Bones of Betrayal

Body Farm #4

by Jefferson Bass

“The forensic thriller meets a formidable slice of history….A riveting mystery with an intricately emotional conclusion.”—Washington Post







 



Bones of Betrayal is the fourth heart-racing “Body Farm” thriller from the world’s top forensic anthropologist. Kathy Reichs calls author Jefferson Bass, “the real deal,” and his hero Bill Brockton has already taken his rightful place alongside Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta and the investigators on TV’s “C.S.I.” In Bones of Betrayal, a hideous murder has links that connect it to World War Two’s Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb—adding a fascinating historical element that enriches an already superior crime series.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Ebooks

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2009

About the author

Jefferson 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.

Reviews

[Li'l Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Bill Brockton and Miranda are called to a scene in which a body is found frozen in an old swimming pool. He's been identified as Dr. Leonard Novak, a retired physicist who was one of the most pivitol scientists in the Manhattan Project.

During the exam Dr. Eddie Garcia, Miranda, Dr. Brockton, and the detective in charge on the case discover that the man's cause of death is a small radioactive pellet.Dr. Garcia's Exposure to the pellet was highest as he's the one performing the autopy and now is not only at high risk of losing both hands he's got a 50/50 chance of surviving the radiation poisoning. Miranda also receives burns to her fingers. Now they have to find out if this a bizzare murder or an even more bizarre suicide. Bill will stop at nothing to find the person responsible for the murder of the physicist and for putting his friends at risk.

Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
—Robert Oppenheimer

Bones of Betrayal is the fourth book in the Body Farm series by Jefferson Bass.
I really love this series as the forensic anthropology is based on the groundbreaking forensic science that has been learned from the real life University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility nicknamed the "body farm". The characters and the reality of the forensics in these novels is why this is one of my favorites and why I'm reading them for a second time. It's been a very long time since the first go around and I can't remember how the books end so they're just as riveting and shocking as before!
The story about the death of the physicist by radiation poisoning is of course fictional, but the facts surrounding the history of the Manhattan Project and the toxicity effects on the body of this particular source of radiation is based on fact, making it especially terrifying and exceptional concept for a crime mystery. I was born and raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico so I can relate a little bit to the history of the mystery.
I can't wait to read the next one in this series, The Bone Thief

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

Jefferson Bass produces a stellar fourth book in the series, pulling away from straight forensic anthropology and moving towards a history lesson tied to the atomic bomb. When a body is found to be contaminated with a radioactive isotope, everyone is left scrambling for cover (literally and figuratively). When it all traces back to one of the Manhattan Project outposts, the pieces begin to come together and the mystery deepens. The memory of an elderly woman who worked on the Project and her murdered ex-husband may hold the key to it all. As bodies keep popping up and a radiation exposure wreaks havoc, something must be done before it’s too late. Bass tasks it up a notch with this scintillating story!

Developed at the height of the Second World War, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, became a key outpost of the Manhattan Project. Working on nuclear bomb development, Oak Ridge helped foster stunning careers, as well as many dark secrets during the race for military superiority. When the body of a brilliant retired physicist is removed from a frozen swimming pool, the secrets begin to take shape.

Popular anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has been surrounded by death for much of his academic life, especially after creating the Body Farm on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He’s called to Oak Ridge to help with the autopsy of Dr. Leonard Novak, whose body has been preserved in the frozen pool. When the process begins, a radioactive pellet is discovered, causing panic for all at the medical event, including Dr. Brockton. Who would have killed Dr. Novak and why poison him with such a horrific weapon?

As Dr. Brockton learns a little more about Oak Ridge, its scientists, and the larger Manhattan Project, he trips upon Dr. Novak’s ex-wife, who has stories from the wartime development of the community. Her stories could not only prove to be the key to needed answers, but also open up the discussion of leaked intel to the Soviets at the height of the Cold War arms race.

While Dr. Brockton must balance trying to show compassion for those who have been hurt by exposure, he also wants to know more about the truths Oak Ridge might hold and how Dr. Novak could be at the centre. Meeting an inquisitive librarian, Dr. Brockton allows himself to be immersed in history and perhaps a little romance, while still holding vigil for his last lover. When the truth comes to the surface, Dr. Brockton might be too late, but he refuse to stand down until there is no hope left. A brilliant addition with more history and less anthropological plot lines.

