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Body Farm #6.5
Madonna and Corpse
Renowned bone detective Bill Brockton and his intrepid assistant, Miranda, are about to get immersed in murder and intrigue in Avignon, France, home of the popes for most of the fourteenth century. But first, in this artful prequel to The Inquisitor's Key, other mischief is afoot in the ancient walled city. Inspector René Descartes of the French National Police is roused from a deep sleep to investigate a break-in at the Petit Palais, Avignon's museum of medieval masterpieces. Descartes's discovery plunges him into an elaborate, art-lined a labyrinth that leads him to a master forger's studio . . . and to a charred corpse. Just as he's finally closing the case, Descartes gets called to an even more bizarre death scene, where his path—and his fate—will collide with those of Brockton and Miranda.
41 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2012
177 people are currently reading
1856 people want to read
About the author
Jefferson Bass
22 books1,173 followersJefferson Bass on FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/JeffersonBass...
Jon Jefferson
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Bill Bass
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Jefferson Bass is the pen name of Jon Jefferson, writer, and Dr. Bill Bass, renowned forensic anthropologist. Jefferson and Bass have collaborated on 2 nonfiction books and 6 crime novels; their 7th novel, The Inquisitor's Key, will be published in May 2012. Dr. Bass, founder of the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm," is an author on more than 200 scientific publications. Jefferson is a veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker; his two National Geographic documentaries on the Body Farm were seen around the world.
http://www.facebook.com/JeffersonBass...
Jon Jefferson
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Bill Bass
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Jefferson Bass is the pen name of Jon Jefferson, writer, and Dr. Bill Bass, renowned forensic anthropologist. Jefferson and Bass have collaborated on 2 nonfiction books and 6 crime novels; their 7th novel, The Inquisitor's Key, will be published in May 2012. Dr. Bass, founder of the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm," is an author on more than 200 scientific publications. Jefferson is a veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker; his two National Geographic documentaries on the Body Farm were seen around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
April 14, 2024
There is a patch of ground in Tennessee dedicated to the science of death, where human remains lie exposed to be studied for their secrets. The real-life scientist who founded the "Body Farm" has broken cold cases and revolutionized forensics . . . and now he spins an astonishing tale inspired by his own experiences.
Master storyteller, Jefferson Bass, dazzles readers with his latest in the Body Farm series. In what can only be called an eventual teaser, Bass presents a great little story that, until the closing sentences, does not seem to have any connection to Dr. Bill Brockton whatsoever. Filled with excellent nuances about the world of art and art forgery, Bass lays what will be the eventual groundwork for a new character, or so it seems. Being an ardent Bass reader and trying to read everything in order, I have not yet read The Inquisitor’s Key, nor have I even delved into the teaser chapters provided with this novella. I will check it out soon, but I wanted not to be tainted by foreknowledge when reviewing this piece.
In this artful prequel to The Inquisitor’s Key>/i>, mischief is plentiful. Inspector René Descartes of the French National Police receives a call to wake him from a fitful sleep to investigate a break-in at an Avignon museum, filled with medieval masterpieces. Descartes is baffled and follows the leads to a master forger’s studio, in which the truth behind replicating and forging art comes to light. When Descartes seeks answers from the art forger, all that remains is a charred corpse and a note explaining his suicide. This sill soon pave the way to an even more complex case, one involving forensic anthropologist, Dr. Bill Brockton, and his graduate student, Miranda Lovelady.
Lovers of the Body Farm series may be flummoxed by the story, as they are waiting for Bill and Miranda to appear on the scene at any moment. The entire story, broken into nine short chapters, does anything but talk about forensics or anthropology. We learn about a police inspector who works in and around Avignon and a forger who seems to have been peddling his wares for years. What looks like an open and shut case leaves much to the imagination. I could see this being a sub-plot tie-in to the next full-length novel, but the reader will have to be patient and commence that one, as I will, do determine if this novella was a way to introduce a new character, or a small branch out, away from decaying bodies and into the lucrative world of art.
