Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explor… (2024)

A thoroughly entertaining series of forensic vignettes

Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility (ARF), made famous by its more colloquial nickname in Patricia Cornwell's novel THE BODY FARM is a world class scientific institution dedicated to the thesis that dead men DO tell tales.

Did you know, for instance, that entomological studies have determined the rate at which blow flies and maggots attack a decaying corpse is related to a wide variety of variables such as humidity and accumulated degree-days since the date of death? Of course, this means that historical weather records and the degree to which a corpse is infested by flies, maggots, pupae and pupa casings can be used in an uncannily accurate model to determine time since death. I was awestruck to find out that one dedicated graduate student spent months preparing a database of the forensic evidence that is left behind when a murder victim is dismembered by a saw - ANY kind of saw ... hack saw, coping saw, cross cut saw, ripping saw, circular saw, configured with ANY kind of blade, tooth count, pitch, thickness and so on. I was equally fascinated to learn of the minor skeletal differences that can be used to distinguish between the world's major races - caucasoid, negroid and mongoloid. Other differences such as sex, age and stature can be determined to an incredibly high level of accuracy with an almost unbelievably small amount of intact skeletal evidence.

Bill Bass's first book, DEATH'S ACRE is a poignant autobiography, both professional and personal, of Bill Bass, the Body Farm's celebrated founder; a history of some of the most interesting forensic cases that were the driving force or the raison d'être behind the directions in which Bill Bass's professional life evolved; a celebration of the development of his students and professional colleagues; and, of course, a history of the science of forensic anthropology which, even today, might be considered to be in its infancy and barely out of the nursery.

The sequel, BEYOND THE BODY FARM is just as exciting but, rather than being a mere memoir is more a collection of vignettes describing the details of a series of specific cases that Bill Bass found particularly challenging, especially moving or perhaps even unique in the history of his work on the Body Farm. For example, you'll be amazed at the ability of modern science to determine the cause of death of a Persian soldier whose remains, dead and buried for thousands of years, were discovered by an archeological team working in Asia. You'll be charmed at how forensic reconstruction of facial features (made famous in fiction by Iris Johansen's character, Eve Duncan) helped to identify the remains of a long-lost girl and provide closure to a grieving family. You'll learn that it is virtually impossible for a criminal to cover his tracks with even the intense heat of an accelerated arson fire. And, my personal favourite, you'll enjoy the description of Bill Bass's fascinating work with the family of the Big Bopper to put to rest any ideas of scandal, foul play or missing bodies after his untimely death in a tragic airplane crash.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the two non-fiction works that Dr Bass has produced, I'm looking forward to the fictional Body Farm novel series that begins with FLESH AND BONE. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Patricia Cornwell wrote a book called The Body Farm, this book is about the REAL body farm where forensic research is done. Dr. Bass has spent many years researching bones and the effects of the elements on dead bodies. His expertise has helped convict murderers, identified loved ones and solved mysteries.

He recounts not only what goes on at the Farm but also many of the cases he has been on. He gives credit where credit is due, citing work done by other scientists and his students. His specialty is bones, he has also worked with teeth and his students have studied bugs, tool marks on bones and many things to help solve the cases that come their way.

This book did not delve deeply into his personal life, he does make brief mention, such as, “I didn’t go on this case because my wife at the time was battling cancer ….” and “I have to give credit to my third wife …. because she made me do ….”. I think his other book Death’s Acre is more of a memoir than this, he refers to it and now it is on my To Be Read list.

Dr. Bass writes in a very informal manner, he explains things so the layperson can understand. It could be he learned this from his years testifying and having to make juries understand. He doesn’t go beyond his knowledge or experience, he admits when he doesn’t understand some aspect of forensic science. The result is an informative enjoyable book that I recommend.

"In the chapters that follow, you'll see how things we've learned at the Body Farm have helped us identify the dead, figure out what happened to them, and in many cases (though, sadly not all) bring killers to justice.

I found this book even more fascinating than I did Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales, and I didn't think that would be possible! It was compelling to read how much more sophisticated tools and techniques have become since Dr. Bass first created his body farm. I found the section regarding the Big Bopper being exhumed (when his casket was being moved to a different section of the cemetery) very interesting. Who would have guessed we'd ever know exactly what his injuries were - and which had been fatal, after all of this time?

I highly recommend both books!

