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The Breaking Point: A Body Farm Novel Hardcover – June 9, 2015

by Jefferson Bass (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 979 ratings
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Past, present, and future collide to throw respected forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton’s successful, secure life into devastating turmoil in this poignant novel in the New York Times bestselling Body Farm mystery series.

It’s been ten years since Dr. Bill Brockton created the Body Farm—the world’s first postmortem research facility dedicated to advancing the frontiers of forensic science—and the researcher is at the pinnacle of his career. Under his leadership, the University of Tennessee’s forensic anthropology program has become the most prominent in the world, and Brockton’s skills and knowledge are in high demand among top law enforcement. Calling him in for a number of high profile cases, the FBI now wants him to identify the charred remains of a maverick millionaire, killed in a fiery plane crash.

But a storm is about to hit Brockton with cataclysmic force. First, his identification of the crash victim is called into question. Then he receives a threatening message from the serial killer who attempted to murder the scientist and his family a decade ago. And from Brockton’s beloved wife Kathleen—his lodestone and his source of security—he gets the most shocking news of all. Will Brockton be able to weather this deluge . . . or has he finally reached the breaking point?

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Previous page
  1. Book 9 of 10
    Body Farm
  2. Print length
    384 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    William Morrow
  5. Publication date
    June 9, 2015
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0062262335
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0062262332
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Another strong performance in what has become an outstanding series for CSI fans.... compelling and skillfully written.” — Booklist on THE BREAKING POINT

“One of the best books of 2015!” — Suspense Magazine on THE BREAKING POINT

“Full of tension, mystery, danger, suspense.” — Knoxville News-Sentinel on THE BREAKING POINT

From the Back Cover

Past, present, and future collide to throw respected forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's successful, secure life into devastating turmoil in this, the most poignant novel yet in the New York Times bestselling Body Farm mystery series

"Bad guys lie. Bugs always tell you the truth."

Dr. Bill Brockton—founder of the University of Tennessee's macabre Body Farm—is riding high, enjoying professional acclaim and personal contentment. While celebrating his thirtieth wedding anniversary with his loving wife, Kathleen, Brockton recalls how close he once came to losing Kathleen and their son at the hands of a sadistic serial killer named Satterfield. But that was long ago, and in the years since Satterfield's conviction, Brockton's family has grown to include a lovely daughter-in-law and two lively grandsons. His career has flourished, too, as the Body Farm's pioneering research—along with Brockton's forensic expertise—have brought him respect, renown, and high-profile cases.

Now the FBI needs Brockton's help with his highest-profile case ever: identifying the remains of a pilot killed in a fiery plane crash outside San Diego. Are the charred bones indeed those of Richard Janus, a maverick humanitarian whose daring airlifts to international disaster sites made him a celebrity? And was the nighttime crash on a mountainside an accident, or was it suicide—or murder?

But a storm is about to hit Brockton with cataclysmic force. First, he discovers he's landed in the middle of a nasty political battle involving warring feds, secret agendas, a ruthless drug kingpin, and a celebrity whose life was a labyrinth of secrets. Then Brockton's identification of the crash victim is called into question, as is the future of his research facility. Reeling from these shocking blows, he receives a gruesome threat from the killer who nearly murdered the Brocktons more than a decade before. But worse is to come: from his beloved Kathleen—his lodestone and his source of security—Brockton gets the most shocking news of all.

Will the legendary Dr. Bill Brockton be able to weather the onslaught . . . or will it push him beyond his breaking point?

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; Illustrated edition (June 9, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062262335
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062262332
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.16 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 979 ratings

About the author

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Jefferson Bass

Jefferson Bass

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Jefferson Bass is the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Together, they wrote Death's Acre, a nonfiction account of the Body Farm, before tackling forensic under the pen name of Jefferson Bass. Their debut novel, Carved in Bone, reached # 25 on The New York Times Best Seller list and was followed by Flesh and Bone, The Devil's Bones, and a second nonfiction title, Beyond the Body Farm. Of the six Body Farm novels already in print, five have been New York Times bestsellers. Their seventh novel, "The Inquisitor's Key," comes out May 8, 2012.

Jefferson and Bass bring their own unique set of strengths to the partnership. Dr. Bass, the duo’s scientific expert, is a legend in forensic circles. In 1980 he created the world's first laboratory devoted to human decomposition: the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm." Dr. Bass has authored or coauthored more than 200 scientific publications, most of them based on the research facility's work. During half a century in the classroom, Dr. Bass taught tens of thousands of students, including many of the foremost forensic anthropologists practicing in the United States today. He's been featured on numerous network television news programs, as well as in documentaries for National Geographic and the BBC. CBS was not exaggerating when it called Dr. Bass "America 's top forensic scientist."

Jon Jefferson, the “writer” half of Jefferson Bass, is a veteran journalist, science writer, and documentary filmmaker. His journalism credits include work for The New York Times, National Public Radio, Newsweek, and USA Today. Jefferson learned the art of combining scientific material with compelling human stories during a decade as a science writer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In the 1990s he began writing and producing television documentaries, mainly for the History Channel and the Arts and Entertainment Network, covering topics ranging from World War II fighter planes to ancient art treasures at the Vatican. While making a two-hour A&E special about the Vatican in 1998, Jefferson first visited Avignon; thirteen years later, he returned to Avignon to research the richly layered new Body Farm novel, The Inquisitor’s Key. The Jefferson-Bass collaboration began in 2001, when Jefferson wrote and produced two National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm—films that earned high rating around the world. The rest, as they say, is history—or, in this case, memoir and crime fiction!

