Flesh and Bone

By Jefferson Bass

Dr. Bill Brockton, the forensic pathologist in charge of The Body Farm, is asked to recreate a gruesome death --- a cross-dressing man tied to a tree, his face horribly bashed in.  But things turn even worse when his new-found love, medical examiner Dr. Jessamine Carter, is found shot & wrapped around the corpse.  Dr. Brockton is quickly accused of her murder, and all the evidence irrefutably points to him.  Suspended from his job, his truck impounded, and his home taped off as part of the crime scene, Dr. Brockton turns to a winning lawyer without a conscience to help clear his name.

I really wanted to like this book.  I read the nonfiction book about The Body Farm and liked it, but I hated the Dr. Body Farm that came alive in this story.  Talk about smug & egotistic!  It's amazing anyone liked him, he's such an idiot.  I hate when a character is so self-righteous about how smart he is, and anyone that doesn't agree with him is a blooming idiot that deserves to be publicly humiliated.  Plus, the true murderer was so obvious that it was a "duh" moment when they were caught. I am writing this down so I remember that I never want to read another book in this series.  Ugh

The Blessing Way

By Tony Hillerman

A murder victim is found with sand stuffed down his throat.  It's up to Joe Leaphorn to solve the mystery of his death, while his friend, Professor McKee, is investigating reports of witches among the Navajos. Little do they know that both paths cross into the same dangerous territory.

It's pretty obvious that this is the first in the series.  The author hasn't decided which man he wants as the protagonist, so they both share most of the story lines' discoveries.  That said, since they weren't very well defined yet, the book was almost like two stories. I still enjoyed it, even though it was disjointed.

Dance Hall of the Dead

by Tony Hillerman

Two boys are missing, leaving only a pool of blood behind.  Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Police is called in  by the Zuni tribe to find George, a missing Navajo boy, after his friend is found murdered.  Who wanted either of the two boys dead, and why?

Another easy read by Hillerman, this time focusing on Zuni secret religious rites.  As always, the FBI "white men" are clueless as to the ways of the Native Americans.  True fact, but it's funny that these books are written by a white man.

The Taste of Sweet: Our Complicated Love Affair With Our Favorite Treats

by Joanne Chen

The author goes through the history of humans' obsession with all things sweet.  I thought this would be amusing and light, but Chen investigates the science behind "supertasters", to whom every taste is magnified, and the communication between stomach and brain.

The most interesting part to me was the cultural bias we have against poorer people "gorging" on gooey, cheap treats, versus richer people "indulging" in artfully designed edibles.  The main example was two articles -- one trying to eliminate vending machines in a lower class school, while another celebrating a new "chocolate hot spot" for wealthy kids to party and enjoy.  Her theory that fast, high calorie food is cheaper is relatively true, unless you are actually cooking for your family, and that people on food stamps don't buy fresh food.  In my little world, people on food stamps don't cook anything that requires effort, even if they aren't working.  The whole "they don't have time" reasoning is a little thin in the real world.  An educator tried to expose lower class kids to more healthy eating, and even had the kids grow their own produce.  Until having gardens is the norm again for everyone, poor kids are going to stay fat. 

The Fallen Man

by Tony Hillerman

Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, recently retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, are thrown together again to solve a mystery --- solving the 10 year old death of a man found dead on Shiprock Mountain.  Unfortunately, snipers kill a harmless old canyon guide, and tries to kill anyone else who might care about solving the case.

I like Tony Hillerman books. The crimes are usually second to the descriptions of Native American and Southern Colorado ways of life.  Especially interesting is learning about the different beliefs within different tribes. I've learned that I wouldn't survive long in the desert.