Like their book Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales, Beyond the Body Farm chronicles the cases of Dr. Bill Bass. With the authors' high quality of writing present, I was engrossed in the how it was solved explanations that were laid out for readers.

The only thing that I wish with this book is that I would have listened to it as I did Death Acres. There was something powerful in listening to the words that was missing in reading about the cases

BEYOND THE BODY FARM: A LEGENDARY BONE DETECTIVE EXPLORES MURDERS, MYSTERIES, AND THE REVOLUTION IN FORENSIC SCIENCE

What a great read! I am reviewing some additional readings for my fall classes and this is one that I chose. I think that my students would be interested and it might spur them to a higher level of interest. This is well written, quite interesting, and not too much for tender students.

5 stars for nonfiction information

Happy Reading!

Bass returns with his second non-fiction book, further explaining his career as a forensic anthropologist and life on the Body Farm. While the book reads well independently, any reader not well versed with Bass’ work (having read all the Body Farm fiction series) ought to take the time to at least read DEATH’S ACRE, the memoir of sorts that Bass penned. This book offers a continuation in that light, highlighting some of the other cases and offers an even more detailed look at some of the techniques used by Bass and his colleagues to solve crimes or mysteries. Bass resumes his dry wit and adds a layer of ‘teachable moments’, while still keeping the reader interested in the subject matter. Delving into some long-spanning cases, some highly disturbing murders, and one ‘famous’ case, Bass keeps the reader hooked, while explaining the wonderful world of osteo-analysis and the nuances that make all the difference. Well worth seeing things from the other side of the coin, Bass fans will surely appreciate this work and may notice some factual similarities between these tales and the plotlines in the Body Farm novels.

While Bass does lament the CSI generation for expecting things at the drop of a hat, I was introduced to forensics through this show and, perhaps, books by Kathy Reichs. That said, when I began reading the Body Farm series, I was well-versed in understanding some of the nuances and how bones, bugs, and decomposition could assist investigations. However, it was not until I took the time to read both of Bass’ non-fiction tales (quasi-memoirs, as he labels them) that I got a true feel for what goes on and the time it takes. Cram an entire case into 40 minutes on CSI or BONES and you have a condensed version of the meticulous art behind forensics (especially anthropology). Bass blew me away with some of the details he imparted in the book and his utter determination to help those who can no longer help themselves (and provide answers to families who may have lost hope). The stories flow freely, even if there are textbook-like moments to help the reader better understand what is going on. Well worth the time and effort and a wonderful precursor to reading the Body Farm series for any interested reader.

Kudos, Messrs. Jefferson and Bass for yet another great book, full of insight and gruesome detail. I will be sure to share my praise with others, if only to help educate them on this important wing of crime detection.

I'm a big fan of the Body Farm series, and was looking forward to reading this nonfiction collection of case studies to learn more about the career of Bass. It was definitely an interesting read, but at the end of it, I found myself wanting more. More science, more details, more cases. More gore.

3.5 stars

To dziwne, bo nie ma w tej książce jakichś bardzo sensacyjnych historii, a mimo tego pochłonęłam ją z takim samym zainteresowaniem, jak część pierwszą. Najtrudniejsza w tej pracy jest chyba świadomość, że mimo zaawansowanej technologii i daleko posuniętej nauki, pewne sprawy nie znajdują rozwiązania: "Prawda jest jednak taka, że w prawdziwych śledztwach prowadzonych z użyciem nauk sądowych - w odróżnieniu od tych z telewizji - bez względu na stopień zaawansowania sprzętu oraz umiejętności naukowców niektórych ludzi nigdy nie uda się odnaleźć. To bolesna prawda o życiu - i o śmierci".

Recensione su World of Interests

Non so bene come recensire questo libro.

Non è un romanzo, bensì una raccolta di casi a cui Bill Bass ha partecipato come antropologo forense. L’autore (e il co-autore) ci racconta sia di successi che di fallimenti nella sua lunga carriera attraverso alcuni casi ben scelti. Inoltre, accenna anche al suo lavoro presso la “Fabbrica dei Corpi”, dove gli scienziati possono osservare i vari stadi della decomposizione di cadaveri in vari ambienti e con delle varianti che vanno dalla temperatura all’arrivo degli insetti.

Insomma, non è esattamente un libro per tutti. E non è esattamente allegro.

Io personalmente non ne sapevo niente: a parte il fatto che studio Storia, ma è la prima volta che cedo alla curiosità di saperne di più rispetto a questi argomenti.