While this may sound a little melodramatic, the story is full of history and much intrigue. Bass takes the reader on a behind the scenes history lesson of a small Tennessee town and its importance to the larger Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb. Add to the mix the usual anthropological lessons, as well as, alongside some great medical factoids about radiation, and you have a stellar book that is sure to attract attention for anyone who is a Jefferson Bass admirer. Strong narrative direction provides a great foundation that is complemented with strong characters and great themes that tie in to better represent this piece that straddles two times in recent US history.

The plot developments flavour the larger story, peppering twists throughout, providing a sense of unpredictability. While history is laid out on a path that many know well, there are both fictional and fact-based plot points that help add depth for the curious reader. I could not get enough of this book (and the larger series), which has me eager to keep reading. Even years later, after my first read through this book, I am feeling the buzz that is the Bone Farm.

Kudos Mr. Bass, for keeping me highly entertained.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series; well developed characters, great storylines and I learn a lot. This one was interesting and scary. Looking forward to next book.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

In book 4 of the Body Farm series, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Braxton is asked to help retrieve a body that has been found frozen in ice at an abandoned hotel’s swimming pool. He and his assistant / grad student Miranda take the frozen block of ice, with body intact, to the morgue and set it on a gurney in the autopsy suite to thaw. When they return for the autopsy they get more than they bargained for. The dead man was a long-retired scientist with the Manhattan Project, working at Oak Ridge TN. Before they can even complete the autopsy the FBI gets involved.

This is typical Body Farm work – fast-paced, informative, showing good character development and a little love interest to humanize Dr Braxton. I liked how Bass incorporated so much history into this novel – taking the story line back to World War II and the work being done to develop the atom bomb. While the central characters in the plot are all decidedly fictitious, the back story includes many historical figures and their contributions to the Manhattan Project.

I did think the plot got a little too complicated and perhaps there was one body too many, but I was still entertained and engaged from beginning to end. A solid mystery thriller.

[Jan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this book startled me so much I had to put the book down for a week or so. An old scientist involved in the Manhattan Project had been murdered by radioactivity and a couple of people at the lab were exposed to it in varying degrees. And that thought was scary - how you could be exposed to radioactivity and not even know it until it was too late.

Bill Brockton, who usually spends most of his time at his Body Farm, spent much of this book in Oak Ridge, a company town if there ever was one. Virtually everyone living there is involved in the nuclear business, or left over the building of the bomb. We learn a far amount of the history of the place. Everyone is suspicious of everyone.

This is the fourth in the series. We have followed Bill Brockton as he got over the death of his late wife, fell in love with Jess, lost Jess and here he appears to be falling for another woman. But she apparently looked a lot like Jess. So it’s questionable whether he was really falling for her or just looking for a replacement Jess. His lab assistant, Miranda, tells him, finally, that he has just got to get over Jess and let her go.

“…Each moment of your life is the sum total of all the prior moments. There’s not a single thing that happens to you that doesn’t leave its mark; doesn’t redirect your course somehow; doesn’t make you more fully who you are. It took every single step … to put you exactly where you are. …’”

Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but there were a startling developments here. And I didn’t have it figured.

[grammarchick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was the worst book in the series so far. I just don't find the WW2/Manhattan Project subject very interesting and the book seemed less well-crafted than the others, like they hurriedly tied some things together and rushed the book out. The flashback stories were boring, the 'twist' was not all that surprising and for the first time, I saw characters repeating phrases other characters had used in the first two books; these were people who had not interacted, so it seemed odd that they would use the exact same phrases. Hope the next one is better.

[Jody · Rating 1 out of 5]

on the plus side - takes place in Oak Ridge and Knoxville, and got me interested in reading more about the Manhattan Project.

unfortunately it was awful.

[Valleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As this series has progressed I have come to care, not only about Bill Brockton, but also more and more about the other recurring characters. Bones of Betrayal provides interesting background surrounding the development of the atomic bomb without coming across like a textbook. When I lived in New Mexico I was able to tour the Trinity Site, which was fascinating, but I definitely learned more about Atomic bombs from reading Bones of Betrayal. There wasn't as much forensic information in this book but that was okay.

I loved Beatrice and her stories so, so much!!

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 estrelas bem redondinhas e brilhantes!

Este livro fez-me perceber como sou ignorante em História... Mas foi uma forma de me ensinar alguns factos dos acontecimentos que rodearam as bombas atómicas que destruíram Nagasaki e Hiroshima e me deu a conhecer mais de um ponto de vista. Como diz Thornton, o agente do FBI (por quem me apaixonei rapidamente): somos uma geração protegida, é-nos fácil fazer acusações mas não fomos nós que vivemos naquela altura em que parecia que o mundo estava a enlouquecer...

Bem, adorei ver o Dr. Bill Brockton a descobrir os cadáveres presentes nesta história, de pessoas ligadas de alguma maneira à criação das bombas atómicas nos anos 1940. Foi uma história convincente e que me proporcionou horas muito agradáveis.

A Isabella era tão estranha que tinha de estar envolvida de alguma maneira mas eu nunca poderia imaginar o que a movia... Estranho ser apenas neta de uma das muitas vítimas de uma das bombas, nem conheceu a avó e, mesmo assim e passados 60 anos, pensa matar Novak, que foi quem acabou por construir a bomba... Coitado do Dr. Bill, não tem mesmo sorte no amor...

Tive muita pena do Dr. Garcia e que perdesse uma mão e mais alguns dedos da outra mão... Espero que sobreviva à radiação que apanhou e, de alguma maneira, consiga refazer a sua vida. Que injustiça...

Fiquei mesmo curiosa sobre Oak Ridge, ia adorar conhecer.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bones of Betrayal by Jefferson Bass.

This story was co-authored by Dr. Bill Bass the founder of the University of Tennessee's body farm. Dr. Bass is acknowledged as the father of forensic anthropology. Also co-authored by Jon Jefferson a renowned journalist. This book, in my opinion, is exceptionally well written as autopsies are vividly described. This book is not for the squeamish.
A scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project is found frozen solid encased near the Tennessee Oak Ridge nuclear facility. Dr. Leonard Novak is found to have ingested radio active material. How this came about and who was behind it is the mystery Dr. Bill Brockton is faced with.

I listened to this story on CD superbly narrated by Tom Stechschulte who kept me, the reader, focused on the clues that led to Dr. Brocktons' deductions and final solution. I intend to continue this series.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

The history of the Oak Ridge project is interesting (but not as fresh as Marianne Wiggins' Evidence of Things Unseen). The book gets technical about radiation, and the jokes and dialogue are tired and a bit contrived. The constant, detailed description of his driving routes gets tedious,too. Dr. Bill Brockton is a bit stiffer in this book and seems younger than in the prior books of this series (he is mid 50's in this book). I wanted to know more about Dr. Garcia and the progression of his radiation sickness--guess this will show up in the next novel. This was not my favorite of the Jefferson Bass books.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Body Farm novel I've read so far. Really enjoyed the Oak Ridge/Manhattan Project/radiation poisoning background.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr. Bill Brockton is called to the scene of a murder, where the body is encased in ice. The victim turns out to be Dr Leonard Novak, one of the key scientists for the Manhattan Project in the 1940s. He was killed by a radioactive pill...which Bill and a couple of his colleagues handled and puts them at risk. Bill helps FBI agent Charles Thornton dig into the past to find out who would want a 90-something old man dead.

Fairly dry and plodding forensic mystery. A lot of the forensic detail relates to stuff like locating dead bodies and retrieving them, and not the kind of interesting, scientific information found in, say, a Kathy Reichs book. The mystery doesn't really contain many elements to it and has a strange lack of urgency. I comfortably predicted that Bill's love interest would somehow be involved. Bill being some sort of middle-aged forensic scientist that all the women find hot and are in love with was kind of cringeworthy and embarrassing.

