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The latest Body Farm novel picks up not too long after the previous one, Bones of Betrayal (2009), ended. Isabella, the murderous seductress, still haunts Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and founder of Tennessee’s unique research facility known as the Body Farm (he’s loosely based on Dr. Bill Bass, the Body Farm’s real founder and one-half of the novel’s writing team). Isabella disappeared at the end of the previous novel, and Brockton is concerned she might not have gone too far. Current events, however, including a couple of cases of corpse-dismemberment, are helping him keep his mind off her—until he makes a shocking discovery that could turn his life upside down. The Body Farm novels get better with each new book; not only are they more compellingly plotted and more tightly written but Brockton also has become a more fully realized character, not merely a stand-in for his creator. A very good mystery, suitable not just for fans of the Brockton novels but also for readers who enjoy forensic thrillers by Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell. --David Pitt

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New York Times bestselling 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. Find out why Booklist says, "Fans of forensic fiction will want to add this author to their list of favorites."

The Bone Thief

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?