In 1992, Dr. Bill Brockton, head of the Anthropology Department, launches a new kind of research facility: a body farm. Brockton is determined to revolutionize the study of forensics in order to help law enforcement better solve crimes. However, his plans for this facility are derailed when a murder leaves him reeling. And this murder is followed by another, and then another, bearing scary resemblances to his past cases.
I'm no stranger to forensic crime/procedural books. I am, however, a stranger to the rest of this series, as I hadn't realized that this was a prequel when I picked it up. That would explain why the characters seemed to have highly developed relationships and inside jokes. However, it was a quick read, and while the killer is unpleasant (as you might expect), the murders weren't too off-putting (although there's a bit in the beginning with an animal that I just skipped past. Can't read about animal cruelty, personally). I guess reading a lot of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell (as well as watching the TV show "Bones") has inured me to some of that. There are many viewpoints in the story, so it's more like solving a puzzle than anything else. This book was okay, but not enough to make me search out the rest of the series unless I was taking books with me on a trip (and would want some page-turners for a long plane ride).
I will note that it's helpful that there illustrations in the back of the book which show the different bones of the skull, as well as the human skeleton. If you aren't already familiar with these, it can be helpful to refer to them while reading the book.
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