I enjoyed some of the supporting characters, particularly FBI agent Charles Thornton, and the victim's ex-wife, Beatrice Novak. Her story would make for a compelling novel of its own. This one, not so much.

[Jadessa Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was honestly a 1-2 star book for me up until the last 50ish pages. I didn’t feel like there was much to the plot, and I found myself reading unnecessary/repetitive information. What changed the book for me was the twist at the end. The idea of Isabella being the murderer hadn’t crossed my mind once! With all of that being said, I did learn a lot about the creation of the atomic bomb and the mental hardship it placed upon the laborers and chemists of the Manhattan Project. Another WWII book.. imagine that🤓

[Alondra Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Consistently good series. Only drawback is some of the scientific stuff, and the who's... so many folks from the past, and how that all plays out in the present. It was just too much, and the reasoning behind the killings/crimes were out there a little bit. Still a good read, though.

[Diane Whittaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery with twists and turns solved but not without collateral damage. This book was good.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A body of an elderly man found in a frozen pool of a closed hotel in the town of Oak Ridge doesn't seem to be anything unusual other than how to get the body out of the pool. And forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton, founder of the Body Farm, is ready to help get the body out.

But it soon becomes much, much more, when the body is opened and the condition of the body opens up hazards and dangers for everyone who has come into contact with the body.

Because the city of Oak City, in Tennessee, played an important role in the Manhattan Project of the 1940s. And the person killed — thanks to a deadly radioactive pellet inside his body — was Leonard Novak, one of the scientists deeply involved in what was happening in the 1940s.

But it is now more than 50 years after the development of the bombs that eventually were dropped on Nakasaki and Hiroshima. So why kill this man now? Who would do it? One person may have the answer, Novak's ex-wife, Beatrice.

And who is she willing to talk to? Not the local police or the FBI, but Bill Brockton. And that's when this story gets even more interesting. Because the reader is introduced to what it was like to be working at Oak Ridge and involved in World War II, about government secrets and Russian spies. And how what happened then has ramifications today.

As Brockton is drawn into Beatrice's tales, so is the reader. But what does it have to do with the death? That is the question that drives the reader to stay riveted to the tale. It is good reading with understandable characters and dialogue and good storytelling.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each book in this series gets better and better. Bones of Betrayal by Jefferson Bass, the 4th book in the Body Farm, forensic series, was no exception. This book finds the head of University of Tennessee's Body Farm, Bill Brockton, and his assistant, Miranda Lovelady, heading off to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the site of the nuclear laboratories of WWII fame, to work on a body frozen into an abandoned hotel's swimming pool. They are in for a shock as it turns out the body died of radiation poisoning and others will be infected. The story involves a search into the history of the Oak Ridge facility as the body belongs to one of the scientists who worked their during WWII. I enjoyed the historical aspects of the story and, as always, I liked the main characters, Brockton and Miranda. For all its tension, the story has a nice folksy quality to it, that brought about by these characters. The mystery itself was interesting and well-developed. I had an idea of those who would be involved in the murder(s) but the reasons were still a surprise. The books have all been enjoyable and very readable. The Bone Thief is next and is sitting on my bookshelf awaiting my attention. Excellent series. (4 stars)

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Bill Brockton is called into to assist with a murder investigation in Oak Ridge, Tennesssee. The body of a promient man who worked on the Manhatten project is found face down in a frozen pool. Brockton is able to free the body and finds the man was poisoned by a radioactive pellet that was slipped into his medication.

But why was the man killed? Does it relate to his time working on the Manhatten project and the nuclear weapons that were used to end the second World War?

The fascinating world of forensic crime investigation is once again on full display with Jefferson Bass' latest novel. I'll admit a lot of the pleasure at reading this story came from the fact that I used to work out in Oak Ridge and live in Knoxville, so watching events unfold in places easy to bring into my mind's eye from personal experience was a lot of fun.

The central mysteries of the Brockton series aren't as complex and compelling as those created by Laura Lippman or Elizabeth George, but they're still fun to read. The authors (the books are written by two men under a pen name) throw in just enough blind alleys and red herrings to keep things interesting. And the character of Bill Brockton is a comfortable, human one. I look forward to and enjoy my yearly visits with Brockton and his colleagues.

