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    The Inquisitor's Key
    The Inquisitor's Key
    The Inquisitor's Key
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Inquisitor's Key

    Written by Jefferson Bass

    Narrated by Tom Stechschulte

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “The real deal.”
    —Kathy Reichs

    “The Sherlock Holmes for bones.”
    —Katherine Ramsland, author of The Forensic Science of C.S.I.

    The most riveting and ambitious novel to date in Jefferson Bass’ New York Times bestselling Body Farm mystery series, The Inquisitor’s Key takes forensic investigator Dr. Bill Brockton to Avignon, France, and embroils him in a deadly religious mystery that could shake the Vatican itself to its very foundations.  Another sterling crime novel in the vein of Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, and Karin Slaughter, as well as TV’s C.S.I., The Inquisitor’s Key adds a touch of James Rollins and The Da Vinci Code to the typically acclaimed Jefferson Bass mix of suspense, surprise, and finely detailed forensic investigation.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMay 8, 2012
    ISBN9780062116444
    The Inquisitor's Key
    Author

    Jefferson Bass

    Jefferson Bass is the writing team of Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass. Dr. Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, is the creator of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, widely known as the Body Farm. He is the author or coauthor of more than two hundred scientific publications, as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career at the Body Farm, Death's Acre. Dr. Bass is also a dedicated teacher, honored as U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Jon Jefferson is a veteran journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and Popular Science and broadcast on National Public Radio. The coauthor of Death's Acre, he is also the writer and producer of two highly rated National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm.

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    Reviews for The Inquisitor's Key

    3.5/5

    24 ratings15 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Starts off with a bit of fantasy. Anyone who would believe that some one in France would seek professional assistance from anyone,foreign let alone an American has never met a Frenchman. Once past that, it pretty much becomes a paint by numbers production. One colleague killed, off site in another country, Doc and Miranda are threatened. clues appear(from under a bed this time, and in the grand finale, all the evildoers, and there are many are killed. The Madonna Gambit was quite ineffectual. Lots, too much, back story and Avignon-Palace of the Popes history. But without it, why travel to France for the book's background research. Hopefully, they will return to their usual habitat for the next in what had been an interesting series.
    • 4/5
      A fun read. Big surprises in the plot! Never saw some of it coming. I will search out other titles by this duo.
    • 3/5
      The writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson call on their individual experiences in forensic anthropology and journalism to create the Body Farm series. In the latest in this series, The Inquisitor’s Key, protagonist Dr. Bill Brockton is called to France to assist his protégé Miranda Lovelady in studying an ancient skeleton found in a crypt beneath the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France. The injuries inflicted to the skeleton before death are consistent with those inflicted on Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross. Could this be the remains of Christ? Although Brockton and Lovelady quickly determine that this could not be the case, there are several unknown individuals who are willing to kill to prove that the remains are 2000 years old, and do not merely date from the Middle Ages. But the motives are different, as an unscrupulous antiquities dealer, the Vatican, and a fringe Christian group from the United States who wants to bring about the Second Coming, all vie for possession of the skeleton. The situation is compounded further when Brockton realizes there is an eerie resemblance between the reconstructed face of the skeleton and the face on the Shroud of Turin.Issues of faith compounded with scientific discovery clash as Brockton and Lovelady are pulled into a dangerous world. The story alternates between present day events and events in Avignon in the fourteenth century, when the Pope was in residence in Avignon, and the Church was engaged in stamping out heresy wherever it might be found. A painter named Simone Martini had surreptitiously painted the face of a man who died after being tortured on the rack. Is the skeleton that of this unfortunate man? And who is he?A novel that combines history and modern intrigue always appeals to me. The linking of past and present, as well the way modern technology can answer questions that have long been unanswerable, are themes that hold my interest. The Inquisitor’s Key does not disappoint. It maintains the suspense with surprise twists in the plot from beginning to end.
    • 3/5
      Dr. Bill Brockton’s assistant Miranda is spending the summer doing some forensic bone work in Avignon, France. Dr. Brockton’s feelings for Miranda have been becoming a little more personal than professional, so when he receives a call that she has fallen ill and is hospitalized in France he jumps on the next plane. Turns out its all a ruse used to get him to Avignon without anyone knowing (overhearing) the real reason. Miranda takes him to a “find” in the Palace of Popes which may or may not be the basis behind the Shroud of Tourin and may or may not be the actual bones of Jesus Christ. Whether they are or not … someone believes they are and want those bones … at all costs.

      The three books that I have read in this series have all had parallel story lines, one in the present and one in the past. I guess when you are writing about a forensic anthropologist there has to be something that happened in the past. In this book it goes way, way into the past, the 14th century to be exact. I have read some recent reviews that panned this book for too much detail about what went on in the history of the Catholic Church and the world of art and artists back then, but I loved that part of the book. There was a lot of suspense in this novel and much to the relief of Dr. Brockton (I’m sure), not one snake.