Bill Bass scrive egregiamente, quasi in modo leggero anche se scientificamente corretto, e attraverso questo libro credo di aver imparato molte cose rispetto al corpo umano e anche rispetto all’argomento saliente: la decomposizione dei corpi, nonché come l’antropologia aiuta ad identificare le vittime.

Non so bene cosa dirvi: non ci sono personaggi se non Bass e le vittime che ha aiutato a identificare, non c’è una storia se non quella della carriera di Bass. Ma una cosa la voglio dire: credo che questo e altri libri sull’argomento siano fondamentali per quegli autori che desiderano parlare di certi argomenti, ed evitare di fare errori come in CSI (di cui anche Bass parla, per via delle discrepanze tra la realtà dei fatti e la finzione).

Vorrei anche dire che, in effetti, mi sono affezionata ad alcuni casi che Bass riprende nel corso del libro a causa della distanza fra gli anni e tra le tecnologie disponibili.

Insomma, credo che leggendo l’appendice e facendo attenzione a quello che dice Bass, che ha lavorato in questo ambito anche dopo la pensione, si possano imparare molte cose. Non sui serial killer o comunque sugli uccisori, ma sulle vittime e le prove che i loro corpi e le loro ossa sussurrano a persone come l’autore.

Se non siete schizzinosi e se non vi fa senso la cosa, voglio davvero consigliarvi questo libro e sapere cosa ne pensate. Quando l’ho preso in prestito in biblioteca non pensavo che mi avrebbe fatto interessare alla materia così tanto, ma è stato il contrario.

Insomma, leggetelo e ditemi cosa ne pensate

I found this absorbing novel a little dry at times, but absolutely fascinating nonetheless. Especially the parts about the Big Bopper!

Tom McKeon is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel.

4 stars, and recommended to those who love true crime, documentaries, and don’t mind the dead body gore.

Przyjemne do czytania, gdyby nie klienci to by się to w jeden dzień w robocie dało skończyć

+1 za to, że książka ma słowniczek oraz rysunki czaszki i szkieletu z opisem co gdzie jest, przydaje się dla debili z biologii

So considering I read this book in three days, that should be enough of an indication how I felt.

It's not entirely without some gore and maggots, but overall, I found this one slightly less gory than Death's Acre to the point where "normal" people could probably read it. Dr Bass has an excellent way of writing and narrating stories that are not only compelling, but very easy to understand. There's also quite a few funny quips throughout the book (I laughed probably a few too many times during the Worm Farm chapter....). Otherwise if I was still still I was reading - it was obsessive. I needed to know how each case went.

I now know where the little Identity Crisis novella came from - three chapters worth from this book. I just skipped them since I've already read that story.

I used to be in college for exactly this topic, too. I'm still mad at my 20 year old self for not following through.

I wanted to like this book a lot because it's by the great Dr. Bill Bass, *the* guy for forensic anthropology. And while it does a good job of covering the basic tools and techniques used in the field, the quality of writing is definitely subpar. There's a lot of redundancy and over-explaining simple concepts, and the overall use of the language is not what I would expect of someone with a Ph.D. Maybe I know more about the subject than the intended audience of this book would, but it seems almost condescending. I don't know that I would've had the patience to finish it if I weren't hoping to get something out of it professionally.

almost a 3 star, but had too many distractions. the chapters read as if they were written as stand alone articles so there was repetition. also some typos/editing issues? height guessed at 5'10" but calculated to be 6', "one" inch taller than his guesstimate??

the stories were interesting though.

A great read, collecting more of Bill Bass's most interesting stories for our delectation. Every case has something interesting in it, like the crazy rumors circulating about "the day the music died" and how he was able to dispel them all in an afternoon with a portable x-ray machine.

Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science

• by William M. Bass, Jon Jefferson (pub. 2007)

Overview
"A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Dr. Bill Bass created the world's first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition—three acres on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research has revolutionized forensic science, but during a career that has spanned half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the "Body Farm."

In this riveting book, the renowned bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science and takes readers deep into the real world of crime scene investigation (CSI). Beyond the Body Farm is an extraordinary journey through some of the most fascinating investigations of Dr. Bass's career—and a remarkable look at the high-tech science used to crack the most perplexing cases."

"The Dead Do Tell Tales"

Dr. Bill Bass and his collaborator Jon Jefferson use the pen name Jefferson Bass to co-author The Body Farm novel series. In those intriguing stories you'll find some of the details of the actual cases he presents in this autobiography.