Is it a great mystery? No. Is it an enjoyable msytery? Yes.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love their books because of actual sites ,real people who are characters and accurate background information. In this case it is Oak Ridge TN and the development of the nuclear bomb during WWII.Arpad Vass(Kasey Anthony trial)was a graduate student of Dr. Bill Bass at UT and makes an appearance with his Sniffer Machine which is used along with "Cherokee" a cadaver dog.East Tn is also of interest since I have family who live near Knoxville.
The mystery is an old one, and a modern one with a bizarre cause of death. The book grabs your attention right away with the main character cutting a dead body out of a frozen swimming pool with a chain saw!

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a cheesey read, but I really enjoyed this murder mystery because it was located in Oak Ridge, TN where my husband grew up. I knew all of the sites they were talking about, and I loved learning more about the rich history of Oak Ridge as the secret city that enriched the uranium for the atomic bomb used in WWII.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starting out formulaic, this book has a nice turn when it combines two of the most interesting places in East Tennessee -- The Body Farm, a forensic science laboratory associated with the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and the historic Nuclear Research facility in Oak Ridge. Interesting stuff within the framework of a fast-read mystery.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jefferson bass was an author I came to via Dr bill bass. Having read his book Deaths acre an amazing book about the real life body farm. It was then I found out he had also written fiction books with his writing partner Jon Jefferson. After that I have been enjoying this series of books for some time. This being the fourth one I have read. What peaked my interest with this one was the use of Manhatten project as a jumping of point. So it was with some interest I jumped in to this book.

The story of a now ageing nuclear physicist who's poised with the very thing he help to create is an interesting one. Our cast of characters is thrown in to the middle of a highly volatile situation. It's not every day some one gets poisoned with nuclear material. Bass use this well and bring some history to the mix adding references to actual figures most people are aware of. Brockton and Miranda play of each other well. Showing a genuine affection for each of in a father daughter kind of way. These add some lighter moments to the story with genital ribbing of each other. And also some more heartfelt scenes with his concern for Miranda. Beatrice the ex wife of our dead physicist adds some mystery to the plot as we get to learn more about her in story from her first arrival at Oak ridge leading up to the present.

As always with bass the story flows on at a steady pace. Due to the background of bass we always get a helpful does of technical terms lending the story some realism. I know some people have complained about this from the books. I can't help but feel this is what sets the books apart from most other crime series. For the most part it centres the books in the real world. Now with this one it takes a slight set out side of this. Mostly due to the fact it's not every day some one is is murdered in this fashion. Add to that the espionage elements of the story. Which play out like a Cold War spy thriller. Having said that they are with in the realms of possibility. The use of flipping back and forth between the murders and the inception of the nuclear bomb at Oak Ridge is used to good effect. For those who have spent some time with this author I wouldn't expect much new from the characters whilst the Brockton love story may add for some readers it didn't do a lot for me.

Over all this was not my favourite book so far. Which is not to say it was an interesting read. Just a slight departure from what has come before. These books never seem to take me long to make my way through and this was no exception. Over all I think this will appeal to those who enjoy crime books as well as spy thrillers and history buffs. So take some time and get acquainted with Bass and Miranda.

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siapkah kamu menguak rahasia yang tersembunyi dalam tulang belulang? 🦴🔍

Bones of Betrayal karya Jefferson Bass bukan sekadar misteri pembunuhan. Namun, menggali lebih dalam ke sejarah kelam Proyek Manhattan.

Novel ini penuh teka-teki dan menyuguhkan ketegangan forensik yang bikin penasaran.

Yuk, simak kisahnya 👇
https://www.instagram.com/p/DB71ZQCSc...

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Frozen swimming pool
Body frozen in the ice
Oak Ridge connection

Lots of history
Involves Manhattan Project
Interesting book

[Jon Koebrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bose of Betrayal was a good forensic mystery book made better by the history of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project. This series has a folksy element in the way they are told and in the way protagonist Bill Brockton thinks and interacts. The forensic science is also very well done and informative. Recommended for fans Patricia Cornwell books or CSI television.