There is a great sense of education and entertainment in each of the novels I have read. Jefferson Bass has a great deal of knowledge to share and does so with ease, while keeping the reader in the front seat to all the action. A strong narrative guides the reader throughout the story and provides educational sidebars. Strong characters, many of whom return from book to book, provide great flavouring and development, while one-offs make their mark as well.
The plot developments are quite clear cut in this short piece, leaving the reader entertained more than dazzled. A few twists appear with ease and the feels a though something is about to happen, allowing the other shoe to drop and bringing forensics back into the mix. I cannot wait to see what is to come and how Bass will keep thing on point throughout the rest of the series.
Kudos Mr. Bass, for this off the painted canvass topic and story that likely binds two novels together.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Master storyteller, Jefferson Bass, dazzles readers with his latest in the Body Farm series. In what can only be called an eventual teaser, Bass presents a great little story that, until the closing sentences, does not seem to have any connection to Dr. Bill Brockton whatsoever. Filled with excellent nuances about the world of art and art forgery, Bass lays what will be the eventual groundwork for a new character, or so it seems. Being an ardent Bass reader and trying to read everything in order, I have not yet read The Inquisitor’s Key, nor have I even delved into the teaser chapters provided with this novella. I will check it out soon, but I wanted not to be tainted by foreknowledge when reviewing this piece.
In this artful prequel to The Inquisitor’s Key>/i>, mischief is plentiful. Inspector René Descartes of the French National Police receives a call to wake him from a fitful sleep to investigate a break-in at an Avignon museum, filled with medieval masterpieces. Descartes is baffled and follows the leads to a master forger’s studio, in which the truth behind replicating and forging art comes to light. When Descartes seeks answers from the art forger, all that remains is a charred corpse and a note explaining his suicide. This sill soon pave the way to an even more complex case, one involving forensic anthropologist, Dr. Bill Brockton, and his graduate student, Miranda Lovelady.
Lovers of the Body Farm series may be flummoxed by the story, as they are waiting for Bill and Miranda to appear on the scene at any moment. The entire story, broken into nine short chapters, does anything but talk about forensics or anthropology. We learn about a police inspector who works in and around Avignon and a forger who seems to have been peddling his wares for years. What looks like an open and shut case leaves much to the imagination. I could see this being a sub-plot tie-in to the next full-length novel, but the reader will have to be patient and commence that one, as I will, do determine if this novella was a way to introduce a new character, or a small branch out, away from decaying bodies and into the lucrative world of art.
There is a great sense of education and entertainment in each of the novels I have read. Jefferson Bass has a great deal of knowledge to share and does so with ease, while keeping the reader in the front seat to all the action. A strong narrative guides the reader throughout the story and provides educational sidebars. Strong characters, many of whom return from book to book, provide great flavouring and development, while one-offs make their mark as well.
The plot developments are quite clear cut in this short piece, leaving the reader entertained more than dazzled. A few twists appear with ease and the feels a though something is about to happen, allowing the other shoe to drop and bringing forensics back into the mix. I cannot wait to see what is to come and how Bass will keep thing on point throughout the rest of the series.
Kudos Mr. Bass, for this off the painted canvass topic and story that likely binds two novels together.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 22, 2021
Nice little story that leads into book 7
February 1, 2020
I really loved this short story and the preview to Jefferson Bass's new book. The short story involves a French police investigator who responds to a robbery at an art museum, only to find out the thief had actually added a painting -- a painting that is an exact copy of the one displayed at the museum.
The story's opening and the character of Inspector René Descartes drew me immediately into the story. I enjoyed reading the Inspector's thoughts about art, how he allowed his mind to open and gained an appreciation of the paintings. In the beginning I was thrown a little when I realized the story wasn't going to include Bill Brockton (at least, not yet). But I enjoyed the Inspector and after reading the preview of The Inquisitor's Key I am really looking forward to reading it!
The story's opening and the character of Inspector René Descartes drew me immediately into the story. I enjoyed reading the Inspector's thoughts about art, how he allowed his mind to open and gained an appreciation of the paintings. In the beginning I was thrown a little when I realized the story wasn't going to include Bill Brockton (at least, not yet). But I enjoyed the Inspector and after reading the preview of The Inquisitor's Key I am really looking forward to reading it!
