Back to the Body Farm with Jefferson Bass

Jefferson Bass return for their third novel in the Body Farm series, The Devil's Bones. Dr. Bill Brockton is preparing to testify in Garland Hamilton's murder trial when Hamilton escapes from prison. Hamilton has a grudge against Brockton, blaming Brockton for ruining his career as a medical examiner. In the previous installment of the series, Hamilton killed Brockton's lover and attempted to kill him. So, Brockton must now be on the lookout for this escaped maniac. Meanwhile, Brockton's attorney asks him to look into his aunt's cremains. They just don't seem right, especially since she had knee replacements while she was living.

I thoroughly enjoy the technical background that is intertwined in the Body Farm books. I always feel like I walk away learning something new. And this book was no exception. But, I was a bit disappointed in the actual plot this time around. I found it to be a bit predictable. In addition, there were elements of the plot that seemed to be especially weak or have holes in them. I can't elaborate on that without giving away spoilers. And finally, I couldn't really determine what the authors were trying to do with the relationship between Brockton and his grad assistant, Miranda. At times he acted like a jealous lover, which was very awkward, and then at other times he acted more like an over-protective father. The over-protective father is more believable, but why the two faces? I believe in one of the previous novels, Miranda makes a pass at Brockton which he quickly dismisses and that's that. So, this portrayal of their relationship causes some confusion for me as the reader. I do hope they aren't planning to build up to something non-platonic between these two.