[Rita Gorra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendously sad. I had trouble getting through parts of it. It is terrible what we do to each other.

[Greg Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story and plot that drags a little but is wonderfully augmented by the descriptions of Oak Ridge, Tennessee and its place in modern U. S. History. Wonderful twists along the story line keeps the reader on edge. If you are a newcomer to Oak Ridge like me, the background of the story paints a great picture in your mind for this cool little town.

[Joanna Carden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bones of Betrayal actually began as my least-favorite-thus-far Body Farm novel. I found it difficult to drum up interest in nuclear and radiological terrorism, which is the subject matter as the novel begins. However, that quickly changed -- so much so that Bones of Betrayal may actually be my favorite of the four books so far. It would be difficult to beat the second and third books being set partially in my former college town of Chattanooga (and its outskirts). But Jefferson Bass enters new territory in the fourth Body Farm novel -- historical territory.
Let me be the first to admit that history is not always interesting to me. I may or may not have made one of my poorest high school grades (and my only C in my entire high school career) in American History... Yes, that's sad. I love to read and to learn, but usually not things about history. Tennessee history is a bit different. I'm still never going to be a scholar in any kind of history, even of my home state. But there are bits that I find interesting, and the author team of Dr. William Bass and journalist Jon Jefferson wrote about just such a piece of history.
In Bones of Betrayal, Jefferson Bass explores the rich history behind the Tennessee city of Oak Ridge and the building of the atomic bomb during World War II. When an elderly scientist turns up dead, Dr. Bill Brockton (Dr. Bass's fictional stand-in) is on the scene. As Brockton and his colleagues investigate cause of death and work to find the murderer, they become entrenched in Oak Ridge's controversial history and relationship to the bombs dropped over Japan. Brockton begins interviewing a former Manhattan Project employee who has ties to the dead scientist, and the team of Jefferson Bass allows the elderly woman to narrate several sections of the novel in first-person voice.

Photograph of an Oak Ridge/ Manhattan Project billboard cautioning
workers to keep their work to themselves, thus furthering secrecy.

Bass includes a note at the novel's end delineating fact from fiction in the book. While the novel's main players and scenarios are fictional, Bass includes many historically accurate details of place and people.

For more reading on the history of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project, see the following resources online:

* Wikipedia article on the Manhattan Project
* Official U.S. Department of Energy's The Manhattan Project: An Interactive History
* AtomicArchive.com's The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb
* Official City of Oak Ridge Website, "About Oak Ridge"
* New York Times article "Why They Called It the Manhattan Project"
* Non-profit The Atomic Heritage Foundation's Oak Ridge Site
* Official Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau History of Oak Ridge
* The Secret City historical photograph collection on Flickr.com

