The Bone Thief

A Body Farm Novel

By: Jefferson Bass

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Jefferson Bass delivers an authentic and knuckle-biting thriller in which forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton must confront a crime of unimaginable proportions on his own doorstep.

Dr. Bill Brockton has been called in on a seemingly routine case, to exhume a body and obtain a bone sample for a DNA paternity test. But when the coffin is opened, Brockton and his colleagues, including his graduate assistant Miranda Lovelady, are stunned to see that the corpse has been horribly violated. Brockton’s initial shock gives way to astonishment as he uncovers a flourishing and lucrative black market in body parts. At the center of this ghoulish empire is a daring and prosperous grave robber. Soon Brockton finds himself drawn into the dangerous enterprise when the FBI recruits him to bring down the postmortem chop shop—using corpses from the Body Farm as bait in an undercover sting operation.

As Brockton struggles to play the unscrupulous role the FBI asks of him, his friend and colleague, medical examiner Eddie Garcia, faces a devastating injury that could end his career. Exposed to a near-lethal dose of radioactivity, Dr. Garcia has lost most of his right hand and his entire left hand. Out of options, he embarks on a desperate quest: both of his ravaged hands will be severed at the wrist and replaced with those from a cadaver. But unless suitable ones are found soon, the opportunity will be lost.

As Brockton delves deep into the clandestine trade, he is faced with an agonizing choice: Is he willing to risk an FBI investigation—and his own principles—to help his friend? Will he be able to live with himself if he crosses that line? Will he be able to live with himself if he doesn’t? And as the criminal case and the medical crisis converge, a pair of simpler questions arise: Will Dr. Garcia survive—and will Brockton?

Flesh and bone: listen to another Body Farm Novel.

©2010 Jefferson Bass, LLC (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

“Fans of forensic fiction will want to add this author to their list of favorites." ( Booklist)

When Will They EVER Get to the Mystery?

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The author spends too much time rehashing what went on in a prior book. I never read that book, but I had a good idea what it was about long before the author finished retelling it. I'm halfway through and I don't know if I'll make it to the end.

Would you recommend The Bone Thief to your friends? Why or why not?

No. I don't think I'd recommend it. A lot of other readers loved this book, but maybe it's an acquired taste. I really wanted to like it and I'm trying to finish it, but I don't know if I can.

What does Dan Woren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think he's good at Southern voices and I liked that he read the exposition in a different voice than that of the main character. I had no problem with the reader's performance.

Do you think The Bone Thief needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I have no opinion on this. There are follow up books, but I doubt I'll read them.

Surprisingly good -- very good, in fact.

I read the first book in the series and liked it so much I bought the next book in hardcover as soon as it came out, something I almost never do. Alas, that second book was not good -- I thought the whole concept was inherently incredible, the writing amateurish, and overall, it was way, way too pedantic. If I wanted to read a textbook, I could have done that. I'd decided that these authors had only one good book in them.

But then I saw "Bone Thief" on Audible on special -- for the price, I was willing to try another one. And wow! This one is great. Very very good story -- something for everyone. Good plot, plenty of "oh good grief, he's not really going to..." moments, really fascinating tidbits of fact about transplants, interesting and likable characters. Now I'll be looking for more in this series. It's just excellent, the whole thing. Bravo!

Solid but not gripping

I do recommend this book, but the title suggests nail-biting and page-turning suspense. It is NOT THAT level of gripping. I like the main character, and I was interested in how his story unfolded. And the medical, surgical, biological descriptions seemed realistic without horrifying me (as in grossness).

My slight complaint is the tidy and somewhat mushy way the loose ends got neatly resolved in the conclusion.

This book gives away the endings of 2 previous books, so I suggest you read the series in order.

Pretty bland fare

Any additional comments?

The inane banter got on my nerves after half an hour. Pretends to be clever, doesn't make it.

Great Book

all the books in this series are really good, I recommend listening to them all.

Well Read, Poorly Written

What did you like about this audiobook?

Half way through I stopped listening because a) nothing happened and b) I could care less about any character.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Jefferson Bass could have kept the manuscript at home rather than seeing fit to share it with the rest of the world.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

No, but this performance was good.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Only the main and supporting characters and the minor characters. I liked the backhoe operator, but otherwise no one was of interest.

Do you have any additional comments?

Hey audible, I want my $5 back.

Good mystery, well read but poorly written.

I am a southerner, my son and daughter in law went to UT, (where the story is centered), so I listened with a willingness to like this book. I found the writing tedious and even juvinile. At least that was my impression.

However, the story is intriguing, well researched and reveals the realities of University financing. However, I felt the author did a poor job developing characters and the relationships between them.

I was glad when this book was over.

What would have made The Bone Thief better?

A better story. This one was boring, and it took a long time for the boredom to carry on to the end.

What was most disappointing about Jefferson Bass’s story?

The story wasn't that great.

Would you be willing to try another one of Dan Woren’s performances?

Probably not.

What character would you cut from The Bone Thief?

All of them.