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jobustitch's review against another edition
4.0
A much better read than the last Jefferson Bass. The mystery in this one was really interesting and it was great to explore Oak Ridge, TN and some of the info about the making of the atomic bomb. I wish that they would leave the love interest aspect out of these books. It has always been the weakest part of the novels.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
In book 4 of the Body Farm series, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Braxton is asked to help retrieve a body that has been found frozen in ice at an abandoned hotel’s swimming pool. He and his assistant / grad student Miranda take the frozen block of ice, with body intact, to the morgue and set it on a gurney in the autopsy suite to thaw. When they return for the autopsy they get more than they bargained for. The dead man was a long-retired scientist with the Manhattan Project, working at Oak Ridge TN. Before they can even complete the autopsy the FBI gets involved.
This is typical Body Farm work – fast-paced, informative, showing good character development and a little love interest to humanize Dr Braxton. I liked how Bass incorporated so much history into this novel – taking the story line back to World War II and the work being done to develop the atom bomb. While the central characters in the plot are all decidedly fictitious, the back story includes many historical figures and their contributions to the Manhattan Project.
I did think the plot got a little too complicated and perhaps there was one body too many, but I was still entertained and engaged from beginning to end. A solid mystery thriller.
This is typical Body Farm work – fast-paced, informative, showing good character development and a little love interest to humanize Dr Braxton. I liked how Bass incorporated so much history into this novel – taking the story line back to World War II and the work being done to develop the atom bomb. While the central characters in the plot are all decidedly fictitious, the back story includes many historical figures and their contributions to the Manhattan Project.
I did think the plot got a little too complicated and perhaps there was one body too many, but I was still entertained and engaged from beginning to end. A solid mystery thriller.
rmhs14's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Took awhile to get over being hit with all the atomic bomb history and radiation information. But when you focused on the characters relationships the story got a lot better.
meiduo's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The mystery lies in knowing who is who.
Content Warnings
This book discusses the effects of the nuclear bomb in WWII, and mainly how the scientists/war staff felt making the bomb.
quinnster's review against another edition
2.0
I have very little interest in fictional stories about nuclear war and less about WWII. The entire first third of the book was a history/science lesson and I almost DNF'd it but it's a series and I can't skip a book in a series! Besides that, the mystery wasn't that interesting and was all over the place. The romance was weird, his only interest in her was mostly her resemblance to Jess. If this had been the first book I don't think I would have kept reading.
qu33nofbookz's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of this has repetitive lines from previous books so I skipped a bit. Also skipped all the step by step driving directions when Dr. Brockton traveled.
If I were a medical examiner I would be weary of working in Knoxville. So far in 4 books and a year in the timeline they have fired 1 for incompetence and he became a killer who killed his replacement within months of her getting the job before being killed himself and the next guy only got a couple months in before getting radiation poisoning from a corpse and is likely to die.
Also if you are a woman and in love with Dr. Brockton you are going to die....seriously this is a crappy and tedious plot line if it continues in further books.
This book had very little of the body farm in it it just mostly mentioned and very little at that.
Another annoyance is that Dr. Brockton's family is in the previous 3 books but there is neither hide nor hair mentioned of them until a comment about his grandsons on the second to last page. It's like the authors forgot he had one until the last second. I don't know about you but if I were exposed to radiation strong enough to give me radiation poison and was on the news I would call my family to reassure them I was okay or they would be calling to check on me. Never happens in this book, like they are in a black hole here and forgotten.
Lastly this book was way to preachy about war and weapons of mass destruction, mainly the nuclear bomb. Yes we get it, bombs bad, we'll all kill each other and destroy everything. But beating the characters and morals of the guys who created it 70 years ago isn't going to change anything and we weren't there in a very different time then how we live now. Get off your high horse and write about what your books subject is billed and stop trying to preach your views at me.
I hope the next book is better.
If I were a medical examiner I would be weary of working in Knoxville. So far in 4 books and a year in the timeline they have fired 1 for incompetence and he became a killer who killed his replacement within months of her getting the job before being killed himself and the next guy only got a couple months in before getting radiation poisoning from a corpse and is likely to die.
Also if you are a woman and in love with Dr. Brockton you are going to die....seriously this is a crappy and tedious plot line if it continues in further books.
This book had very little of the body farm in it it just mostly mentioned and very little at that.