Dr. Bass begins the book with his first encounter with an exhumed body. More than 50 years ago Bill was a student studying sterile bones in the classroom, when he's asked to accompany his Professor during the ID of a corpse. When the coffin opens the putrescence and smell cause Bill to hurl; an embarrassment never repeated. Dr. Bass, now aging and ailing is actually retired, but he can't turn down calls for his expertise and remains quite busy.

The importance of forensic anthropology lies in restoring identity to unknown bodies and bones. Throughout the book Dr. Bass reveals a variety of cases, skills and equipment in the forensic anthropology processes. Examples of his work: In 1964 he's called to Iran to identify three 2,800 year old skeletons found with an unusual golden bowl.

An illegal fireworks operation explodes, disarticulating or blowing apart nearly a dozen bodies. A 12th person, a kid was blown sky-high, sailing over the house to land alive in the front yard and found walking, but in shock.

A Chop Shop crook kills his whistleblower brother-in-law, but is convicted by teeth marks he left in his cigar stub.

The son of J.P. Richardson Junior has J.P.'s body exhumed and examined by Dr. Bass, to find out if he may have survived the plane crash and tryed to go for help. No; careful analysis shows J.P. died on impact.

The book also covers IDs through dental records; info gained from viewing decomposing corpses at the Body Farm; the significance of flies and maggots; the CSI effect; the long process of investigation and DNA analysis; ongoing improvements in accuracy and speed with computer-aided analysis and so much more.

Dr. Bass gives the realities of forensic anthropology over the past 50 plus years. CSI is the abbreviated, edited version of crime scene investigation and the Body Farm novels add suspense and urgency to a tedious, gory job. Mostly liked it.

3 or 4 Stars.

•

Malgré le sujet macabre de ce livre, l’adepte des émissions d’enquêtes policières en moi a été servie! On apprend comment les différents os du corps peuvent être utilisés dans l’identification de squelettes.

C’était bien vulgarisé. Il y a même à la fin un glossaire ainsi que différentes illustrations permettant de visualiser quels os sont à quel endroit (pratique surtout si l’anglais n’est pas votre première langue). À même le texte, il y a parfois, entre parenthèses, un synonyme pour un mot plus complexe.

Par contre, à la longue, j’avais l’impression que Dr. Bill Bass se vantait au travers de ce livre. À plusieurs reprises, il mentionne certains de ses anciens étudiants qui lui ont apporté leur aide et il précise à chaque fois ce qu’ils sont devenus. Évidemment, ils ont tous des postes importants. Je comprends l’importance de citer leurs noms, toutefois ça ajoutait une loudeur au texte et n’amenait pas d’informations supplémentaires.

De plus, ce livre a été publié en 2007 et un passage a particulièrement mal vieilli. Au cours de ses recherches et de son emploi (dans les années 60), il a déterré de nombreuses reliques et os appartenant à plusieurs villages autochtones. La raison pour cette démarche est la montée des eaux de la rivière Missouri et le désir de préserver les dites reliques. Il va sans dire qu’aux yeux des autochtones, cela était inacceptable. Un activiste a lui a même donné le nom d’«Indian grave robber number one» en raison de son efficacité. Je suis consciente qu’encore aujourd’hui, des tombes (je pense aux pensionnats autochtones) sont déterrées. Mais, dans ces cas-ci, il ne s’agissait pas de tombes sans identité. Ce qui m’a dérangé, c’est que le Dr.Bass semble être fier de ce surnom. C’était une autre époque et, bien que ce ne soit pas une excuse, ça peut expliquer les gestes posés. Je tenais tout de même à le mentionner.

Nie wiem jak w oryginale, ale polskie tłumaczenie chwilami było męczące ("kości policzkowe!"). Pomijam literówki, te były ale na całe szczęście było ich mało więc aż tak nie psuły radości z czytania. Niestety męczące były próby wytłumaczenia gdzie jakiś punkt znajduje się np. na czaszce, gdybym nie zajmowała się szkieletami miałabym trudności ze zrozumieniem objaśnień, z resztą lepsza połówka czytając mi czasami przez ramię potrafiła spytać "ale zaraz, to gdzie to właściwie jest, bo się zgubiłem". Ogólnie treść ciekawa, jeśli kogoś interesują seriale typu Kości czy CSI, tu może się dowiedzieć np. że DNA nie dostaje się "od ręki" i czasem trwa to miesiącami, a jak w jednej z opisanych tu spraw i latami. Nie jest to jednak książka dla każdego. Osoby szczególnie wrażliwe powinny sobie odpuścić rozdział np. o Big Bopper, nawet z odpowiednim przeszkoleniem, "bolało" jak czytałam opis doznanych urazów...a sądziłam, że po studiach, ukończonych kursach walki, praktykach i szkoleniach psychologicznych jestem odp*rna.

