Cut to the Bone: A Body Farm Novel

Written by Jefferson Bass

Narrated by Tom Stechschulte

Jefferson Bass’s Cut to the Bone, the long-awaited prequel to his New York Times bestselling mystery series, turns the clock back to reveal the Body Farm's creation—and Dr. Bill Brockton's deadly duel with a serial killer.

In the summer of 1992, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Tennessee Senator Albert Gore begin their long-shot campaign to win the White House. In the sweltering hills of Knoxville at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Bill Brockton, the bright, ambitious young head of the Anthropology Department, launches an unusual—some would call it macabre—research facility, unlike any other in existence.

Brockton is determined to revolutionize the study of forensics to help law enforcement better solve crime. But his plans are derailed by a chilling murder that leaves the scientist reeling from a sense of déjà vu. Followed by another. And then another: bodies that bear eerie resemblances to cases from Brockton’s past.

But as the body count rises, the victims’ fatal injuries grow more and more distinctive—a spiral of death that holds dark implications for Brockton...and everyone he holds dear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9780062283795

Jefferson Bass

Jefferson Bass is the writing team of Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass. Dr. Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, is the creator of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, widely known as the Body Farm. He is the author or coauthor of more than two hundred scientific publications, as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career at the Body Farm, Death's Acre. Dr. Bass is also a dedicated teacher, honored as U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Jon Jefferson is a veteran journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and Popular Science and broadcast on National Public Radio. The coauthor of Death's Acre, he is also the writer and producer of two highly rated National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm.

Reviews for Cut to the Bone

[jackie vance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the best of the series, couldn’t stop listening.

[Mike Barker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A gripping thriller i thoroughly enjoyed it well worth reading.

[Cyndi Lewis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was interesting learning more about Dr. B's backstory before Kathleen's death and the beginning of the Body Farm.

[robertalea-223265 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn't care for this book in the series. There wasn't much interesting information imparted. the other books were packed with researched history or medical information. At the end of the book, there was still one case that wasn't resolved nor was there any tie-in to why....

[cassie.peters1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fast paced book that I enjoyed reading.

[marsap_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unlike the other novels in the Body Farm series—this novel is a sort of a prequel to the career of forensic anthropologist, Bill Brockton. It is summer of 1992, in the sweltering hills of Knoxville at the University of Tennessee, and Dr. Bill Brockton is the new head of the Anthropology Department. Brockton wants to revolutionize the study of forensics to help law enforcement better solve crime, and in that quest we see the beginnings of the Body Farm as we know it in the later novels. But soon his plans are derailed by a chilling murders whose bodies that bear eerie resemblances to cases from Brockton's past. The story is told in several points of views, including that of the killer and his victims. I enjoyed learning more about Brockton’s background, including more information about his wife and son—though I did miss some of the characters from the earlier books—particularly his assistant Miranda. I found this novel suspenseful, fast paced and enjoyable. 4 out of 5 stars.

[dorie.craig · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cut to the Bone is the 10th book in the Body Farm series but it is a perfect introduction for a first-time reader of the series. How can this be? It's a past history of the beginning of the Body Farm and the serial killer that plagued Dr. Bill Brockton in 1992.

In 1992, University of Tennessee at Knoxville Anthropology Department Chair Dr. Bill Brockton has had success using forensics to help police solve murders. He wants to expand the knowledge by establishing a unique forensics research center that studies decaying corpses. Thus he opens up what becomes dubbed The Body Farm.

At the same time, a serial killer surfaces murdering victims in ways that emulate some of Brockton's previous consultations. Brockton knows his loved ones are in peril from this diabolical psychopath and diligently works with the police to end the maniac's reign of terror that the professor believes if not stopped will end with his death. However, Brockton also concludes the identification lies in his past, but who remains unknown.

Once again, the team of Jefferson and Bass has created a book which I could not put down until completed. Excellent.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lock back at the origins of the Bone farm as doc tracks a serial killer.

[christineellei · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Bill Brockton is a forensic anthropologist teaching at a Tennessee university. He also consults on criminal cases using his expertise in forensics to help local authorities. In this book the bodies are piling up and strangely there is something familiar about the crime scenes. When another body is found in a recreation of a crime scene Dr. Brockton investigated years before he realizes that not only is there a serial killer at work, but also this is a serial killer who possibly has a personal agenda with Dr. Brockton himself. Will the “body farm” he and his assistant have started help in the apprehension of the killer? Only time will tell and it seems time is running out quickly.