[Ruby Bibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Professor Bill Brockton, creator of the famous “Body Farm” in Tennessee, where donated bodies are tested as to how they decompose in various conditions, was with his assistant, Miranda Lovelady, when he received a strange call to check on a recently discovered body. Joined by Miranda, they set out for the site, but Brockton has to stop by his house for what he considered to be needed equipment. Miranda is surprised to see that he’s loaded a chainsaw into the back of the truck and wonders why something like that would be considered “needed” equipment to examine a body.
-They drive out to the site, keeping the heat in the truck on high, as the weather is frigid and the past few days are believed to be among the coldest days so far of this year. They arrive to the nearby town of Oak Ridge, which was created specifically to both house and create a research facility for the many people working on the creation of the atomic bomb during WWII. When they reach an old motel, they see four squad cars parked in front, with their engines and heaters on, waiting for their arrival.
-As Brockton and Miranda exited from their truck, uniformed policemen began to exit from the waiting police cars and they walked toward an enclosure behind the small hotel, to a swimming pool. Because of the frigid weather, the water at the top of the pool had frozen, as the water hadn’t been drained. Embedded inside the ice was a man’s dead body.
-Now realizing why the chainsaw was a piece of needed equipment, Miranda retrieved it and gave it over to Brockton, who gingerly stepped on the surface of the ice. It seemed solid and thick enough to support his weight, and he began to cut all around the frozen body but just as he cut the last piece of ice to free the block which contained the specimen they were to examine, Brockton fell back and the chainsaw slipped and ended up at the bottom of the pool. Mentioning the way the chainsaw flew out of his hands and then slowly sank to the bottom of the pool became a running joke of that point in time throughout the book.
-When they got the body onto the back of the flat bed truck which was still encased in ice, Brockton and Miranda brought it to be examined by Dr. Edelberto Garcia, in the University of Tennessee Regional Forensic Center. Leaving it to thaw out in the examining room, Brockton and Miranda would go back a day later to assist in the examination. In the meantime, Garcia would be examining other bodies that were brought in.
-The body had been identified as Leonard Novak, one of the scientists who was instrumental in discovering how to isolate the needed radioactive material and then how to control it in order to create the atom bomb. He was old now, but still lived in the same Oak Ridge area that was more of a museum to the role that the area played in ending the war. The forensic exam to determine the cause of death, which would hopefully help them find out who killed him, had begun, with Garcia in charge and Miranda assisting. Brockton watched the proceeding, along with a queezy Detective Emert, who was heading the investigation.
-What began as a routine exam, once the body thawed out, suddenly turned into a crisis situation. As they proceeded to cut into the man’s gut, they noticed a good deal of dead tissue in the intestines. When Brockton asked Miranda if she had X-Rayed the body prior to this, she replied that she had, but the film came out very foggy and unreadable. It was when Garcia pulled out a small hard piece from the intestine and held it in his hand, that Brockton quickly said to Garcia “Eddie, put it down and everybody back away.” That small piece that he found was a source of high radiation and which, ironically, was what killed Novak. Garcia had been exposed while he was in that room for a whole day, and had even handled the item. Miranda, who plucked it out of Garcia’s hand and tossed it into the sink, had been partially exposed, as well as were Brockton and Emert, since they were in the room.
-The investigation was now one that had to include a special division of the FBI which dealt with radioactive substances, and which had to begin from the time when Oak Ridge was filled with hundreds of men and women who were all working in that hastily built and heavily guarded city where the bomb that would end the war was created.
-As the investigation continued, Garcia, who had been the one most exposed, now was suffering greatly from radiation poisoning, as his body’s immune system was shutting down and his hands, which held the radioactive pellet, were becoming lifeless. Miranda, who had grabbed the pellet for an instant, began to suffer from blistering on the tips of her fingers and was in danger of losing the tips if she didn’t heal. Though Brockton and Emert were in the room, and did absorb radiation, it was not enough to cause immediate damage.
-Brockton’s personal life was also being affected, but he felt it was for the better. He had continued to think of his girlfriend, Jess, who was killed by a brutal killer in an earlier story in the series. After the body of Novak was considered free of radiation, Brockton had attended the funeral of Novak and while there, got a glimpse of a woman that looked eerily similar to Jess. When he saw her again during a visit to the Oak Ridge Museum, where he was researching the city of Oak Ridge during WWII, he was happy to discover that she had a job assisting people as to the contents of the museum. Just as Brockton felt an immediate attraction because of the resemblance of this woman to Jess, the woman, Isabella Morgan, also felt the same for Brockton. His lifted spirits after each time he was with this woman was noticed by everyone around him.
-The background for the plot is presented slowly, and is interspersed with a great deal of levity on the part of Brockton. The twists and turns come tumbling down as you progress to the second half of the book, but all the different pieces are part of an interlocking set of puzzle pieces which end up fitting perfectly by the end. As you get closer to last quarter of the book, there is one surprising turn after another as to the mystery of the death of Novak as well as other mysteries that surface, and the information comes from what we believe to be the least likely sources.
-There is a great deal of information given about radiation, and the workings of the actual Oak Ridge, which was a real city created for the sole purpose of putting together a team to solve the issues related to harnessing atomic energy. The description given of the various radioactive isotopes used in quantity in various machines which are in use in even everyday items; the description of the process of necrosis (the killing of cells in skin and organs from radiation poisoning); besides more interesting facts about the study of bones, which is Brockton’s specialty, make this a very well put together and highly interesting addition to this series.