The Body Farm

On the outskirts of the University of Tennessee research happens. It takes time, but then all the researchers have is time. It takes nature. It takes perseverance. It takes guts--literally and figuratively.

At the Body Farm, the research entails all manners of death. Bodies in trunks, hung from trees, wrapped in tarps and wrapped in comforters. Some are burned and some are wet. Some have been shot and some have been stabbed. Some aren't even whole bodies. All in the name of research. All in the name of science--forensic science.

There was an episode on CSI: Vegas were Grissom took a large pig and wrapped it in a blanket. Then he sat with it for days to see how long it took for flies and other crawlies to find their way to the pig. To devour the pig. All in the name of science. Pigs mimic humans quite closely.

Jefferson Bass, the team of Dr. Bill Bass and journalist Jon Jefferson, pull together mysteries on the level of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell. The main character, Dr. Bill Brockton, runs the farm and teaches classes at the university. In his free time, he aids local medical examiners and police departments in forensic detecting. These stories can get eerie and quiet gory. They are not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but they sure make for excellent reading! For the readers really curious, there are excerpts from the materials used in Dr. Brockton's classes.

Carved in Bone
Flesh and Bone