Publisher's Weekly Review
Dr. Bill Brockton too often acts like a cookie-cutter action hero in the pseudonymous Bass's seventh novel featuring the Tennessee bone expert (after 2011's The Bone Yard), an awkward blend of a conspiratorial religious thriller and a forensic procedural. Brockton drops his work on a dead undercover DEA agent to rush to France after hearing that his assistant and budding love interest, Miranda Lovelady, is about to be operated on. To his surprise, and to the detriment of some plausibility, he learns on arrival that the message was a hoax to bring him to Europe to tackle the mother of all forensic anthropological exams-determining whether a skeleton is, in fact, that of Jesus Christ himself. While Brockton's exam and his related analysis of the evidence concerning the provenance of the Shroud of Turin fascinate, a melange of assassination attempts and hostage-taking distracts from the science. Bass is the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist, and journalist Jon Jefferson. Agent: Giles Anderson, Anderson Literary Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Can the ancient bones discovered in a stone chest in Avignon, France, possibly be the remains of Jesus of Nazareth? Urgently summoned from the scene of a more mundane horrible killing in Tennessee to find out, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton investigates with the Vatican and a religious zealot bearing down on him. The latest installment in the Body Farm series (Carved in Bone, 2006, etc.) explores the mysteries surrounding the Shroud of Turin. Brockton and Miranda Lovelady, his protg and the object of his unstated romantic desires, determine from a forensic reconstruction of its face that the ancient skull may indeed have been the basis for the faded image on the Shroud. When lab tests on a tooth from the skull reveal the bones are 2,000 years old, all bets are on. The investigation takes Brockton and Miranda from France to Italy to Switzerland, each stop more dangerous than the last. Their French associate, Stefan, who has a thing for Miranda himself, has hidden motives. Ren Descartes, the French investigator who arrives on the scene after a gruesome murder (he claims to be a descendent of the philosopher), proves to be untrustworthy. And a madman calling himself Reverend Jonah kidnaps Miranda. Bass (the team of noted forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass and science writer Jon Jefferson) is a solid storyteller who inspires credibility with scientific expertise. The book also reveals a keen interest in art and history in scenes set in 14th century Avignon, where intrigue surrounds the painter Simone Martini's discovery of Christ's remains, which were hidden by Pope Benedict, and the death portrait of Jesus he commits to a piece of fabric. But as competent as this book is, it lacks the swirling dramatic intensity of The Da Vinci Code, which Brockton mentions in passing, and the suspense is less than gripping. This novel isn't better than average as a thriller, but it provides plenty of food for thought about religious artifacts and their role in people's lives.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The writing team of Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson takes the Bill Brockton series into Steve Berry territory with this story of an ancient mystery and a modern-day lunatic's quest to reshape the world. Brockton, the forensic anthropologist who's loosely based on cocreator Bass, is called to France, where a colleague is working on a dig that might have uncovered the bones of Jesus. The discovery leads to questions about the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin and to a life-or-death race to stop a religious zealot with some serious delusions of grandeur. The book is a definite change of pace for the series (which has, until now, been more in the Kathy Reichs vein), and it's not exactly a smooth transition. Faithful series readers might wonder why the authors felt it necessary to take Brockton in this new direction. On the other hand, Brockton is as appealing as always, and the story despite a few bumps in the road is clever and compelling. This might put off some of the series' core fans, but it could also bring in some new readers.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist