Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensics Lab--The Body Farm--Where the Dead Do Tell Tales

Bill Bass · Jon Jefferson

Oct 2003 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by George Grizzard

About this audiobook

Nowhere is there another lab like Dr. Bill Bass's: On a hillside in Tennessee, human bodies decompose in the open air, aided by insects, bacteria and birds, unhindered by coffins or mausoleums. At the "Body Farm," nature takes its course, with corpses buried in shallow graves, submerged in water, concealed beneath slabs of concrete, locked in trunks of cars. As stand-ins for murder victims, they serve the needs of science -- and the cause of justice.
For thirty years, Dr. Bass's research has revolutionized the field of forensic science, particularly by pinpointing "time since death" in murder cases. In this riveting audiobook, he investigates real cases and leads listeners on an unprecedented journey behind the locked gates of the Body Farm. A master scientist and an engaging storyteller, Bass shares his most intriguing work: his revisit of the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, fifty years after the fact; the mystery of a headless corpse whose identity astonished the police; the telltale bugs that finally sent a murderous grandfather to death row; and many more.
Forensic science and murder investigations are among the most fascinating topics of our time. Dominating television and print media the subjects could not be hotter. As one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, Dr. Bill Bass is the premier guide to this unusual realm.

Ratings and reviews

This book, specifically the audiobook, is so worth it. From chapter to chapter they input music which maybe wasn’t supposed to come off as comedic as it is but, good gracious, it is exactly what was needed since the topics can be gruesome and hard to listen to at times. (At one point I did dream of maggots while trying to get through the book 😖) But overall I was very pleased with this read

About the author

Jon Jefferson is a veteran journalist, science writer, and documentary filmmaker. He has produced numerous programs for The History Channel, A&E, and the National Geographic Channel, and his writing has been featured by The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, Popular Science, and on National Public Radio. He lives in Knoxville.