In the most suspenseful installment of the New York Times nestselling Body Farm series to date, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton investigates a bizarre murder—and confronts a deadly enemy he thought he’d put behind bars for good.
Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton has spent twenty-five years solving brutal murders—but none so bizarre and merciless as his latest case: A ravaged set of skeletal remains is found chained to a tree on a remote mountainside. As Brockton and his assistant Miranda dig deeper, they uncover warning signs of a deadly eruption of hatred and violence.
But the shocking case is only the beginning of Brockton’s trials. Mid-case, the unthinkable happens: The deadliest criminal Brockton has ever foiled—the sadistic serial killer Nick Satterfield—escapes from prison, bent on vengeance.
But simply killing Brockton isn’t enough. Satterfield wants to make him suffer first, by destroying everything he holds dear: Brockton’s son, daughter-in-law, grandsons; even Miranda, his longtime graduate assistant, now on the verge of completing her Ph.D. and launching a forensic career of her own.
The dangers from all directions force Brockton to question two things on which he’s based his entire career—the justice system, and the quality of mercy—and to wonder: can the two co-exist?
If not, which will Brockton choose in his ultimate moment of truth?
Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton’s latest case proves to be his most bizarre and merciless: A ravaged set of skeletal remains is found scattered in the woods of nearby Cooke County. The victim, a young male under the age of thirty, had been chained, hand and foot, to a tree on a remote mountainside. As Brockton and his longtime graduate assistant, Miranda, dig deeper to establish his identity, they uncover warning signs that a long-simmering hatred is about to explode in violence.
Then, in the middle of the troubling investigation, the unthinkable happens. Sadistic serial killer Nick Satterfield—the most frightening criminal Brockton has ever foiled—escapes from prison, bent on wreaking vengeance. And he’s had two decades to perfect his plan.
Killing Brockton isn’t enough. Satterfield wants to make his nemesis suffer first, by destroying everything Brockton holds dear: his son, daughter-in-law, grandsons—and even Miranda.
Desperate to save those he loves, Brockton is torn between the forces that have guided his life and career—the pursuit of justice and the quality of mercy. If he can’t reconcile the two, which will Brockton choose in his ultimate moment of truth?
