Skeleton Dance

SKELETON DANCE is the tenth Gideon Oliver mystery Aaron Elkins has written. I've read all ten. I guess that makes me a fan. This one finds Gideon and Julie in the south of France on a trip that was intended to be part vacation and part research excursion for a book Gideon plans to write. It seems a dog has turned up some not-so-old human bones from a prehistoric site in the area. Police Inspector Joly asks Gideon to examine the bones for clues.Like all the other books in this series, Elkins manages to make the examination of a few bones fascinating. There is always some unique bit of information to be gleaned by the trained eye. On the other hand, these aren't the most intriguing mysteries ever. Sometimes the "surprising" developments aren't all that surprising. The clues are clever and the writing is witty, though. Gideon and Julie are familiar, easy-to-like characters and Elkins infuses the stories with a wry sense of humor. The result is a story that keeps the reader entertained and wanting to see what happens next. Even if it only confirms what you thought.I always hesitate to give a Gideon Oliver mystery five stars. These stories aren't really on a par with a classic creation like Sherlock Holmes. Of the light mysteries currently being written, however, these are among my favorites. I look forward to each one and always enjoy them. Inevitably, though, I have enjoyed some more than others. In my opinion, SKELETON DANCE is one of the better ones.

Another book in the series featuring the always interesting "skeleton detective" Gideon Oliver. In this outing, a dog discovers a human skeleton which had been buried in a prehistoric cave in Southwestern France. It quickly turns into a murder investigation, and a local police detective calls in Dr. Oliver who, coincidentally, had been planning a research trip through western Europe. Once there, Gideon gets to work examining the remains. After he makes a tentative identification of the victim, everything seems to break loose and a 3-year old murder gets tied up inextricably with an anthropological hoax involving the director of the local Institute of Prehistory and his subsequent fall from grace and supposed demise in a plane crash. Gideon once again finds himself in the position of implicating of his respected colleagues in the dirty goings-on, in addition to finding himself square in the path of a murderer bent on keeping old secrets buried.

Despite a nonsensical title, another well-crafted mystery from Dr. Elkins: full of clues and red herrings that give you a chance to anticipate plot twists. Atmospheric bits of real sight-seeing and eating in the southwest of France. More than usual attention to anatomy and skeletal forensics to reveal the surprise biography of the victim, laced with accurate and amusing presentations of current physical anthropological, and Palaeolithic archaeological, debates, with Gideon back in the European setting of two of Elkins' best early novels. Humor enlivens a potentially dry focus on bones: "'How wonderful it must be to live in America,' [French coroner] Roussillot said. 'So many murders, so much to be learned.'" Touche. Light summer reading; a puzzler rather than gripping terror. The Gideon book series could be read starting anywhere; oddly, there's no list of previous titles in this book. Aaron and Charlotte Elkins also write mystery series featuring golfers or art historians, if skeletons are too macabre for you.

This was my first Elkins book. I like trying new authors. I was impressed with this mystery. The main character,Gideon Oliver, is a Hercule Poirot with a twist. He solves murder mysteries through looking at the bones of the murdered. Mr Elkins is a very entertaining author with a good sense of humor. Gideon is a likeable main character and the rest of the cast is engaging as well.Try this bone on for size.

I wanted to wait a few days after I got this book to read it because I knew that if it was a good one, it would only take a day to read - and it only took a day. My house is a mess, but I spent a very enjoyable day with my nose stuck in this book, and it was nice to revisit some old friends in this latest Gideon Oliver book. I highly recommend it.