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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Sheridan Public Library | Elkins Gideon Oliver v.16 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic (m) Elkins, A. 2009 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | MYSTERY Elkins, A. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | MYS ELKINS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Willamina Public Library | MYS ELKINS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
No one solves crimes like Skeleton Detective Gideon Oliver. Gideon and his wife are on vacation in Mexico when a local police chief requests his assistance on a case. A mummified corpse was discovered in the desert and the coroner believed the victim was shot. But Gideon's examination reveals the victim was stabbed with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Then Gideon is asked to examine the skeleton of a murder victim found a year earlier-only to discover another error. The coroner misidentified the remains as belonging to a twelve to fifteen-year-old girl, when in fact the remains were that of a young woman of twenty. Gideon knows these two "mistakenly" identified bodies aren't a coincidence. But finding the connection between them will prove more dangerous than he could possibly imagine- and place him into the crosshairs of the killer he's hunting.
Author Notes
Former anthropologist Aaron Elkins has been writing mysteries and thrillers since 1982.
He won an Edgar award for Old Bones, as well as an Agatha (with his wife Charlotte), and a Nero Wolfe Award. His major continuing series features forensic anthropologist-detective Gideon Oliver, "the skeleton detective".
Aaron speaks often at professional conferences, is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, has written for Smithsonian magazine, and is the author of several short stories. His work, which has been published in over a dozen languages, include: NASTY BREAKS (with his wife Charlotte Elkins), MAKE NO BONES, A DECEPTIVE CLARITY, SKELETON DANCE, THE DARK PLACE, and Little Tiny Teeth.
He and his wife Charlotte live in Washington.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
What sounded like an idyllic winter getaway at relatives' Oaxacan dude ranch turns into a bonesman's holiday for Gideon Oliver and his wife, Julie, in Edgar-winner Elkins's atmospheric 16th mystery to feature the forensic anthropologist (after 2008's Uneasy Relations). Before the Washington State couple can even sample the quesadillas at the Hacienda Encantada, their hostess, Julie's cousin, asks Gideon if he'd mind helping the local police chief by examining the mummified remains of what appears to be a murder victim. One skeleton swiftly leads to a second-and from there smack into a suspenseful puzzle whose secret someone will apparently kill to protect. Elkins partially tips his hand before hitting the home stretch of his rapidly accelerating plot, but, even so, the final revelations should leave you-if not the unflappable Bone Detective-pleasantly surprised. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver travels to Mexico in the latest from Elkins (Uneasy Relations, 2008, etc.). While her relatives are off having surgery and getting divorced, the Skeleton Detective's wife Julie has been asked to fill in at Hacienda Encantada, the family resort in sleepy Teotitln del Valle in Mexico. There's nothing much for Gideon to do until rising politico Flaviano Sandoval, who's reluctantly serving as police chief while awaiting his turn at higher office, invites him to examine the mummified remains of an unsavory drifter who called himself Manuel Garcia, and then the bones of a long-dead little girl who's never been identified. Naturally, Gideon's theory about what happened to a missing .32 slug in the drifter's corpse turns the verdict of the local medico legiste on its head. Meanwhile, Julie's made some surprising and unwelcome discoveries about Blaze Tendler, the mother of Julie's cousin Annie. Although everyone knows that Blaze ran off years ago with her lover Manolo, who paused only long enough to relieve Blaze's brother Jamie of $16,000 at the point of a gun, everyone turns out to be wrong. It's only a matter of time before Gideon's present-day corpse gets entangled in the branches of Julie's family tree. But Gideon wears his customary learning so lightly that the forensics that establish that link are fascinating, and the mystery surrounding Hacienda Encantada grows more riveting with each new twist. Gideon's finest case in years proves that "Professor Oliver finds happiness in baffling the mind of the simple hardworking policeman"and everyone else. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Elkins, whose Old Bones (1988), starring forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver, won the Edgar for best novel, returns with his latest in the long-running series. Once again, Oliver and his wife, Julie (a supervisory park ranger in Olympia National Park), take a trip, this time to the Mexican village of Teotitlan. Some of Julie's relations have asked her to supervise a resort for a few weeks. The police ask Oliver to help identify a mummified corpse found some time before. Gideon obliges, gets another consultation, and he's off solving two murders that turn out to be (surprise!) connected. While Gideon's investigations are always fascinating, filled with rich detail, the dialogue tends to be a weak link; this time the conversations between husband and wife seem like anachronistic imitations of Dorothy Sayers. Still, this is a very popular series, and if Elkins' formula seems to be showing signs of aging, there are still lots of fans out there eager for Gideon to stumble across still more old bones.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2009 Booklist