Gideon Oliver is an American forensic anthropologist known as “The Skeleton Detective”, because he has achieved some notoriety for solving a number of murders. In this book, he’s on a trip to France, taking part in a lecture series on forensic anthropology. Although he’s having a pretty good time as a lecturer, some of the other speakers are quite dull, and things are sometimes becoming boring for both Gideon and his good friend, FBI agent John Lau. And so when some old bones are discovered in an old French chateau, Gideon and John welcome the invitation to check them out, as a break from the monotony of academic workshops.What Gideon and John walk into at the chateau turns into a locked-room mystery, which seems to involve crimes from the past. A number of the people staying at the chateau were alive during World War II, when the small French village became divided due to the Nazi occupation. Although events involving Resistance fighters versus Nazis took place decades before, the bitter and violent memories are very present to those who were there at the time.I liked many aspects of this book. Gideon is a good character, with his mix of intelligence and arrogance and humour and compassion. He’s excellent at his job – although he does sometimes make mistakes – and the forensic anthropology information is interesting. I like the banter and competition that’s present in Gideon’s friendship with the more prosaic John Lau. Inspector Joly, the French policeman investigating the crimes, is well-drawn – seemingly arrogant and impatient, he becomes more interesting as the story progresses.As well, there is a lot of delicious-sounding food and drink, and the Mont St-Michel setting is compelling. I’m having a lot of fun working my way through this series.
Anthropology professor and "Skeleton Detective" Gideon Oliver is participating in an international police conference in Brittany when he gets a chance to help investigate some old bones found in a cellar. The cellar belongs to a manoir, which belongs to an eminently dysfunctional extended family, one member of which is a young friend of Gideon's. The investigation points back to World War II and the death of a family member said to have been executed by the SS for Resistance activity. Before the satisfying conclusion there are many twists and turns and a heart-stopping and very dangerous situation for Gideon and his friends. There's also an offbeat love story and a setting that makes the reader want to hop on the next plane to France. The interactions of Gideon, his policeman friend John Lau, and the local Inspecteur Joly seem quite believable, and John offers comic relief. It might be interesting to read this side-by-side with another nominee from that year, Peter Lovesey's ROUGH CIDER, which also has a theme harking back to World War II, but in England. Highly recommended.
What do You think about Old Bones (2006)?
The du Rocher family may or may not have “skeletons in the closet”—but they definitely have one in the basement. In Gideon’s fourth adventure, Old Bones, Gideon is lecturing at an international forensics conference when he’s asked to examine the partial skeleton uncovered in the du Rocher basement. Gideon determines that the remains are those of a young man, dead almost 50 years—and he pieces together a connection to local Resistance actions in WWII. Again, the mystery is fairly predictable but it’s interesting to watch it unfold. The dysfunctional family is a bit soap opera-ish but I like the WWII backstory.
—Lighthearted
The American skeleton detective, Dr. Gideon Oliver, is a guest lecturer at a forensics conference in France. A detective attending gets the call for a murder and is told by his bosses to bring along the American. Much more of a classic mystery which moved along at a fairly smart pace. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the throwing in of many French words unnecessarily confuses but on the other hand it lent some authenticity. I always enjoy glimpses of WWII that differ from the popular press.
—Jan
My first Gideon Oliver novel. An ingenious series of mysterious occurrences involving visitors to a manor house (!), but this time not in the wilds of England, but on the coast of France near Mont St. Michel. Vivid description of an initial death as the inrushing tide overcomes a pedestrian, with a similar situation near the end involving the heroes. One of my principal problems with books like this is usually the boring and confusing introduction of multiple suspects--here there are nine of them--but Elkins differentiates them so skillfully in a single chapter that I have to admire his solving what for me is a big problem. Some cute situations and dialogue, and the main sleuth overlooks clues that have to be pointed out to him by his sidekicks--a nice touch. Some of the solution is obvious from the start, but the details and final working-out require a lot of careful sleuthing. I guessed wrong, pinning my suspicions on a character who (I thought) had no reason to be in the story other than to be guilty; but it turned out that the reason was to provide a red herring for people like me. A well-done traditional mystery.
—Jon