February 27, 2016
Interesting prequel in the art world... No sign of Dr. Brockton or Miranda yet so it's different.. hoping it leads right into a chase after a murderer with loads of historical information in the art world. 4 stars is because Dr. Brockton is missing but I'm loving the insider information about fake art created and replaced... It amazes me that some individuals place such high value on items, that I think of only as beautiful and belong in museums for everyone to see.
July 21, 2018
Disappointing. Obviously a to-be-continued-in-the-next-book plot, which I wasn’t expecting. Another annoying feature was the fact that the excerpt of the next book was twice as long as this story.
There were far too many unresolved plot threads in the story—all of them, in fact.
There were far too many unresolved plot threads in the story—all of them, in fact.
May 31, 2019
Esta é uma short story engraçadita, que serve de prequela ao próximo livro da série The Body Farm (mas não sei ainda como), passada em Avignon, França, protagonizada por um inspetor, Descartes que se depara com um assalto a um pequeno museu, onde está um quadro famoso de Boticelli e que, uma noite um intruso entra e... ah, isso não posso dizer, só que não é o que parece LOL
Aquele Dubois, hem?! LOL
Aquele Dubois, hem?! LOL
April 25, 2012
I love intelligent books/series. With this little prequel, Jefferson Bass has shown why they are among the masters. I think in total, this "book" was about 30 pages (?) with the remaining being a sneek peek of their upcoming release of The Inquisitor's Key. When I think prequel, I automatically think incidents before the book it is a prequel to...JB decided to be sneaky though and change that format. Basically running parallel to the first part of IK, it took me a bit (and an email to the author asking "WTH?? I am confused") before I got it!
April 25, 2020
Technically this book is part of the Body Farm series by the authors (Jon) Jefferson (and William M.) Bass. However, none of the "cast members" from the Body Farm appear in this book, and it is not set in Tennessee. As a prequel to The Inquisitor's Key, book 7 in the series, this short story is set in Avignon, France. Inspector Rene' Descartes is investigating what appears to be a theft at the Palace of the Popes museum. He then ends up investigating a death. There is no end to the story. It's a complete cliffhanger. The next section is actually the beginning of the next novel, so I didn't read it because I don't want to read it until I'm ready to read the rest of the novel.
The story was a lot shorter than I expected, and didn't tie in with the characters in the Body Farm series. Perhaps they will tie in somehow in the next book. The characters were not very likeable, and the story was too short to include any depth in character development. Reading this short story (it can't even be classified as a novella) felt more like reading a Dan Brown book with a historical, secretive atmosphere, maybe because of the focus on art. I didn't dislike the story, but it didn't end, and that bothers me. It feels like I was deceived into purchasing this "book."
Note: The Inquisitor's Key is known as The Bones of Avignon in the UK.
The story was a lot shorter than I expected, and didn't tie in with the characters in the Body Farm series. Perhaps they will tie in somehow in the next book. The characters were not very likeable, and the story was too short to include any depth in character development. Reading this short story (it can't even be classified as a novella) felt more like reading a Dan Brown book with a historical, secretive atmosphere, maybe because of the focus on art. I didn't dislike the story, but it didn't end, and that bothers me. It feels like I was deceived into purchasing this "book."
Note: The Inquisitor's Key is known as The Bones of Avignon in the UK.
September 12, 2017
This was such a quick read. I didn't realize that when I got the Kindle book, only 38% of the book would be the current piece, and the rest of the book would be the first few chapters of the Inquisitor's Key.
That being said, without reading the Inquisitor's Key already, I think this is a perfect segue-way into the following book, which I've just downloaded. Might change my mind once I'm further into the next book!
That being said, without reading the Inquisitor's Key already, I think this is a perfect segue-way into the following book, which I've just downloaded. Might change my mind once I'm further into the next book!
September 13, 2020
Not really a Body Farm book, in the sense that none of the usual characters—Dr. Bill Brockton; his grad-student assistant, Miranda Lovelady (is she *ever* going to get her PhD?); and the others—show up.
