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A review by canada_matt
Dying on the Vine by Aaron Elkins
4.0
Gideon is back in Europe, with the Laus and his wife, Julie, along for the trip. Lecturing at a forensic conference, Gideon teaches police officers about skeletal remains and using various techniques to aid in identification. When one of the 'class examples' turn out to hit close to home, Gideon and the local carabinieri official open an investigation. What appears to be a murder-suicide turns out to have many loose ends, some of which Gideon points out in passing. As the family members each spend time under the microscope and the case grows increasingly more confusing, a murder shakes everyone to their core and adds more questions to an already confusing tale. Authorities use Gideon's keen eye and attention to detail to piece it all together, though some things just aren't adding up. Someone's out to prove wine is thicker than blood.
Elkins entertains the reader in another instalment of the Gideon Oliver series. Complete with humourous asides, gastronomical discussions, and anthropologic teachable moments, the reader can take much away from the novel, other than a feeling of accomplishment. Many of Oliver's greatest moments come out in the book, though there are passages that do drag and (having read the entire series to date back to back to back...) some ideas that are over repeated. Overall, Elkins has kept things true to form from Book 1 through to this seventeenth in the series. It's always a pleasure to read and enjoy such a wonderful author's work.
Having undertaken the momentous task of reading the entire Dr. Gideon Oliver series, I can say that I have learned a great deal and taken away much from it. Over the span of thirty-plus years, Elkins has taken the reader on a wonderful journey that may not yet be done. Of note, something that I have not documented throughout, the series, which spans 30 years from the Book 1 publication through to this novel, does not follow the same time period. While technology and other minutiae may have progressed, the characters have aged and lived a mere ten years, as is clear in the numerous references to Gideon's marriage to Julie. That said, as long as the reader can push this out of their mind, there is much to enjoy within the story lines and the anthropologic discussions and advances are numerous. Having been a longtime fan of Kathy Reichs and Jefferson Bass, it was a pleasure to read the 'father of forensic anthropology', who laid the cornerstone in the fiction genre. I look forward to future books, should Elkins decide to extend the series, using new settings or a return to old haunts.
Kudos, Dr. Elkins for such a wonderful collection of books. I am eager to see if you have more in store for Gideon Oliver fans!
Elkins entertains the reader in another instalment of the Gideon Oliver series. Complete with humourous asides, gastronomical discussions, and anthropologic teachable moments, the reader can take much away from the novel, other than a feeling of accomplishment. Many of Oliver's greatest moments come out in the book, though there are passages that do drag and (having read the entire series to date back to back to back...) some ideas that are over repeated. Overall, Elkins has kept things true to form from Book 1 through to this seventeenth in the series. It's always a pleasure to read and enjoy such a wonderful author's work.
Having undertaken the momentous task of reading the entire Dr. Gideon Oliver series, I can say that I have learned a great deal and taken away much from it. Over the span of thirty-plus years, Elkins has taken the reader on a wonderful journey that may not yet be done. Of note, something that I have not documented throughout, the series, which spans 30 years from the Book 1 publication through to this novel, does not follow the same time period. While technology and other minutiae may have progressed, the characters have aged and lived a mere ten years, as is clear in the numerous references to Gideon's marriage to Julie. That said, as long as the reader can push this out of their mind, there is much to enjoy within the story lines and the anthropologic discussions and advances are numerous. Having been a longtime fan of Kathy Reichs and Jefferson Bass, it was a pleasure to read the 'father of forensic anthropology', who laid the cornerstone in the fiction genre. I look forward to future books, should Elkins decide to extend the series, using new settings or a return to old haunts.
Kudos, Dr. Elkins for such a wonderful collection of books. I am eager to see if you have more in store for Gideon Oliver fans!