Another annoyance is that Dr. Brockton's family is in the previous 3 books but there is neither hide nor hair mentioned of them until a comment about his grandsons on the second to last page. It's like the authors forgot he had one until the last second. I don't know about you but if I were exposed to radiation strong enough to give me radiation poison and was on the news I would call my family to reassure them I was okay or they would be calling to check on me. Never happens in this book, like they are in a black hole here and forgotten.
Lastly this book was way to preachy about war and weapons of mass destruction, mainly the nuclear bomb. Yes we get it, bombs bad, we'll all kill each other and destroy everything. But beating the characters and morals of the guys who created it 70 years ago isn't going to change anything and we weren't there in a very different time then how we live now. Get off your high horse and write about what your books subject is billed and stop trying to preach your views at me.
I hope the next book is better.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Body farmer, Bill Brockton is called to assist the authorities on a case. The police have found the body of a man in the swampy waters of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Bill and his assistant, Miranda Lovelady are on hand when the autopsy is preformed. It seems the man has swallowed something…a small capsule. What Bill and Miranda soon discover is the identity of the man. His name is Dr. Leonard Novak and he was a famous physicist with the Manhattan Project and designer of the plutonium reactor. The reactor was used to build the first atomic bombs back in 1945.
Now Bill and Miranda go on the hunt to learn all they can about Dr. Novak and the Manhattan Project. Bill needs to learn all he can right away. He and Miranda might have been exposed to a deadly radioactive substance. Bill’s only hope to discover the truth lies in ninety years old, Beatrice Montgomery. The story she tells Bill will leave him in amazement.
Bones of Betrayal is the latest novel from collaborators, Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson in their Body Farm series. I have not read any of the other books in this series. The good thing is that you don’t have to as this book can be read as a stand alone novel. While I did enjoy the idea of this story, there were a few dry spots that started when Beatrice traveled back to the past. Overall though, I did like this book. The character development was nicely written. I plan to check out all the rest of the body farm novels.
Now Bill and Miranda go on the hunt to learn all they can about Dr. Novak and the Manhattan Project. Bill needs to learn all he can right away. He and Miranda might have been exposed to a deadly radioactive substance. Bill’s only hope to discover the truth lies in ninety years old, Beatrice Montgomery. The story she tells Bill will leave him in amazement.
Bones of Betrayal is the latest novel from collaborators, Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson in their Body Farm series. I have not read any of the other books in this series. The good thing is that you don’t have to as this book can be read as a stand alone novel. While I did enjoy the idea of this story, there were a few dry spots that started when Beatrice traveled back to the past. Overall though, I did like this book. The character development was nicely written. I plan to check out all the rest of the body farm novels.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
This is the fourth, and best, of the Body Farm series. The story kept me enthralled, to the point of sitting in the driveway or parking lot to listen to what would happen next so I wouldn't have to wait to find out.
I studied WWII in history class in school, I've seen movies on the Manhattan Project, but I found out even more intriguing facts about Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I'm not sure I knew Oak Ridge was part of the nuclear research or part of the atom bomb. Much has been made of the contributions of Los Alamos, but not as much about other placenames of importance.
The story was told in present day and the past with stories told by one of the characters, a woman Brockton meets at Dr Novak's funeral. I found the stories just as fascinating as the mystery of the death of Novak.
I highly recommend this book, either as handheld or audio, especially if you enjoy forensic mysteries. Really well written forensic mysteries.
Five nuclear beans.....
I studied WWII in history class in school, I've seen movies on the Manhattan Project, but I found out even more intriguing facts about Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I'm not sure I knew Oak Ridge was part of the nuclear research or part of the atom bomb. Much has been made of the contributions of Los Alamos, but not as much about other placenames of importance.
The story was told in present day and the past with stories told by one of the characters, a woman Brockton meets at Dr Novak's funeral. I found the stories just as fascinating as the mystery of the death of Novak.
I highly recommend this book, either as handheld or audio, especially if you enjoy forensic mysteries. Really well written forensic mysteries.
Five nuclear beans.....
brittanysuereads's review against another edition
3.0
I can definitely appreciate the history of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project. However, I felt as though the book was too detailed on parts that maybe weren't so important. It made it very difficult to read. I found myself forgetting parts of the story due to getting caught up in those details. I had to restart the book three or four times and it took me a year to finish it. Did not hold my interest and truly I had no interest in finishing the book. (Part of the reason why it took so long.) Part 3 was fairly good.