every book. A very interesting murder mystery. I definitely recommed this as a must read!!

Nice easy listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Devil's Bones?

Change in direction, twist.

What does Tom McKeon bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Nice voice and lends himself to the reserved nature of the main character.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I find many of Bass's books any easy listen. I like to refer to books that don't grab and shake you or have too many complications as "sleepy reads." Meaning they are a good story, delivered in good way and are not speckled with so much bad language my grandma would cringe. However, I do find his more recent books (this is an earlier one) a little more gritty in terms of topic and descriptions of scenes, so expect a more "grit and grime" as you travel up the series. This book was nice for a short car trip and had me wanting to listen to more.

Nice easy listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Devil's Bones?

Change in direction, twist.

What does Tom McKeon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nice voice and lends himself to the reserved nature of the main character.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I find many of Bass's books any easy listen. I like to refer to books that don't grab and shake you or have too many complications as "sleepy reads." Meaning they are a good story, delivered in good way and are not speckled with so much bad language my grandma would cringe. However, I do find his more recent books (this is an earlier one) a little more gritty in terms of topic and descriptions of scenes, so expect a more "grit and grime" as you travel up the series. This book was nice for a short car trip and had me wanting to listen to more.

Excellent Book!

Jefferson Bass has done it again! Another well-crafted story in which he paints pictures with his words & makes the listener feel like they’re there. Must read!

Getting hooked on Dr Bass

This is the second one I have listened to from him. I like that they are not 14 hours long. Good story with enough detail to keep my interest but not like I am reading a scientific book. I also read Scarpeta but I am finding I am liking Dr Bass better.

Good but no great

This is one of my favorite authors but this book seemed to be lacking something. Kinda all over the place in comparison.. a good book but just strange

I want a redo!

I honestly can't remember much about this book. If I were forced to talk about my favorite part, it would be that I wasn't so enthralled that I couldn't work while listening, so that was a plus for me. However, I'd rather a book be so engaging that it takes my full attention. Jefferson Bass has had books like this in the past for me.

All in all, I don't regret the gamble I took on purchasing the audiobook, and I might be terribly biased by having only listened to Body Farm novels narrated by Tom Stechsschulte. He IS Bill Brockton to me. Have the novel re-recorded with him, and I'd buy it again just to hear it come to life.