Cut To The Bone by Jefferson Bass

Finding a story that has some bases in truth always adds a bit more depth for me. Such was the case of CUT TO THE BONE by Jefferson Bass.

Narrator Tom Stechsculte does a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. His cadence will send shivers up your spine as he voices the thoughts and actions of the killer. His mannerisms will have you smiling during the lighter moments of the story.

In the summer of 1992 the young head of the Anthropology Department at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Bill Brockton, is beginning a new research facility unlike anything in the country. The macabre research will study how a body decomposes with the help of nature.

When Brockton is called in to assist with a murder case, it becomes a case of déjà vu for the good doctor. As other bodies are soon discovered, Brockton realizes the new cases closely resemble prior cases he has worked. Soon it begins to appear Brockton himself could be a suspect in the murders. The doctor races to find what links the bodies back to him, but the killer could be closer than he images with his sights already set on those Brockton holds dear.

Author Jefferson Bass has developed realistic and likable characters, while also creating characters you loath. The author explores what makes the killer tick giving way to moments of compassion for what brought him to his madness. The secondary characters add charm, depth and a bit of humor to the story.

CUT TO THE BONE moves at a quick pace and is filled with adrenaline-laden action. The author weaves in bits of background on the characters sharing prior history breaking up the pace so the reader/listener can catch their breath. While there may be times you can guess what happens next, there’s always a few surprises still waiting to put a twist in the story.

An eye for detail, the author vividly describes the setting bringing the area to life. The seventh installment in the Body Farm series, CUT TO THE BONE is a standalone story. References to prior events are mentioned, but new fans aren’t lost not having read the earlier installments.

A gripping story of the horror that is sometimes let lose in our society. This is not a cozy murder mystery or for the faint of heart. It’s a chilling tale that will hold you mesmerized until the end.

The website for author Jefferson Bass (the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson) is http://www.jeffersonbass.com/

Cut to the Bone by Jefferson Bass, A Body Farm Novel, Performed by Tom Stechsculte, Harper Audio, @2013, ISBN: 978-0062283795, Unabridged, Digital Download, Listening Time: 10 Hours and 28 Minutes 

FTC Full Disclosure - This audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Here I have to add a bit about the writing team that drew me to this story.

In the early 1980s Dr. Bill Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, founded the University of Tennessee’s Body Farm—the world’s first laboratory devoted to human decomposition. He is the author of more than 200 scientific publications, and a nonfiction account of the Body Farm, DEATH’S ACRE, written with Jon Jefferson. 

A veteran journalist, science writer, and documentary filmmaker, Jefferson has written for the New York Times, Newsweek, and National Public Radio. He is the coauthor of DEATH’S ACRE, and the producer of two National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm broadcast worldwide.

They have written CARVED IN BONE, FLESH AND BONE, THE DEVIL’S BONES, BONES OF BETRAYAL, THE BONE THIEF, THE BONE YARD, and THE INQUISITOR’S KEY as well as the nonfiction book BEYOND THE BODY FARM.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I’ve enticed you to check out this fascinating book, as well as the series. Now if given the opportunity, would you want to visit a body farm for research purposes? Have you visited one?