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snikelfritz's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
charlalisterreyna's review
3.0
3/5
Old Bones
Aaron Elkins
This was a very slow and drug out mystery about a forensic anthropologist who is asked to come look at and identify some old bones in a cellar that could be known to of been someone during world war 2.
#bookstagram
Old Bones
Aaron Elkins
This was a very slow and drug out mystery about a forensic anthropologist who is asked to come look at and identify some old bones in a cellar that could be known to of been someone during world war 2.
#bookstagram
menfrommarrs's review
4.0
I can always count on "The Skeleton Detective" to provide interesting entertainment.
Of those that I have read so far, this mystery was the most suspenseful and labyrinthine of the series. AND with great tongue in cheek humor. A thoroughly enjoyable pretzel.
I was pleasantly confused!☺
Of those that I have read so far, this mystery was the most suspenseful and labyrinthine of the series. AND with great tongue in cheek humor. A thoroughly enjoyable pretzel.
I was pleasantly confused!☺
attytheresa's review
3.0
Gideon Oliver, the American Detective of Skeletons, is lecturing at a criminal investigation conference in St. Malo, France when he becomes caught up in the discovery of an old skeleton in the cellar of a nearby Manoir. The Manoir's elderly disabled owner had died in the dangerous tides around Mont St. Michel after having mis-judged the low vs. high tides, apprarently an accidential death, happening just hours after all the family had gathered at his request to an important family conference. But of course he died before convening that mysterious conference.
It was not a diffcult mystery, the clues quite easy to spot and reach the right conclusions early in the story - at least the main plot line. Dark doings during WWII and the German Occupation of Brittany haunt the plot, which is balanced a very sweet little side romance between 2 of the supporting cast, and Gideon's own humor and relationships with his Hawaiian friend FBI Agent John who is also attending the conference, and the local French police inspector. In fact, the obviousness of the plot should have been a turn-off, but like the TV series Columbo, it's Gideon's journey to solving it that intrigues, not you the reader solving it.
And the location is everything! The special draw and magic of Mont St. Michel, St. Malo and that region of France, the French family manoir on the domaine, all were so wonderfully portrayed, and seemlessly incorporated, it made this francophile's soul sing with 40+ year old memories. Wonder where my photos are?
It was not a diffcult mystery, the clues quite easy to spot and reach the right conclusions early in the story - at least the main plot line. Dark doings during WWII and the German Occupation of Brittany haunt the plot, which is balanced a very sweet little side romance between 2 of the supporting cast, and Gideon's own humor and relationships with his Hawaiian friend FBI Agent John who is also attending the conference, and the local French police inspector. In fact, the obviousness of the plot should have been a turn-off, but like the TV series Columbo, it's Gideon's journey to solving it that intrigues, not you the reader solving it.
And the location is everything! The special draw and magic of Mont St. Michel, St. Malo and that region of France, the French family manoir on the domaine, all were so wonderfully portrayed, and seemlessly incorporated, it made this francophile's soul sing with 40+ year old memories. Wonder where my photos are?
lazygal's review
3.0
Written in 1988, this feels more like a Golden Age mystery than a more recent one - the detective is what you'd consider a professional dabbler, a "skeleton detective" who just happens to be around when a crime occurs. In this case, he's at a conference in France when some bones are found in the basement of a chateau. Of course there are questions about the Nazi occupation and collaborators and Resistance and all that long ago history in addition to Who Is It and Why Are They In The Basement?
Pleasant read for those who don't like hard core mysteries, and more updated that the actual Golden Age ones.
Pleasant read for those who don't like hard core mysteries, and more updated that the actual Golden Age ones.
tinabaich's review against another edition
4.0
Old Bones is the fourth in Elkins’ Gideon Oliver series. Gideon Oliver, the “Skeleton Detective of America,” is in France for a forensics conference when he gets called in to investigate a skeleton found buried in the cellar of a wealthy family. This is the second death to engulf the du Rocher family within a week. The patriarch of the family, Guillaume du Rocher, drowned during an incoming tide he couldn’t escape. In addition to determining the identity of the skeleton, Oliver is determined to solve the entire mystery. As events unfold, he is convinced that Guillaume’s death wasn’t an accident. There is a deeply held secret in the du Rocher family, and the answer lies in the old bones.
I haven’t read any of the previous Gideon Oliver mysteries, and Old Bones stands on its own. I found it engaging and humorous. It’s a great mystery, and the repartee between Oliver and his sidekick, FBI agent John Lau, made it a fun read. I won’t be sticking to most of the series I’ve read as part of the Edgar Award Reading Challenge, but the Gideon Oliver series is an exception. I’m looking forward to going back to the beginning with this one and reading through it. If you aren’t familiar with this series, I encourage you to give it a try.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-old-bones.html
I haven’t read any of the previous Gideon Oliver mysteries, and Old Bones stands on its own. I found it engaging and humorous. It’s a great mystery, and the repartee between Oliver and his sidekick, FBI agent John Lau, made it a fun read. I won’t be sticking to most of the series I’ve read as part of the Edgar Award Reading Challenge, but the Gideon Oliver series is an exception. I’m looking forward to going back to the beginning with this one and reading through it. If you aren’t familiar with this series, I encourage you to give it a try.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-old-bones.html
attytheresa's review against another edition
3.0
Gideon Oliver, the American Detective of Skeletons, is lecturing at a criminal investigation conference in St. Malo, France when he becomes caught up in the discovery of an old skeleton in the cellar of a nearby Manoir. The Manoir's elderly disabled owner had died in the dangerous tides around Mont St. Michel after having mis-judged the low vs. high tides, apprarently an accidential death, happening just hours after all the family had gathered at his request to an important family conference. But of course he died before convening that mysterious conference.
It was not a diffcult mystery, the clues quite easy to spot and reach the right conclusions early in the story - at least the main plot line. Dark doings during WWII and the German Occupation of Brittany haunt the plot, which is balanced a very sweet little side romance between 2 of the supporting cast, and Gideon's own humor and relationships with his Hawaiian friend FBI Agent John who is also attending the conference, and the local French police inspector. In fact, the obviousness of the plot should have been a turn-off, but like the TV series Columbo, it's Gideon's journey to solving it that intrigues, not you the reader solving it.
And the location is everything! The special draw and magic of Mont St. Michel, St. Malo and that region of France, the French family manoir on the domaine, all were so wonderfully portrayed, and seemlessly incorporated, it made this francophile's soul sing with 40+ year old memories. Wonder where my photos are?
It was not a diffcult mystery, the clues quite easy to spot and reach the right conclusions early in the story - at least the main plot line. Dark doings during WWII and the German Occupation of Brittany haunt the plot, which is balanced a very sweet little side romance between 2 of the supporting cast, and Gideon's own humor and relationships with his Hawaiian friend FBI Agent John who is also attending the conference, and the local French police inspector. In fact, the obviousness of the plot should have been a turn-off, but like the TV series Columbo, it's Gideon's journey to solving it that intrigues, not you the reader solving it.
And the location is everything! The special draw and magic of Mont St. Michel, St. Malo and that region of France, the French family manoir on the domaine, all were so wonderfully portrayed, and seemlessly incorporated, it made this francophile's soul sing with 40+ year old memories. Wonder where my photos are?
cmbohn's review against another edition
3.0
This one finds Gideon Oliver, the "skeleton detective" in France as part of a forensic conference. While there, a skeleton turns up in a chateau belonging the family of a friend. Gideon is called in to consult and turns up some surprising results.
I enjoyed this one, but I have to admit, I saw it coming.
I enjoyed this one, but I have to admit, I saw it coming.