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ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
4.0
Started November 6th, 2013 just after Guy Fawkes Day.
Great book from a trusted author-duo.
The background is sound and the time just before computers and cellphones started to invade everyday life feels to me like a lifetime ago, but then again I jumped on both apparels early, so have lived my life with both ever since.
The personal life of the main characters is spot with insights how such gruesome images can change you and your plans for life.
In this I never had the feeling (as lately in a lot of books) that these side-stories are too long or distracting from the main tale, instead they furthered the feel of being inside the book. Some romance happened just right, not much though, but this is no cosy romance book for sure.
So why only 4 stars? It would have been 4.5 if possible, but it just missed being a total page-turner and the few twists there where I guessed early on. This book switches the point of view between a few characters, unlike, I think, the other books from the duo, one of the characters being the killer, which provides an insight into the mind of a serial-killer which again is spot-on.
Recommended.
And for readers of the other books of [a:Jefferson Bass|2747568|Jefferson Bass|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1296357311p2/2747568.jpg] and of course [a:Kathy Reichs|26372|Kathy Reichs|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201288896p2/26372.jpg].
Great book from a trusted author-duo.
The background is sound and the time just before computers and cellphones started to invade everyday life feels to me like a lifetime ago, but then again I jumped on both apparels early, so have lived my life with both ever since.
The personal life of the main characters is spot with insights how such gruesome images can change you and your plans for life.
In this I never had the feeling (as lately in a lot of books) that these side-stories are too long or distracting from the main tale, instead they furthered the feel of being inside the book. Some romance happened just right, not much though, but this is no cosy romance book for sure.
So why only 4 stars? It would have been 4.5 if possible, but it just missed being a total page-turner and the few twists there where I guessed early on. This book switches the point of view between a few characters, unlike, I think, the other books from the duo, one of the characters being the killer, which provides an insight into the mind of a serial-killer which again is spot-on.
Recommended.
And for readers of the other books of [a:Jefferson Bass|2747568|Jefferson Bass|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1296357311p2/2747568.jpg] and of course [a:Kathy Reichs|26372|Kathy Reichs|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201288896p2/26372.jpg].
mylhibug's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.25
qu33nofbookz's review against another edition
2.0
If you are at all squeamish at all don't read this book. It's over the top descriptive of dead bodies, the crimes committed against women and into the mind of the killer who also tortures animals in detail.
So this is a prequel to the rest of the series. It's full of making smart men sound like red neck idiot hillbillies and an average man into a superman of a detective even though he is not. The time line of some of the research is also off by a decade or so. It is full of no mystery because one of the many POV is the killer complete with name. As we go on something will happen in the story to the "hero" and it will have some kind of meaning attached (first is a snake) that the next chapter is repeated in the reverse by the bad guy who of course has to follow quick unimaginative formula writing must be after the "hero" for whatever reason even if it doesn't fit the pattern the author has mapped out with all his other killings. There is no mystery, idiotic and annoying characters abound, gross out factor to the max for pure shock value and simplistic writing that had me rolling my eyes or wanting to throw the book across the room in disgust. Also the authors must have forgotten to look at their notes from previous books if they have any because there inconsistencies of information in this book and previous ones. An example that annoyed me was the fact that maggots can't stay on the upper half of a body that is in a vertical position. He even has his assistant write a thesis about the fly and maggot behavior which they have just discovered and yet 20 years down the road this is again news to him and an interesting discovery? Last I don't care if you caught a killer red handed in the act of murder with multiple witnesses they don't go on trial in 3 months.
So this is a prequel to the rest of the series. It's full of making smart men sound like red neck idiot hillbillies and an average man into a superman of a detective even though he is not. The time line of some of the research is also off by a decade or so. It is full of no mystery because one of the many POV is the killer complete with name. As we go on something will happen in the story to the "hero" and it will have some kind of meaning attached (first is a snake) that the next chapter is repeated in the reverse by the bad guy who of course has to follow quick unimaginative formula writing must be after the "hero" for whatever reason even if it doesn't fit the pattern the author has mapped out with all his other killings. There is no mystery, idiotic and annoying characters abound, gross out factor to the max for pure shock value and simplistic writing that had me rolling my eyes or wanting to throw the book across the room in disgust. Also the authors must have forgotten to look at their notes from previous books if they have any because there inconsistencies of information in this book and previous ones. An example that annoyed me was the fact that maggots can't stay on the upper half of a body that is in a vertical position. He even has his assistant write a thesis about the fly and maggot behavior which they have just discovered and yet 20 years down the road this is again news to him and an interesting discovery? Last I don't care if you caught a killer red handed in the act of murder with multiple witnesses they don't go on trial in 3 months.
_lilbey_'s review against another edition
3.0
The depiction of the abuses of grad students was Dead On Accurate. However, I was confused that professionals were able to mistake drawings on arms that were done in 10 minutes' time for actual tattoos. Also, the three to four months' time it took between them catching the guy and him apparently being sentenced was insanely short.
mehitabels's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I love a good forensic book, and this has some excellent descriptions and explanations for the field. However, I found the main character snottily unbelievable, and his sidekick sad.
The mystery was . . . sophomoric. I think I may be spoiled by knowledge and having read plenty in this genre. This is probably perfect for those just dipping a toe into forensic mysteries.
The best part is probably the smooth cooperation between two authors.
The mystery was . . . sophomoric. I think I may be spoiled by knowledge and having read plenty in this genre. This is probably perfect for those just dipping a toe into forensic mysteries.
The best part is probably the smooth cooperation between two authors.
unsolvedmysteries1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book goes back to 1992, with Dr. Brockton’s wife, Kathleen, alive and his son is a teenager. We see the formal start of The Body Farm , I enjoyed seeing the fictional start of things.
mp_1018's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
appalonia's review
3.0
I enjoyed this prequel to the Body Farm series, and experiencing Dr. Brockton as a younger man. The main problem for me with this book was the bad guy. The story cut to him frequently in horribly gruesome passages. And unfortunately the character himself was not interesting enough to warrant the attention. Otherwise the story was good and I hope in future stories we find out what became of some of the secondary characters in this book.
12140holmes's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, as I have all the other books by these authors. Interesting tech stuff without being too 'techy' for normal readers. After reading this book I look forward to more!