A unique look at a man and his mysterious work (not that he's mysterious but the work is used to solve mysteries) of the body. How can we know whether this skeleton is five days old or 400 years old? How can we figure out from a soapy,waxy material behind our eyeball about what kind of situation they were in? It's all the kind of fascinating mystery stuff that's the real life version of any crime scene investigative fictional series on television. It's the living people who do this work, build the databases, and are curious enough to create entire farms of decomposition in order to process bodies and build repositories for knowledge and information.

Bass provides faces/names/places to stories about real life situations that they've learned something from.

Intriguing look into forensic anthropology by one of the pioneers in the field. Through detailed science, we learn how investigators can learn from bones alone the subjects’ age, race, manner of death and even economic status (dental condition is often the key factor there).

Beyond the CSI elements present, other sections give insight into issues such as decomposition and how manner of burial may affect a corpse.

Needless to say, the subject matter here is often fairly grim. But anyone interested in the postmortem existence of our human bodies will find much material of interest in these fascinating case studies.

Back when I was finishing my BA, one of my favorite teachers was Dr. Tom Holland (One Drop of Blood), a forensic anthropologist at the Central Identification Lab in Honolulu.

I took every single course Dr. Holland offered just to hear his stories. I had no interest in being a scientist of any kind- I just wanted him to tell one more gruesome/awesome story.

This is the same reason I read all Dr. Bass' books. His writing is tame in comparison. More like a great Uncle telling you little snippets at Thanksgiving, but doing so in the most gentle and beige way as possible as to not piss off your great aunt, his wife.

It is also enjoyable to see how many ways Dr. Bass can give himself a little sideways 'kudos' or humble brag. He is epic at it. :)

Podobała mi się tak samo jak część pierwsza. Choć może słowo 'podobała' nie do końca jest tu na miejscu. Bardzo dużo ciekawych historii, wiele nadawałoby się na fabułę filmu. Wielokrotnie zostaje nam ukazane jak bardzo rozwijają się badania, a także jak wiele jeszcze jako ludzie nie jesteśmy w stanie zrobić.

Audiobook.

I suppose the good thing about returning to having a long commute (which I hate by the way, there is only ONE tiny, tiny upside) is getting to listen to audio books again.

This was a fun book about the founder of University of Tennessee's "Body Farm" and some of the more interesting cases he has had. And they definitely were interesting cases. Some are fascinating on their own, and some more so for people who are interested in forensics - in this case almost entirely forensic anthropology, though there is occasional talk of other fields of forensics.

Real life Bones. And better than the Reichs books.

A highly fascinating read coming from the guy who created the Body Farm, that thing out of your nightmares that is actually an incredible aid to forensic science. It's written well, it's about people figuring out what happened to victims based on very limited evidence, it contains vivid and scientifically accurate descriptions of bones, cadavers and everything in between... what more can you ask for? I do like me some good ol' forensic examination.

The only complaint I have to file - and I've noticed this in countless other books - what's up with the title? I have a hard time believing that the man who wrote the book also gave himself the title of "Legendary". If he did, that's a bit of an issue. Not to question the legendary-ness of him, not at all. I'm guessing the editor chose it, because it's more dramatic this way. Again, I'm not trying to take anything away from a man who helped push forensic anthropology to its present form, but I'm just endlessly fascinated at way some titles are framed.

Good book. A must read for people interested in Forensic Anthropology.

Molto interessante. Gli autori riescono a spiegare in maniera semplice argomenti molto complessi. Inoltre, il dottor Bass è molto simpatico e ironico.

i’m going to literally miss reading this which, considering the fact that it’s a nonfiction book, says a lot

Freaking cool. This is my type of book.different cases, new perspectives, fascinating technology. Wish I could read it again for the first time.

3,75

This was a very good book! I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the writing style and enjoyed how much information was in this collection of discoveries.