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
979 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Phyllida Howe
5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery and heartbreak rolled into one great read
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2015
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As always, Jefferson Bass (the combined talents of Jon Jefferson and Bill Bass) has created a book well worth reading. This is a prequel, a look back at a dark time in Dr. Brockton's life both from the confusions and mystery around his identification of the remains belonging to a noted humanitarian and the personal darkness and loss within his own life.

How Jefferson Bass manage (I now think of them as a partnership) to deal with such often-frightening subjects and yet produce laugh-out-loud humor is amazing, but they succeed. The characters are real, warm human beings. Over the series one has come to care for them deeply, and learning of the earlier days of Brockton's deeply committed marriage and the darkness that impacts it in this book, is a very eye-opening exercise in profoundly human emotion. Love, loss, fear all combine in both the mystery and in the personal lives of the central family and its members.

There is richness here - a great mystery coupled with a profound story of love. It is a beautiful journey as well as an exciting tale, and I love it for its many layers exploring the human condition. I also did NOT see the mystery coming much less the conclusion, so from that standpoint alone, it was an excellent story. I will always treasure the deeper and more profound exposition of love and its heartaches. Woven into the mystery without missing a beat, this part of the book - what is the breaking point we all fear - elevates the novel to a very high standard indeed.
6 people found this helpful
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Bookzilla
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2017
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Compelling This stand-alone is easy to follow and difficult to put down. Some sadness and violence but no drag-you-down drama

Intriguing storyline with several different twists throughout. The media vultures and common sense continue their battles.

Believable characters with distinct personalities.
The lead character is realistic. He is not perfect, he is human. His procedures, actions and reactions believable. The information on surgery side effects is disheartening.

Thought-provoking, informative and humorous dialogue.

“I’m unarmed,” I yelled, stepping from my observation post behind an oak tree. “But I’ve got a Ph.D., and I’m not afraid to use it. One wrong move, and I’ll lecture you to death!”

I knew some people who indulged in alcohol or even adultery while on road trips. Me, I indulged in bacon.

AMONG THE MANY MEAN SURPRISES THAT ACCOMPANIED the Ultimate Mean Surprise—Kathleen’s death-sentence surprise—was the secretarial surprise: the mountain of insurance forms, financial forms, legal forms, and other forms of forms to be scaled. In a perverse corner of my mind, I imagined the grim reaper, twenty-first-century style, no longer mowing down mortals with a scythe, but simply burying them alive beneath truckloads of paper.

“A poet I like a lot once put it this way:
"If God is God, he is not good; if God is good, he is not God.’ Strong words, but they do get at the heart of the problem.” “I’m not sure I follow. I never was good with poetry.” “He’s saying that if God’s omnipotent, he must be a jerk, to allow so much innocent suffering. And if God’s not a jerk, then he must not be all-powerful, because if he were, he’d protect people.”

Amen, brother, I caught myself thinking.

I may re-read this story and always look forward to works by this author.
2 people found this helpful
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Tripower53
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful!
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2015
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The writing team does it again! Remarkable book. Interesting fast paced story with twists and turns aplenty. This book was so packed with information, it's difficult to get a handle on where to start. I was a little thrown at going back in time. But, I quickly succumbed to the story - or stories literally...The four points of focus blended so perfectly, the book was a joy to read and I was sad to see it end. Janus, Satterfield, Mrs. Brockton and the crazy TV reporter lady. Wow! Brilliant and I can't wait for the next one.
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Kathy
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023
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Another good Jefferson-Bass novel
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SC Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Jefferson Bass hit!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2017
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I just love the authors of books about the "body farm." These guys know how to write a great mystery with believable characters and a fantastic plot. They never disappoint me. This book was true to the series with new characters, some characters from previous books and a story line, keeping the reader rushing to the end. You can read other reviews about the story, and I don't want to spoil any of the book for you. I just promise you, if you love a great mystery, read this book (and the others in the series). If you are squeamish about the thought of a body farm, this is a good choice as the body farm is not the focus of the plot. Yes, it is mentioned at the beginning. There are protesters about the research facility, but all that disappears as the story continues. Enjoy!!!
3 people found this helpful
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Laurel H.
4.0 out of 5 stars The Breaking Point is not to be missed!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016
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Jefferson Bass is a favorite author of mine. I have just finished reading The Breaking Point. It is such an exciting read with many twists and turns. Love his books. I do have to say, the first 50_60 pages in this book had me worried, as they were humdrum and didn't fit his usual style of writing. Glad I continued reading otherwise I would have missed out on a great story.
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Kgreer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2017
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I love all the body farm books. There’s a lot going on here but you can keep track. I won’t give anything away except to say oh poor Bill!!
Like everything’s no this author writes I highly recommend his books. It’s a good who done it with a lot of wows.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Too much going on and too much detail
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2015
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I was not happy with all the detail. I felt the storylines were underdeveloped due to the details. Didn't his wife die in a previous book?? And in this book she dies again!! Wasn't Miranda his assistant in his other books? And during the last couple of pages we are introduced to her!!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

michele
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written story
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2018
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Good book
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2016
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Body farm books are the best story's factual in depth reading jefferson bass is a excellent writer is book's are must reads you will find you can't put them down once you start reading
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2015
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Awesome!
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Mrs J. Tilden
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly good read ans
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2017
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I have eveery one of these books to date, and ther storyline never lets the reades down. There is always an unusual twist to the story and this is no exceprion. A thoroughly good read ans, highly recommended to anyone who likes murder mysteries.
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allison k
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2017
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Best author, I love his books. Perfect level of current story with a little back history of characters also.
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