      I listened to this book on audio and if I was forced to nit-pick at something, I would have to call out Tom Stechschulte for his French accent. He does an amazing job overall at reading these books, but the French accent came off a little too Germanic for me, and I was quite relieved when the accented character met his demise, so the accent could also be put to rest. In general, I am still very much enjoying this series and will go in search of some other titles … even if they are out of order.
    • 5/5
      The Inquisitor's Key, the seventh entry in the Body Farm series, finds Dr. Bill Brockton and his graduate assistant Miranda Lovelady not only investigating ancient bones, but dealing with ancient relics, church and art history and the South of France. In the Palace of the Popes, a stone chest is discovered, inscribed with the crest of Jesus of Nazareth. Could the bones found inside possibly be the remains of Christ himself? How do the bones relate to the Shroud of Turin? These are the questions that Bill and Miranda try to answer, despite being hampered by relic collectors and the Church itself. The chapters bounce between medieval and present day Avignon—which helped enhance the understanding of the present. I have really enjoyed others of this series—and this one was no exception. Fast paced, full of twists and turns—a really great read. A definite 4 ½ out of 5.
    • 4/5
      I have not read any of the other books in the Body Farm series, but this was enjoyable enough that I will definitely go to the library to look for the older titles.This book centers around the mysteries of the Shroud of Turin which is fascinating in itself. The "what- If's" resented in the book are just plausible enough to make it interesting. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Dan Brown or Patricia Cornwell although it is a much lighter/quicker read.
    • 2/5
      This is my least favorite of this series primarily due to the format of alternating chapters of events in a medieval past with the present identification of bones in the here in now in France.
    • 4/5
      Thoroughly enjoyable entry. Especially the "prequel" in the back. Nice twists, evil villains, they finally admit they love each other...
    • 5/5
      Some cliches in the writing, but overall pretty original story. Best part Simone and Laura story.
    • 3/5
      actaully written by two authors - Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass. Bass is the founder of the Body Farm - a ground breaking forensic anthropology site. The crime novels from this pair have always had the ring of truth and excellent detail behind them. In the seventh and latest offering, The Inquisitor's Key, protagonist Dr. Bill Brockton (who is a forensic anthropologist, of course) heads to Avignon, France. His young assitant Miranda Lovelady has been working on a dig that has uncovered bones that may be of unimaginable importance and they need his expertise. I really like this series, but have to honestly say that this book fell flat for me. The plot is nothing new and brings to mind a Dan Brown or Steve Berry novel. The history presented was interesting and well researched, though. But it just stretched the imagination a little too far - the Vatican is after the bones as well as American zealots bent on using the bones' DNA to bring about The Second Coming. I just found it a stretch that a prof from Tennessee would be involved in something like this. The authors have always tried to insert a love interest for Dr. Bill. (They don't seem to last long) Dr. Bill has now turned his attention to his assistant Miranda. Insert ick factor here - this just doesn't work for me. The audio version of the book is read by Tom Stechschulte, who has a wonderful voice. It's very rich and expressive and does bring to mind the mental image I've created of Dr. Bill. But, his French accent wasn't the best and by the end was really quite annoying. Really, all I want or expect from Dr. Bill is a good ole down home who dunnit. This one was just too far removed from the roots.
    • 2/5
      Not anywhere near as good as the previous Body Farm books.
    • 4/5
      While I do prefer Brockton and his story lines set at the Body Farm, this was a well researched novel. More of a archeological thriller than a mystery, I enjoyed learning about Avignon and the previous corrupt popes, just felt he muddled the plot a bit at the end by putting in a few too many scenarios. I am looking forward to his next novel but am hoping he will be back in Tennessee.
    • 1/5
      A dreadful book, on so many different levels. Imagine this: three PhDs in anthropology and/or archaeology are having a discussion, and one of them must explain carbon dating to the other two over dinner, and does so by delivering an explanation that could have come straight out of Wikipedia. Or this: a PhD professor and world-famous forensic anthropologist doesn't realize that it's not the same time in Kentucky that it is in Italy. Or this: three eminent scientists decide to test whether or not a skeleton is that of Jesus Christ by pulling two of its teeth for DNA analysis. To get the full effect of the atrociousness, though, I would recommend listening to the audiobook, narrated by Tom Stechschulte, whose idea of a french accent (the book is set almost entirely in France) is to make all the male characters sound like Pepe le Pew. To be honest, the female characters too.
    • 4/5
      I'm a great admirer of the Body Farm series, authored by Jefferson Bass. Jefferson Bass is a team of writers who are Tom Jefferson, a renowned journalist, and Dr. Bill Bass, the founder of The Body Farm at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. My undergraduate degree is in biological anthropology and Dr. Bass has long been one of my heroes - a true visionary and pioneer in the field of forensic anthropology. Dr. Bass and Mr. Jefferson make a great team as they bring compelling storytelling and rich scientific knowledge to this series of thrillers. These are the real deal.
      The Inquisitor's Key diverges somewhat from the other Body Farm books I've read by giving less prominence to forensic anthropology and more prominence to religious and art history. Combined with the scientific threads these qualities make this a fascinating book. As the daughter of an artist, I particularly enjoyed the art historical sections - reading about artists I studied reading Vasari's Lives of the Artists (a fascinating read if you're interested in art of this time period). To see Giotto come to life on the pages and to read about the proper techniques for making tempera paints with egg and pigment and using this to bind the paint to plaster in creating frescoes was a joy.
      In many ways this book is also less a thriller than an exploration of the developing relationship between Brockton and Miranda who are thrown together in this search for truth about both bones and the Shroud of Turin. Setting all of this against the beautifully described backdrop of Avignon, France and this book is a winner. Do like I did and stay up all night reading - it'll be great fun, I promise.
    • 3/5
      Honestly I was just a tad disappointed with this entry. The constant shifting in storylines was distracting, and I really couldn't get interested in the medieval parts -- in the end, I just started skipping those. And Dr. Brockton suddenly crushing on Miranda was a little icky to me. Where did that come from?

      I guess this book being set in a totally different location took me out of my comfort zone. To fans of the exotic, this won't be a problem. Me, I kinda missed Tennessee. On the bright side, I love art and paintings, which is a thread that ran through this book and fascinated me.

      Overall not the strongest entry in the series, but some people may love it just for the subjects it covers.