Some of Bill Bass's cases rely on the simplest of tools and techniques, such as reassemblingfrom battered torsos and a stack of severed limbseleven people hurled skyward by an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory. 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. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. His research at "e the Body Farm"e has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world's first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decompositionthree acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. (Sept.There is no scientist in the world like Dr.
The authors keep the narrative flow moving nicely, and Bass’s voice is practical, passionate and eminently Southern-and his decades of teaching experience at the University of Tennessee come through strongly in such helpful suggestions as “If you decide to murder somebody, don’t think that you can completely cover your tracks with fire.” Strong-stomached readers who like to get dirt under their nails will gladly follow the UT forensic anthropology team up mountains and into rivers as they put names and faces to long-decayed bodies.
Disparaging “the CSIĮffect” on jurors who expect DNA testing to be quick and exact,Bass extols the virtues of old-fashioned legwork and gut reactions, though he’s always quick to admit when his methods and intuition fall short.
With careful attention to detail and the occasional darkly humorous aside, the authors describe charred maggot cocoons the grotesquely dismembered victims of a fireworks factory explosion and the forensic uses of sonar, scanning electron microscopes and computer databases. , with this unnervingly cheerful collection (ably co-written by science journalist Jefferson) of case studies and anecdotes from the field of corpse identification. Forensic anthropologist Bass nicely complements his memoir, Death’s Acre
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