Publisher's Weekly Review
Gideon Oliver, the shrewd, witty and self-deprecating forensic anthropologist, is at the top of his form in his ninth appearance (after Dead Men's Hearts, 1994). This tale, populated with a memorable and well-defined cast, finds Gideon traveling to Tahiti with friend and FBI agent John Lau to investigate what might have been the murder of Brian Scott, manager of the thriving, family-owned Paradise Coffee Plantation and common-law husband of the owner's daughter Thérèse. Amid rumors of Mafia retaliation for earlier, unfriendly testimony by plantation owner Nick Druett, Gideon runs into unexpected obstacles. Neither Nick nor Thérèse wants Brian's body exhumed; Nick's good friend, the pompous head of the local gendarmerie, agrees. Gideon, perceptive as always, notices something extraordinary in the official photographs of Brian and, as the ensuing investigation progresses, the seemingly close-knit family begins to unravel. Thérèse, who is docile and uncommunicative, her politically correct sister and other, more devious family members are all at odds over a lucrative offer to buy the plantation, a move Brian had opposed. Zipping along at a smooth and rapid clip, the story combines masterfully etched characters and suggestions of lingering aromas of frangipani and coconut palms with the consummate panache of its hero. Elkins rewards his readers with a riveting mystery even while altering forever the way they will view their trendy, upscale coffee. Mystery Guild featured alternate; author tour. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
There must be trouble brewing at Nick Druett's Paradise Coffee Plantation. Nick's daughter Thérèse has sent back the lava samples she swiped from Hawaii, returning them in hopes of propitiating the volcano goddess Pele, who she can only hope has been responsible for the wave of infernal accidents (a worker maimed by new equipment, tons of coffee beans ruined by improper storage, two near-fatalities for Thérèse's unofficial husband Brian Scott) in her parents' Tahitian paradise. But Pele, or whoever, is undeterred. When a third accident leaves Brian dead, Thérèse's cousin, FBI agent John Lau, brings in forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver to examine Brian's corpse and see if he wasn't dispatched by a less divine agency. Nick, who'd originally requested an exhumation order, begins to waffle, and the police commandant won't let Oliver dig up the corpse. He must have read the Skeleton Detective's eight previous adventures (Dead Men's Hearts, 1994, etc.) and remembered what wizardry he can work on the most reluctant bones. But even he can't predict the spectacular deductions Oliver will base on an old head injury of Brian's and on his monster fibulas--or the hilarious home truths about the coffee business that'll follow. Elkins has never gotten his due as a comic Patricia Cornwell. Maybe this tale, which beautifully balances tangy Tahitian backgrounds with a deft and brainy whodunit, will be the wake-up call. (Mystery Guild featured alternate)
Booklist Review
The Paradise Coffee Company, an up-market Seattle business, was doing quite well until the manager of the company's Tahiti plantation died by falling off a close--close on the heels of two other fatal accidents. The company's financial officer, Nelson Law, asks his brother, John, an FBI agent, to investigate. The first thing John does is exhume the body for a more thorough autopsy, done by his friend Gideon Oliver, one of the country's leading forensic anthropologists. Besides the victim's body, Gideon uncovers a web of family secrets that may give someone in the company a motive for murder. As always, the ninth Gideon Oliver mystery is a potpourri of clever plotting, grisly detail, witty dialogue, and belly laughs. Oliver is a genuinely likable protagonist whose quirkiness is balanced by his humanity. --Wes Lukowsky
