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cmbohn's review against another edition
3.0
Gideon Oliver is planning a nice European vacation/working trip with his wife when a friend asks him to stop by and give his opinion on a skeleton found in a cave in France. Gideon agrees and is soon involved with a bunch of colleagues who have been tangled up in a hoax involving Neatherthal man. The discovery of the body is soon followed by an attack on Gideon himself, and he realizes that the murderer must be someone he knows.
I liked the mystery part of it. I even liked the forensic part of it. But the dialogue was written in a way that bugged me. Gideon and his wife talk as if they are always 'on camera'. It didn't sound natural to me, and after a while, it really bugged me. It's probably a lot more noticeable since this was an audiobook, but it still kept me from really getting into the book.
I liked the mystery part of it. I even liked the forensic part of it. But the dialogue was written in a way that bugged me. Gideon and his wife talk as if they are always 'on camera'. It didn't sound natural to me, and after a while, it really bugged me. It's probably a lot more noticeable since this was an audiobook, but it still kept me from really getting into the book.
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
Another in the series about Gideon Oliver. This time he's in France working on a book on weird forensic finds and hoaxes and is asked by the local police to look into a skeleton they have just uncovered. Skeletons in caves are relatively common in the area--it's where Cro-Magnon was first found--but this one is a little too recent and a little too complicated for the comfort of the police.
Of course, within hours of his first look at the case, he is whacked over the head and the skeleton in question is stolen. Then the head of the local institute, under whose aegis Gideon is visiting, is found with his head bashed in rather more severely.
As usual, Gideon finds small clues that lead to lots more questions about just whose skeleton was in the cave, and just how the former director (the one before the recently dead one) died. Everyone has thought he died in a plane crash, or rather they've thought he crashed his plane on purpose. Now people are wondering if that was just a convenient ruse.
Good, typical fare. Nothing outstanding, but lots of clever banter and some interesting factoids about the caves near Lascaux and the whole Paleolithic era discoveries.
Of course, within hours of his first look at the case, he is whacked over the head and the skeleton in question is stolen. Then the head of the local institute, under whose aegis Gideon is visiting, is found with his head bashed in rather more severely.
As usual, Gideon finds small clues that lead to lots more questions about just whose skeleton was in the cave, and just how the former director (the one before the recently dead one) died. Everyone has thought he died in a plane crash, or rather they've thought he crashed his plane on purpose. Now people are wondering if that was just a convenient ruse.
Good, typical fare. Nothing outstanding, but lots of clever banter and some interesting factoids about the caves near Lascaux and the whole Paleolithic era discoveries.
mystereity's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book I’ve read in this series and I have to concede that I am now a Gideon fan girl.
Anthropology professor Gideon Oliver, “The Skeleton Doctor" as he’s known in the media, returns to France at the request of French police detective Joly when a local dog brings home human bones. After tracking down the location where the bones were taken from, Joly and Gideon find themselves with a new case, as the bones were found not to be ancient, but just a few years old. Untangling all of the threads lead Gideon and Joly to a local history museum where they find a group of esteemed scientists who seem to have something to hide. Do they know how the bones came to be left in a cave?
I absolutely loved this one! While it seemed like Joly and Gideon were spinning their wheels, the plot actually moves along pretty quickly and all of that wheel spinning helped muddy up the waters enough that I constantly doubted who I thought was behind the murders. I loved that Gideon’s wife Julie was along for the ride and acted like Gideon's Doubting Thomas/sounding board, it really added a nice dimension to the story, as I read the other books in the series, I’m hoping to see more of her.
In the end, it turned out I was right about the culprit but I loved reading about the how and why. It turns out to be quite a twisted story, and made for a satisfying ending.
If you like books about archaeology/anthropology with a dash of action and amazing characters, a la Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennen or Elly Giffiths's Ruth Galloway, you’ll love this series. Definitely recommend!
Anthropology professor Gideon Oliver, “The Skeleton Doctor" as he’s known in the media, returns to France at the request of French police detective Joly when a local dog brings home human bones. After tracking down the location where the bones were taken from, Joly and Gideon find themselves with a new case, as the bones were found not to be ancient, but just a few years old. Untangling all of the threads lead Gideon and Joly to a local history museum where they find a group of esteemed scientists who seem to have something to hide. Do they know how the bones came to be left in a cave?
I absolutely loved this one! While it seemed like Joly and Gideon were spinning their wheels, the plot actually moves along pretty quickly and all of that wheel spinning helped muddy up the waters enough that I constantly doubted who I thought was behind the murders. I loved that Gideon’s wife Julie was along for the ride and acted like Gideon's Doubting Thomas/sounding board, it really added a nice dimension to the story, as I read the other books in the series, I’m hoping to see more of her.
In the end, it turned out I was right about the culprit but I loved reading about the how and why. It turns out to be quite a twisted story, and made for a satisfying ending.
If you like books about archaeology/anthropology with a dash of action and amazing characters, a la Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennen or Elly Giffiths's Ruth Galloway, you’ll love this series. Definitely recommend!
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Well, this was my first Gideon Oliver book and I really enjoyed it. I liked both, the characters and the mystery, and truly enjoyed all the bits of knowledge intertwined into the story.
A clever plot that mixes an old mystery with the new one, complex but truly entertaining, and an excellent narration by Joel Richard. I will be reading the rest of the series :)
A clever plot that mixes an old mystery with the new one, complex but truly entertaining, and an excellent narration by Joel Richard. I will be reading the rest of the series :)
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
As the Olivers prepare for a European quasi-vacation, tragedy strikes in France and Gideon is summoned to change his itinerary. Bones turn up and his expertise is sought to help solve the case. Interestingly enough, all the suspects are a group of archeologists he planned on visiting as part of his book research, later in the vacation. Gideon and Julie head for France, where things begin to unravel and a series of events leaves Gideon flat on his back and others murdered and decomposing. With the help of Inspecteur Joly, a friend (and character in a previous novel), Gideon and Julie begin piecing things together. Will they discover who’s behind the Neanderthal hoax and these recent murders, or will sleeping dogs continue to lie?
Elkins brings the reader back to France, where Dr. Oliver engaged in an interesting family murder saga early in the series. Armed with more forensic and anthropologic knowledge, the reader is treated to a new and energetic Oliver who seeks to help as best he can. The reader learns more than just about bones and the injuries that occur to them, but also about some of the gastronomical treats France has to offer and a slice of humour that crosses the language barrier. Another great novel that will have readers scrambling to devour as much as Elkins has to offer.
Kudos Dr. Elkins for this. Always a treat to see what Gideon Oliver gets himself into.
Elkins brings the reader back to France, where Dr. Oliver engaged in an interesting family murder saga early in the series. Armed with more forensic and anthropologic knowledge, the reader is treated to a new and energetic Oliver who seeks to help as best he can. The reader learns more than just about bones and the injuries that occur to them, but also about some of the gastronomical treats France has to offer and a slice of humour that crosses the language barrier. Another great novel that will have readers scrambling to devour as much as Elkins has to offer.
Kudos Dr. Elkins for this. Always a treat to see what Gideon Oliver gets himself into.
karend's review
3.0
I think it would have been better to read this on paper than listen to it, as the name of the wife and the name of the police inspector were so similar as to be confusing when they were both in the same conversation. There were a few funny lines and no characters I wanted to throttle, so I’ll probably look for more in this series.
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