A great intro to Dr. Gideon Oliver and his somewhat academic background in a series sure to pave the way in the domain of forensic anthropology. Many years before Jefferson Bass emerged on the scene or Kathy Reichs penned her numerous classics (and BONES aired on television), Elkins brings Dr. Oliver out to entertain and teach at the same time. After being chosen as a guest fellow at USOC, Dr. Oliver is approached to play a role in detecting who might be selling secrets to the Russians (remember, this is 1982). His sly attempts to help get him entangled in a larger web and he is attacked. While trying to do his academic and espionage work, he encounters many interesting characters, all wanting their own piece of him. Through anthropologic deduction and keen curiosity, Dr. Oliver tries to find out whose fueling the Communist fires without ending up on an ME's slab himself. A wonderfully entertaining introduction to the series, with just enough education to keep the reader's interest piqued.I am a major Reichs and Bass fan, so when I came across this series, I was unsure how it would measure up. Add to that, the early 1980s publication and I was not sure how 'connected' with the current scene Elkins could make his books. I was reminded, throughout, that while technology has changed, nuances and bone calculations have not, nor has the boilerplate mystery. Elkins does wonderfully in presenting this mystery and introduces us to enough characters that Dr. Oliver's personality and back story shine through. While somewhat academic and out of touch with reality, Oliver comes across as a likable and entertaining character who is sure to grow on the reader as the series progresses.Kudos Mr. Elkins on your wonderful book and the beginning of what is sure to be an interesting ride on the roller coaster of all that is forensics and anthropology. I look forward to learning a great deal more.
I’ve read three or four of the books in this series already, and I have liked all of them. Forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver is a character whose world I enjoy being in. He’s a bit pedantic at times, and somewhat of a loner; but so enthusiastic about his work and so interested in people that he can’t help but be engaging.In this book, Gideon, who is normally a professor at Northern California State University, is on a teaching fellowship, travelling around to various military bases in Europe. He is a widower, just beginning to be able to be excited about life again, and able to be interested in what he’s seeing on his travels, although he still misses his wife very much.On his first night in Heidelberg, after walking back to his hotel in a bit of an alcoholic haze, Gideon is attacked when he gets to his room, and the action keeps moving from there. The plot involves the Cold War, and spies. This is where Gideon first meets the policeman John Lau, and their friendship begins.What makes these books work for me is Gideon’s thoughtful character, mixed with a healthy sense of humour.
What do You think about Fellowship Of Fear (2005)?
I came to the Gideon Oliver series by way of later books, and circled back to this one. Although Gideon's wry, professorial personality is pretty well established, the story felt odd to me, dealing as it did with international spies and the KGB, even an umbrella assassination attempt. I was most delighted when Gideon convinced John Lau of his forensic skills with a few pieces of bone and less thrilled when Gideon branched out into linguistics. I mean, that's an entire field of specialization.Readable, entertaining (the mystery of the missing socks!), but lacking the cohesion that I found in other entrants of this series.
—Yune
This is the first of the Gideon Oliver mystery series. Gideon is a physical anthropologist, but his scientific specialty doesn't really play a major part in this storyline. In Fellowship of Fear Dr. Oliver is offered an opportunity to teach at several U.S. military bases in Europe. The two professors who held this position before him have either disappeared or died under mysterious circumstances.On his first night he is attacked in his room by two strangers. His case appears to interest a security officer at NATO ... and then, NATO seems to lose interest in him. Unfortunately, the attacks continue, apparently connected to a cold war Soviet espionage program.The story is good, with enough (plausible) twists to keep it interesting.If you think you might be interested in starting a series, this is the place. It provides a good introduction to Gideon Oliver. Bear in mind, however, that this story was first published in 1982. There are no cell phones, no personal computers, no email, and "the biggest game in town" is the cold war with the Soviet Union.
—Kevin
First published in 1982, this book is set firmly in the Cold War period, before Glasnost, before the Berlin Wall came down, when the KGB was the Big Bad out there in the Western world. I was alive at the time, and remember it pretty well, so the story felt nostalgic to me rather than dated, as I've seen other reviews complain of. The protagonist is an anthropologist (as is the author), who in this first book in the series takes a temporary post in Heidelberg, and gets caught up in espionage and murder. The story itself was interesting, but I was a bit disappointed in the way the anthropology and linguistics aspect of things was incorporated into the story - it's interesting but a bit clunky, bordering on magic tricks in some places (as when Oliver works out the height, weight, ethnicity, and smoking habit of a deceased person from three charred bones), infodumpy in others (as when Oliver explains why he thinks Random Man Who May Be Following Him is Russian, or at least Balkan, or his certitude about another character's American origins, even though the guy only speaks German in the story), and isn't particularly instrumental in solving the mystery.There is promise of more interesting and relevant anthropology stuff to come, though, so I'll give this series another chance.
—Wendy
