Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science
By Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson
4/5
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About this ebook
There is no scientist in the world like Dr. Bill Bass. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world's first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition—three acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research at "the Body Farm" has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. In this riveting book, the bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science, using fascinating cases from his career to take readers into the real world of C.S.I.
Some of Bill Bass's cases rely on the simplest of tools and techniques, such as reassembling—from battered torsos and a stack of severed limbs—eleven people hurled skyward by an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory. Other cases hinge on sophisticated techniques Bass could not have imagined when he began his career: harnessing scanning electron microscopy to detect trace elements in knife wounds; and extracting DNA from a long-buried corpse, only to find that the female murder victim may have been mistakenly identified a quarter-century before.
In Beyond the Body Farm, readers will follow Bass as he explores the depths of an East Tennessee lake with a twenty-first-century sonar system, in a quest for an airplane that disappeared with two people on board thirty-five years ago; see Bass exhume fifties pop star "the Big Bopper" to determine what injuries he suffered in the plane crash that killed three rock and roll legends on "the day the music died"; and join Bass as he works to decipher an ancient Persian death scene nearly three thousand years old. Witty and engaging, Bass dissects the methods used by homicide investigators every day, leading readers on an extraordinary journey into the high-tech science that it takes to crack a case.
Dr. Bill Bass
Dr. Bill Bass is a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, the founder of the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm," and the author of more than two hundred scientific publications.
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Reviews for Beyond the Body Farm
120 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jefferson Bass, (two different people by the way), has written several very good books revolving around the Body Farm in Tennessee. This is one of the two books about the real Body Farm written by Dr. Bass. Fans of the fictional books will enjoy the insight into this unusual place.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book was definitely and interesting read. Reading exactly how my cousin died broke my heart, and I really wish they hadn't put the photos in of her. Im sure that is just a personal reaction though and has no bearing on the readability of this book.The book promises an in depth look at the beginning of forensics, and it delivers just that. Definitely interesting.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A decent casebook with a non-sensational bent to it. Seems that most people in this line of work automatically showcase their most TV-moment-worthy cases and their solitary brilliance in bringing a case to conclusion. Instead, Bass focuses on teamwork and emerging technology that made previously dead end cases resolvable. The tone is nicely self-depracatory while not letting us forget his unifying presence. Dr. Bass is more modest and has a dry sense of humor as well. An enjoyable read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In this age of CSI, everybody loves forensics when it's used in puzzling, unorthodox investigations. Beyond the Body Farm is more of the same. It was written by Bill Bass, a leader in forensics and the creator of the famous Body Farm at the University of Tennessee. He writes about a dozen of his most interesting cases, the myriad tools and unusual approaches he has had to take over the years. He writes for an audience that has maybe a passing understanding of forensics (again, probably from CSI) and all of his stories are fascinating. Bass can go off on tangents sometimes, and he gets a little bit repetitive in some of his explanations, but stil a really interesting book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5While this novel is very informative and entertaining, I can't help but notice from the little comments here and there in the novel: this guy is a racist! And it's not from the section which describes in detail the difference between the 3 master races.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm not sure if I found this book quite simple and a rehash of tried and true stories because I'm a fan of this genre or because it simply is indeed a repeat of relatively commonly known material. [author: Bill Bass] is the creator of the "Body Farm" and the forensic science that has spurred on countless authors like [author: Patricia Cornwell], [author: Kathy Reichs], countless CSI t.v. spin offs, so it is interesting to hear his experiences on the subject. Yet I found this book a tad boring and the author comes across as a bit egotistical (watch him know all things; list all the people he has taught; the brilliant ideas he has). It was a decent afternoon's reading but nothing to get too excited about.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very good book on real-life forensic science.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another fascinating book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5fascinating!