Jefferson Bass is the pseudonym for the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Dr. Bass is the originator of the real body farm, a laboratory dedicated to studying decomposition. Interestingly enough bringing the body farm into this novel supplied the reader with much unexpected humour. I knew this book was a prequel to his Body Farm series so I figured it would be a good place to start without any commitment to reading the rest of the series. (Because as I have stated numerous times, I simply do not have time to get involved in yet ANOTHER series) Well, as it turns out I enjoyed this book very much and now have two more “body farm” books in my TBR pile. Yes well … best intentions and all that.

[gttexas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Best Body Farm book I've read!

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a prequel - history of the founding of the body farm. Introduces Satterwhite as a nemesis; he is truly sick. Get to see more of his family, I really like Kathleen, his wife.

[kraaivrouw · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Cut to the Bone is the latest in the Jefferson Bass Body Farm series. I was attracted to this series initially because one half of the writing team is Bill Bass, the legendary founder of The Body Farm at the University of Tennessee. I've kept reading them because they're fun and interesting, full of forensic science and strong characters.Cut to the Bone is number seven in the series and for me, it isn't the best outing. This is a prequel to the other books and examines the events leading to the establishment of the fictional Body Farm. It's the early nineties and our hero, Dr. Brockton, is training his graduate student and trying to figure out how to better determine time of death. He's been bitten once or twice with a misidentification and a new corpse provides him with the impetus to push further for research into the problem. In the meantime, more bodies turn up and it becomes obvious that the killer is targeting Dr. Brockton, putting everyone around him in mortal danger.I found this book a little disappointing after the last two in the series that I read - The Bone Yard and The Inquisitor's Key. The Bone Yard, in particular, is a story that has stuck with me as it tells the tale of the discovery of dozens of bodies at the site of a now-closed state-run school for boys in Florida. This book dovetails with an ongoing investigation and set of gruesome discoveries, the most recent the bones of a young man who appears to have died in 1911. Visit The Official White House Boys' website for more on the real life underpinnings of this great book.Cut to the Bone is a decent thriller, but there's nothing about it that's very special - a quality I have come to expect from this writing team. Since even a decent Body Farm novel is better than a lot of other novels in the genre, I recommend it, but if I were you I would read The Bone Yard - it'll haunt you forever.

[bookdivasreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The year is 1992; it's summer in Knoxville, Tennessee, and forensic anthropology is still in its infancy. All of that is about to change due to the efforts of Dr. Bill Brockton, head of the Anthropology Department at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville and his graduate assistant, Tyler Wainwright. This particular summer sees a number of bodies found that all seem familiar to Dr. Brockton, but he can't quite put his finger on why. What does come from the number of bodies is the notion that perhaps the evolution of insects on the corpses can reveal greater accuracy in determining how long they've been deceased. This idea culminates in what is to become the "body farm" located mere yards away from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville hospital. As the summer continues it becomes clear that this particular killer may be directing his kills specifically toward Dr. Brockton's attention. When the killer strikes a bit closer to home, it becomes a race to beat the clock. Can Brockton, the police and the FBI identify and contain the killer before Dr. Brockton, or his family, become the killer's final targets?Cut to the Bone is actually the first book I've read by Jefferson Bass. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I think it was probably something along the lines of Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell's series on forensics and forensic anthropology. This was so much more (and I thoroughly enjoy reading both series by Ms. Reichs and Ms. Cornwell). Perhaps it's because I attended graduate school at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, but the images brought to mind by the descriptions of the Anthropology Department in Neyland stadium and the Knoxville area were quite vivid. I could literally close my eyes and see the picture painted by the author's words. The descriptions of the murdered bodies were a bit more gruesome than I'm used to, but it definitely added to the overall tension and suspense while reading. This was one story where the bad guy is really, really bad and the good guys were really good and should all have been wearing white hats. I liked Dr. Bill Brockton and found him to be realistic and flawed. His relationship with family and friends only added to his realism and believability. It was intriguing to watch Dr. Brockton's learning curve with this series of murders and the implications it had on the burgeoning field of forensic anthropology. Cut to the Bone is an extremely well-written suspense thriller that had me turning on all of the lights at night (okay, it was just one night). Cut to the Bone is intended as a prequel to the Body Farm series by Jefferson Bass. As previously stated this is the first in this series that I've read, but hopefully not the last. I look forward to adding this series and this author to my ever growing TBR list.

[joyanne-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a suspenseful murder mystery from the angle of forensic science which is very interesting. The author pulls you right into the middle of the scene with visual descriptions and dialogue. I liked the setting and the characters. Well paced and heart pounding, a great read! I received an copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.