The latest "Body Farm" novel, based on the real-world program at the University of Tennessee, finds the series take a slight change of pace. Dr. Bill Brockton is brought in to consult on a paternity case, only to find when the body in question is exhumed that the arms are missing, replaced by PVC pipe.

The investigation leads to Brockon's involvement with an FBI sting center on a businessman who purchases bodies for various medical conferences and to sell on the black market.

Meanwhile, Brockton faces a personal dilemma when he finds out that the woman he was involved with in the previous novel and who is now a fugitive from justice is pregnant, possibly with his child.

One of the major drawbacks of the last couple of "Body Farm" novels I've read is that while the cases were interesting, we didn't really get to know much about Brockton and that the writing team of Jefferson Bass kept going over the same grounds with the character again and again. In "The Bone Thief," the central mystery allows Brockton to breath a bit more and for the readers to get some insight into the character. Brockton's professional and personal dilemmas are a highlight of the story and the novel wisely allows him to grow a bit as a character.

And while not reading the previous entry in this series, "Bones of Betryal" isn't essential to understanding and following the story here, I will warn you that "The Bone Thief" can and will ruin much of the mystery of that story.