Jefferson Bass’ ‘Bones of Betrayal’

I always appreciate a good mystery, and I love books that have convincing forensics in the plot, so you can imagine how happy I was to pick up a copy of Jefferson Bass’ (a writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson) Bones of Betrayal. Bones of Betrayal follows Bill Brockton, a forensic anthropologist, as he investigates the strange surfacing of a body in a lake near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. At first, the cause of death is baffling, but evidence quickly turns up that draws a substantial link between the dead man and the nuclear research facility nearby. It is discovered that the victim was a leading researcher of the Manhattan Project, and Bill Brockton must race against time to uncover some of the dark secrets of the region’s past, or the body count may rise.

I have read a few of Jefferson Bass’ books so far (this is the fourth of his body farm novels), and I have to commend him on a few fronts. First, Brockton is a compelling protagonist that you will likely become attached to. While the character development in this book is not stellar, it is certainly handled well enough that you are generally concerned about the characters, Brockton being chief among those. Second, the actual science depicted in this book is fascinating in its accuracy and detail. With Dr. Bill Bass providing the forensic information, this is no great surprise, though it is just as appreciated. For those who are unaware, Dr. Bass founded the University of Tennessee’s Anthropology Research Facility: the Body Farm. Jon Jefferson’s writing lends itself well to the medical mystery genre, and there was never a time that I lost interest in the story. This may not seem like a particularly positive point, but it is a skill in itself to present true scientific practices in detail without becoming wordy or slowing the story down. In truth I only have one big problem with the book: you can see the ending coming well before the book actually ends. This is not necessarily a problem with writing or character development, as much as it is a result of there being a small list of suspects. For there to be more possibilities, the actual crime case would have to be changed considerably, and the current one is compelling as is. If you like thrillers, books involving local areas, or medical mysteries, then Jefferson Bass’ Bones of Betrayal is the book for you. The final twist may be a little predictable, but the trip to the end is a blast.