Category Archives: Forensic Anthropologist

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Addiction, Adultery, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Arson, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Father-son relations, Forensic Anthropologist, Forensic pathologist, Forensics, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Mildly Violent, Murder, Murder Investigation, Scottish, Scottish Detectives, Sexual promiscuity, Suspense

Traces (2019)

From IMDB:

While attending an online forensic course, young lab assistant discovers that the fictitious case study has a link to her past. With the help of two female professors she works on bringing a killer to justice.

From Amazon BritBox:

Emma Hedges needs to find out what happened to her mum. In a world of danger and deceit, will Emma have the nerve to follow the evidence no matter where it takes her?

From Amazon BritBox you can stream two seasons of this mystery series set in Dundee, Scotland.  Each season consists of 6 episodes. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

SEASON  1:

Emma (played by Molly Windsor) enthusiastically begins her new job in a forensics lab where she discovers a link to the still unsolved murder of her mother twelve years ago.  Coincidentally her team must investigate a suspicious fire in which 3 people died.  During this investigation she meets the father and son team of building contractors involved in the construction of that building.  Her relations with each of these two men could not be more opposing: she falls in love with son Daniel MacAfee (played by Martin Compston) and is afraid of the father Phil MacAfee (played by Vincent Regan).  And then the plot thickens.

Vincent Regan may be the most familiar actor in this series. Usually he plays a nice guy such as Ray Conlon in “The Bay“.  In “Traces”, however, he is a very effective bad guy.

Worth calling this season a DO NOT MISS.

SEASON 2:

Although this season begins with the trial of Phil MacAfee for murdering Emma’s mother,  this season suddenly ignores that plot and launches into the search for a serial bomber.  At least three bombs go off before the forensic scientists uncover the bomber’s identity.  Along the way there are many personality clashes and other issues.  To repeat: season 2 seems strangely disjoint from season 1, is more into scientific details, and is not as exciting as season 1.  Not exactly a “do not miss”, but still worth the watch.

2006, Acceptable Science, Amusing banter, Book Review, Crime thriller, DNA, Drugs, Father-son relations, FBI, Forensic Anthropologist, Gritty, Jefferson Bass, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Violent

Carved In Bone (2006) [Book Review]

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From Wikipedia:

Jon Jefferson (born 13 November 1955) is a contemporary American author and television documentary maker. Jefferson has written eight novels in the Body Farm series under the pen name Jefferson Bass, in consultation with renowned forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass, as well as two non-fiction books about Dr. Bass’s life and forensic cases.

Dr. Bill Brockton, the leading character and forensic anthropologist, is called from his office at the University of Tennessee where he teaches by a sheriff who has found a mummy-like body stored in a cave.

My neighbor Linda Oates gave me a list of books she enjoyed. Linda is a nurse which, according to her, helps explain why she found this somewhat technical crime novel intriguing. You can skip all the medical details and still enjoy the story which offers all sorts of variety:

  • Bill Brockton has retreated within himself grieving over the death of his wife two years ago.
  • Cooke County deep in mountainous Tennessee is the scene of the crime.
  • In this untamed region we get to visit cock fights, dodge bullets, and be threatened by helicopters.
  • Lots of action keeps the story moving.
  • Much of the back and forth banter is funny.
  • At one point Brockton and his friend Art must escape from a cave which has been purposely collapsed at both ends.

Rate this book a non-demanding light entertainment.