Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensics Lab--The Body Farm--Where the Dead Do Tell Tales

Written by Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson

Narrated by George Grizzard

Nowhere is there another lab like Dr. Bill Bass's: On a hillside in Tennessee, human bodies decompose in the open air, aided by insects, bacteria and birds, unhindered by coffins or mausoleums. At the "Body Farm," nature takes its course, with corpses buried in shallow graves, submerged in water, concealed beneath slabs of concrete, locked in trunks of cars. As stand-ins for murder victims, they serve the needs of science -- and the cause of justice.
For thirty years, Dr. Bass's research has revolutionized the field of forensic science, particularly by pinpointing "time since death" in murder cases. In this riveting audiobook, he investigates real cases and leads listeners on an unprecedented journey behind the locked gates of the Body Farm. A master scientist and an engaging storyteller, Bass shares his most intriguing work: his revisit of the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, fifty years after the fact; the mystery of a headless corpse whose identity astonished the police; the telltale bugs that finally sent a murderous grandfather to death row; and many more.
Forensic science and murder investigations are among the most fascinating topics of our time. Dominating television and print media the subjects could not be hotter. As one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, Dr. Bill Bass is the premier guide to this unusual realm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9780743546157

Bill Bass

Dr. Bill Bass is a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, the founder of the University of Tennessee's ""Body Farm,"" and the author of more than two hundred scientific publications.

Reviews for Death's Acre

[bensdad00 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good overview of Scientific details behind Criminal (particularly corpse-related) forensics.

[Linda Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting topic. Well written holding my interest throughout

[bettesbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A history of Bill Bass as a forensic anthropologist. And. how and why the Body Farm, at the University of Tennessee, came in to being established.An interesting read (actually audio) though having read his novels I have already learned of many of the cases that led to the creation of the body farm. 219

[feefee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dr Bass love the book. Was great hearing Dr Bass tell the story. I live close to TN and have beg all my Grandchildren to follow Dr Bass’s footsteps. Not one, like the study of bones as much as I.

[kylecarroll · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook. Felt more like a memoir of Dr. Bass’s career than an expose on the research center itself.

[jessicareadsthings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I want to say this wasn't as gruesome as I thought it would be, but I recently finished reading 'Working Stiff' so I may have a high tolerance for the macabre. It was enjoyable and interesting, but I did feel a slight disconnect between the narrative and the tone. My own prejudices probably, but the tone is sort of folksy whereas the stories are anything but. Then again, perhaps the folksy tone makes the material more accessible (and less gruesome).

[glade1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book, telling Dr. Bass's entire story, including his time prior to the Body Farm. He has had a wonderful career and seems to be a good scientist: both curious and selfless. How rewarding it must be to see you work lead to justice in criminal cases. This book was even better than I had hoped. Well-written and intriguing!

[susan.macura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of the legendary Body Farm in Tennessee, the place where human bodies are allowed to decompose in a variety of situations so that scientists can better understand what happens to us after we die. Making their studies even more important, it gives us a better understanding of when and how people die, very important in murder investigations. This book is a great read on the history of the Body Farm coupled with great real life stories that make it become real. Kudos to those of us brave enough to entrust these scientists with our remains in the hope that good comes from these donations. This is a fascinating read!

[bookswoman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although a little "gory" at times, this is a wonderful introduction to the world of forensic science and how the human body decays. The story of how one man went from wanting to be an anthropologist to becoming one of the leading forensic researchers in the world is fascinating. Not for the faint hearted but if you like "true crime" type of story this one is well written and highly interesting.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very fascinating and well-written book about forensic science. Not to mention the fact that it's also an autobiography of Dr. Bill Bass's life and the formation of the Body Farm. Put all together, it proves to be quite a book.

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The writing could be tighter, but his wandering through his life is interesting. How he, an anthropologist developed into a pioneer in the field of forensics is interesting & funny, in rather horrible ways. (A corpse in the closet over the weekend - the poor janitor!) The development & reasoning behind the body farm is also interesting. See Mary Roache's book on corpses - she has a chapter on the body farm & does a wonderful job, too.

[elwood_mom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nearly everyone has heard about the Body Farm. This books gives you the background on who Dr. Bill Bass is, his path from student to Body Farm, and a smattering of typical Bass cases. Great for hardcore forensics fans, could be too disturbing for the casual reader.

[musicmom41 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is by the team that under the pseudonym of Jefferson Bass writes the “Body Farm” mysteries ("Carved in Bone" was the first of the series). This was their first book together—a memoir of Bill Bass’s career as a forensic anthropologist who founded the Body Farm at the University of Tennessee to study the decomposition of human corpses in order to be able to more accurately pinpoint the time of death. The book is fascinating with several case studies in addition to explanations of how a forensic anthropologist does his job. The introduction is written by Patricia Cornwall, author of The Body Farm which I read several years ago. She based her novel on Dr. Bass’s work and he appears in the book (under a pseudonym, of course).

[pkitty_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book very informative, but not in a gory, boring way. I find this subject fascinating!!

[meggo_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who knew Bass could write so well? Your typical physical anthropology story about what information can be deduced from a skeleton, it was told around personal stories that helped add depth to the material. Bass confronts the infamous Colonel Shy incident head on with engaging honesty, and approaches the case histories with a clear eye and open mind. An enjoyable read.

[woosang_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating book about the body farm in Tennessee and a autobiography of sorts of Bill Bass. As Dr Bass started the Body Farm to find out what happens to bodies as they decompose, it would have been an incomplete history without his story and memories.
Well written, highly readable, it includes many facts that some people would find gross and distasteful. I found I delighted in grossing out my husband and some work collegues in the parts I found very interesting. The prose is respectful to the people who have their corpse in the body farm and who provide some much valuable data to solve murders and therefore lead to the conviction of murders and arsonists.

Excellent book and highly recomended.

[thebarnazi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A stop on my places to one day visit. I got this in the mail, sat down to flip through it's content and was hooked on the depths of how those study forensics and more so the decomposition of the human body in different scenerios. I stayed on the couch, ordered the family a pizza to avoid cooking, didnt get up but once to potty and finished it in 7hours. Interesting read for those into forensics.

[libraryscat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

William Bass writes about his achievements in the field of forensic anthropology. The development of the Body Farm is chronicled along with the cases that provided clues to numerous murders and mysteries over the last forty years. Even though the author tackles a difficult subject, death, the book is written with humor and an informative tone. Great read!

[nikkles_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Death's Acre does not really tell you much about forensic science. It does tell a few tales of "the body farm," but that it for forensics really. Its a slow paced read that pretty much accounts some of Bill Bass's stories from when he was starting out as a student and a teacher. There is also a fun story about not rendering human remains on your wifes stove, as they can boil over. An okay read if your into forensic science, I'd check out Stiffs or Ubelaker's book if your interested in true forensic anthropology stuff.

[elbakerone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Originally approached as a research source, this book was surprisingly fascinating and overall a great read. Dr. Bill Bass (after misjudging a time of death by 112 years) developed an Anthropology Research Facility to study decomposition of human bodies in order to assist investigations in estimating time since death. The facility in Knoxville, TN - which gained and kept the nickname "The Body Farm" - has revolutionized forensic science providing data on numerous disciplines (including but not limted to anthropology, entomology, odontology, as well as projects studying effects of toolmarks and fire on human bones). Bass intersperses the research data with anecdotes of his life and includes many real life case examples that are sometimes rather gruesome but always quite intriguing. Any fans of true crime stories or anyone looking to learn more about forensic science should count Death's Acre as a definite must read book.

[boundtogetherforgood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is NOT something I expected to find interesting or even to be ABLE to read. The subject was handled as delicately as possible. I had no nightmares realting to it though I wondered if I might. The science behind it is very interesting. I am not a watcher of the tv shows about crime scene investigations.