Part of Body Farm, book 1
First published 2009
Dr. Bill Brockton runs Tennessee's Body Farm, where human remains decay in the open air to advance forensic science. When authorities call him to a remote mountain community, he faces an unusual case. A mummified body of a young woman has been found in a cave after three decades. The cave's chemistry preserved and altered the corpse in unexpected ways. Brockton's investigation stirs anger among the tight-knit locals who guard their secrets fiercely. They refuse to cooperate with the outsider scientist. As Brockton digs deeper into the mystery, he uncovers connections to his own past that awaken his guilt. The truth threatens to destroy relationships he values. Meanwhile, enemies work against him, using any method to ensure his failure. The case forces Brockton to confront both the science of death and the weight of buried secrets.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigative-journalism, secrets
Setting: Tennessee, Body Farm
Period: 1980s
416 pages · Kindle Edition · William Morrow
Content warnings: death, murder, violence