Basically, seems like a teaser for the next full-length novel.
As a result, it's my least favourite of Bass's novels in this series. Still gets 4 stars because the standard of writing (plot, setting, characterization, and wordsmithing) remains delightfully high.
Basically, seems like a teaser for the next full-length novel.
As a result, it's my least favourite of Bass's novels in this series. Still gets 4 stars because the standard of writing (plot, setting, characterization, and wordsmithing) remains delightfully high.
January 2, 2023
A prequel for the next book. The novels takes place in France and is centered around an art museum and an art restorer. The restorer creates copies of expensive paintings that are so believable even he can’t tell which is real and which is copy - or can he? Dr. Brockton and his assistant Miranda aren’t characters in this book but are mentioned at the end of the book.
April 21, 2023
This Mystery novel itself is a mystery!
I have no way to know if This item has been changed since I purchased it.
Given that, I THOUGHT I was getting the short story "Madonna and Corpse". However, upon opening the book, I was treated to a surprise bonus: the entire next novel in the series (the Inquisitor's Key) is included as well!!
Both are 4star material by the way.
I have no way to know if This item has been changed since I purchased it.
Given that, I THOUGHT I was getting the short story "Madonna and Corpse". However, upon opening the book, I was treated to a surprise bonus: the entire next novel in the series (the Inquisitor's Key) is included as well!!
Both are 4star material by the way.
January 24, 2026
Not the usual…
Not the typical story for Jefferson Bass. I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t hate it either. I think I would have had more appreciation for this if I had more of an affinity for art and France? But The last chapter had be racing for the next part of The Body Farm series!!
Not the typical story for Jefferson Bass. I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t hate it either. I think I would have had more appreciation for this if I had more of an affinity for art and France? But The last chapter had be racing for the next part of The Body Farm series!!
May 19, 2024
I didn't read the synopsis so I spent a good part of the story wondering where Brockton was. But I actually really enjoyed Descartes and Dubois. I really hope Dubois makes an appearance in the next book!
December 21, 2024
Two stars because I finished it—it was very short. Main question is WHAT THE FRICK WAS THIS? Secondary question is WHY WAS THIS?
Basically it moved the series not one inch forward unless you count the main character acting even more adolescent and silly.
Basically it moved the series not one inch forward unless you count the main character acting even more adolescent and silly.
September 6, 2017
Read this BEFORE The Inquisitor's Key - it's a prequel.
October 21, 2017
Good story.
January 12, 2018
Read my review on Amazon (has spoilers)
September 3, 2018
Good novella to prepare for the next Jefferson Bass book- but the story did not mesh with novel. It was just a way to describe a new character for the novel.
July 14, 2019
Didn’t really care for this...a prequel to the inquisitors key, which I already read..don’t know the purpose of a half number book??? novella ???
August 18, 2019
It probably wasn't too bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting .
August 26, 2019
It's a very nice and short novella. I really liked it, but I kinda wish it would be a bit longer. The characters are very interesting.
September 18, 2020
Did not read the excerpt from "The Inquisitor's Key", only "Madonna and Corpse"
March 25, 2021
A little gem!
April 26, 2021
Kept waiting for the corpse. Fun story of a guy that forges paintings and the detective that is on the case in France. The shocking end.... oh my goodness!
September 23, 2022
J. Bass
This book is parts of 2 other books. Not good as it ended in the middle of a meal in a cafe.
This book is parts of 2 other books. Not good as it ended in the middle of a meal in a cafe.
May 8, 2023
The movie was filmed in Hungary, as well as Buenos Aires with the soundtrack recorded in London.
0313338116
0313338116
Read
July 2, 2023Did not read due to the fact that I didn't intend to read the follow up - The Inquisitor's Key
(knock off DaVinci Code).
(knock off DaVinci Code).
September 12, 2024
A quick novella and what I assume to be an intro to the next book
February 12, 2025
Easy 50 pages. Scratch your head, what does this have to do with series? France, forgery and death. Ties into The Inquisitor’s Key.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews