As soon as I stumbled on my first book by Aaron Elkins, I raced through all of his others. I love the type of mysteries surrounding a character like his Gideon Oliver; an academic and forensic anthropologist rather than a cop. All of the G.O. mysteries are set in interesting places, and all have a good dose of physical anthropology. This particular one is set near a glacier (which holds the mystery) in Alaska. And in terms of suspense, setting, and how the science was used to "crack the case", I think "Icy Clutches" is the best of the series. MUCH better than the somewhat dragging "Old Bones", the one which won an Edgar Award. If you like the mystery genre and want some reading that is quick yet satisfying, I recommend all the Gideon Oliver books; but especially "Icy Clutches".

This is an excellent detective story from the glacial field of Alaska. Gideon Oliver is, for me, a new find and going to be an addition to my reading lists. Starting with Oliver's Sherlockian deductions based on a few skeletal remains to his final deductions and resolution of the case, there is excellent detective work. And my original prime suspect gets killed during the course of the story. Every mystery reader knows that feeling. I'll be backtracking to the earlier books in the series and bringing myself up to date real quick.

For those who have read the more recent additions to the Gideon Oliver series by Aaron Elkins, I highly recommend they go back to this title and read it. Or even reread it! It is the best of the series and a synthesis of all that works for Mr. Elkins. The story is set in Alaska, a glacial country of brooding cold skies and even colder ice. The plot is perfect, combining just the right amounts of human foibles and motive, geological factoids, and of course, forensic anthropology. And there is an air of menace which pervades the book like no other in the series.

I love all the Chris Norgren books that Aaron Elkins has written. Pick up this book and I am sure you will agree with me that it is well worth your time. There are 3 books in this series and I wish Mr. Elkins would continue the series.

I stumbled on Aaron Elkins awhile ago, and I promptly went out and bought all of his Gideon Oliver books. When Gideon was finished, I started his Chris N. books - and feel even deeper in love. Elkins truly knows how to write about art, and if you love art and art history the way I do, you'll abosultely love his book dealing with art fraud and the like. Few people can actually deal with mysteries surrounding art, because they skim the details or make reference to braodly popular pieces and artists which they know offhand. Not so with Elkins - he knows both the obscure and the popular, and he writes about art like someone who loves it and understands it. And...about the mystery? You'll like Chris as a character, and like all of Elkins mysteries, this one has plenty of plot twists and turns, and it keeps you guessing about who the culprit could be. That's a plus for any mystery, in my book.

Gideon and his new bride spend their honeymoon in merry olde England. Of course everything isn't tea and crumpets. Gideon finds stolen bones, murdered anthropologists and mysteries galore. Spend some time digging in the dirt with Gideon, you'll be glad you did.

I have read all of Aaron Elkins books and "Murder in the Queen's Arms" is one of Elkins best. But beware, you will find this mystery addictive! So plan to spend your afternoon at The Queen's Arms, and enjoy.

When eccentric art patron, Rene Vachey, decides to donate an original Rembrandt to the Seattle Art Museum, curator Chris Norgren is cautious. Rene is known for playing tricks on museums and making them look silly so Chris flies to France to inspect the painting. Shortly after he arrives, he is thrown out a window and later that night, Rene is murdered. Fearing that the painting may be the reason for the murder, Chris starts to investigate. I love this series because of the way that Aaron Elkins shows artwork through the eyes of Chris Norgren as well as for the good mystery.

I have read several Aaron Elkins books but this was the first involving Chris Norgren. Chris is a curator of Renaissance art at the Seattle Art Museum and goes to Paris to view a newly found Rembrandt that is being given to the museum by Rene Vachey. Rene is known in the field as a jokester and Chris is dubious as to the authenticity of the painting, especially with the limitations Rene has set on what can be used to verify the painting as being a Rembrandt.

Things heat up and get pretty hairy as Rene Vachey is killed and Chris becomes the next target for murder. Who knew that the art world was so dangerous?

Professional golfer Lee Ofsted has just landed an instructor's job assisting fellow pro Jackie Piper at a beautiful Rhode Island resort. Her job is to provide golf lessons to the employees of a marine salvage company. To Lee, this is an easy way to combine a vacation with making an easy grand a day for a week. However, the anticipated idyllic week goes sour at the fourth hole when Darlene Chappell, the spouse of the salvage company president, Stuart, is almost kidnapped. Soon afterward, Stuart is found murdered.

Lee and her friend begin to investigate the murder. To their amazement, many people had the motive to kill Stuart. However, as she gets closer to the truth, Lee literally finds herself in a sudden death game in which her life is the ultimate stake.

The third Lee Ofsted mystery novel is a fabulous who-done-it due to the brilliant characterizations of the lead protagonist, her associates, and all the duffers hooking their swing. The story line is interesting as Charlotte and Aaron Elkins scribes a fabulous amateur sleuth tale. This reviewer recommends to lovers of golf and amateur sleuth stories, all three books (the previous two are WICKED SLICE and ROTTEN LIES) because they are superb mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

I always enjoy Gideon Oliver mysteries. The puzzles are always cleverly constructed and full of intriguing details. They also benefit from a nice touch of humor. "Twenty Blue Devils" is no exception. The mystery revolves around a family-run coffee business in Tahiti. Gideon has to figure out the meaning of some curious details on corpses and skeletons to prove that a murder has actually been committed, and then to figure out who's guilty of what. Followers of the Gideon Oliver series will remember that Gideon started as a bachelor, and his sidekick was John Lau, friend and local FBI agent. Then Gideon met and married Julie, and she has increasingly generally become the principal sidekick. John's role has diminished accordingly. This isn't a problem. Julie is a satisfactory character. Sometimes you might miss John, though. I did, anyway. In "Twenty Blue Devils" John makes a nice comeback. It is his family that owns the coffee business, and it is through him that Gideon gets involved in the case. Altogether, this is one of those books that keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. I always hesitate to give mysteries a five-star rating. In my opinion, few can match Christie and Doyle for plot and characterization. They are my standard. Among current writers, however, Elkins is one of my favorites. And "Twenty Blue Devils" is one of his better tales. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

I always like a mystery book which is built the old-fashioned way. There's a corpse, and someone's got to figure out who it is and why they're dead. When you've got the Hugh Grant of dectives, Gideon Oliver, along for the ride, you know you're going to have more twists and turns then a a maze. I liked Twenty Blue Devils, because it was engaging and had some interesting characters. A lot of the questions brought up by the corpse's skeleton were fascintating, and of course, the coffee had appeal to a Seattlite. Elkins is a very intelligent and detailed writer, who plots out a phenomenal mysteries that you just don't want to put down.

Aaron Elkins writes superb mysteries the old fashioned way. He actually has a puzzle in each of his novels!! Along with his intriguing and well thought out puzzles, he also has nice characters, exotic locals and humorous quips. Read them all.

After his last trip aboard, Gideon is back in his office being a professor. He is depressed over his latest birthday and wondering if his life has come to writing papers and teaching students. He wants to go back into the field and make discoveries on archaeological digs. Julie is trying to make him happier with an
decadent lunch when he gets a call From Abe. Back in 1982 they were both on a dig that was shut down due to dangerous conditions and a theft. He leaps at the chance to be back digging in dirt and discovering the lost secrets of the Maya Tribe. As the title suggest their is a curse on the place whether it is real or
someone is manipulating accidents to fit the clues only the reader can deduce that. Gideon is a character that
is easy to like and Elkins surrounds him with great settings and cast of characters that make the plot move forward without effort. Since these books take place in the 1980's it is interesting to see how they determine cause of death and identify bones without the modern technology of DNA and computers. I can't
wait to read more of this series as Elkins has Gideon keeping up with current trends in his field. Unlike Sue Grafton ( Kinsey Milhone series) who doesn't equip her with modern convinces like a cell phone, I can't wait until Gideon meets a computer.

A. Elkins is one of my all time favorite author's. He won the Edgar award a few years ago for a number of reasons. Any fan of Oliver's is sure to like this book. Once more our hero has to get out of a pickled mess and explore the jungle. Gideon is fast becoming a world traveller! The book is a lot of fun to read at the beach and is part of a good mystery collection!

I am beginning to think that the field of archaeology is a dangerous one. Gideon is called to the Yucatan by his mentor Abe to look at a skeleton found in the Priest's House at the dig there. Gideon and his wife Julie excitedly take the trip to the excavation, only to find more than just a skeleton there. Gideon has to dredge up memories of the previous dig at the site when a Mayan codex was stolen by the leader of the dig. A curse left by the Mayans in the Priest's House warns that horrible things will happen to any person who disturbs the site. Little by little the curses begin to happen to the group. Are the Gods of the Maya exacting their revenge, or is someone trying to cover something up?

Aaron Elkins is very good at spiriting the reader away to foreign lands and leading them on exciting quests and mysteries. You are sure to enjoy this one.

This book is one of the rarities these days. A book categorized as a mystery, that actually is. "Old Bones", was an enjoyable read that read quickly, only taking a few days of moderate reading. Sure the gathering of a family with strained relationships, decades after some troubling event and all sharing some family secret, is a common theme in mysteries, but it works here, just as it has in so many other novels. What makes this book most intriguing is the setting of Mont St. Michel and you'll find yourself caught up in the mystique. While the mystery isn't that complicated, nor the solution that shocking, there are definite elements of the story that can't help but make you appreciate the book. This book sold me enough on reading another Aaron Elkins book down the road.

And the tide comes rushing in. Not your usual tide, however, but the one that graces the shores of Brittany/Normandy where Oliver Gideon, world famous "Doctor Bones" is giving one of his lectures. This tide takes the life of Guillaume du Rocher, gentried man and local hero of the Resistance movement during the war. Gideon is called in when, the next day, skeletal remains are discovered in the du Rocher celler (readers know that Gideon's specialty is unveiling the secrets of the bones; he is to skeletons what Kay Scarpetta is to pathology!). This particular skeleton, he determines, is that of a young man who had died some 50 years earlier, believed to have been a member of the Resistance.

In addition, the scorched remnants of a Nazi officer murdered in 1942 serve to complicate the matter. This indeed is a conundrum for the "skeleton detective." What follows, too, is the lurking suspicion--nay, even knowledge--of collaboration (dreaded word to the Frnech!) during the Nazi occupation! Oliver is up to the challenge, however, as he methodically, painstakingly, scientifically unravels the story. He understands full well that some stories are better remained buried!

What is unearthed here, in particular detail but in a fascinating manner, starts a chain reaction: Gideon hmself is threatened and the principal heir to the du Rocher estate is poisoned Of course, owing to its setting, World War II espionage, intrigue, deceit, and, yes,

murder are principle ingredients.

Elkins is quite good at pacing the suspense, of which there is plenty. Certainly, his detective credentials seem in order (Gideon Oliver appears in a series of books). "Old Bones" won the l987 Edgar Award as the best mystery of the year, and it is no wonder. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Professor Gideon Oliver is in France attending a conference where he is giving a series of lectures on forensic anthropology. He is accompanied as usual by his friend, former military intelligence officer and current FBI agent John Lau. Gideon is invited to help the police in the investigation of skeletal remains found in the basement of the du Rocher chateau. Members of the clan have gathered there in answer to a summons from the family patriarch, Guilliame du Rocher. Guilliame's untimely demise by accidental drowning leads Gideon to a current mystery and an old one dating back to World War II. Elkins does a good job of describing the tensions, greed and rivalries resulting from the reading of Guilliame's will. The plot is intricate but easy to follow as Gideon explains each step of the crimes' solutions to John Lau enroute. I understand why the author won an Edgar Award for this book.

Aaron Elkins has written another enjoyable Gideon Oliver mystery. Anyone who enjoys richly detailled exotic settings and an unusual assortment of clues to puzzle over will enjoy this book. The author regales the reader with lovely descriptions of pastoral France as well as some pretty intriguing anthropological data (e.g. the current new twists on an old debate about the human qualities of the Cro Magnon vs. the Neanderthal add color to the central conflict of this mystery). Unfortunately, the dialogue between characters in SKELETON DANCE is not as witty and smooth as in earlier books of the series. Since Elkins relies primarily on dialogue to flesh out his characters, the book suffers a bit in this regard. Still, as the season of lazy afternoons is almost upon us, the book is a good addition to any bach bag or picnic pack.

Forensic anthropologist Professor Gideon Oliver and his wife Julie are on vacation when his old friend Inspector Lucien Jolly asks for his help. The finding of bones in caves near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac is the norm as this locale is the center of numerous prehistoric finds including skeletons. However, these bones are human remains of the late twentieth century.

Gideon was planning to come to the area to do research on hoaxes for his book. He changes his schedule and arrives at the famous site. Gideon begins an investigation into the modern bones. Other murders soon follow as Gideon gets closer to the truth that prove scientists can be as cold blooded as the extinct species they study.

The return of Professor Oliver will please fans of anthropologic mysteries. His current tale, SKELETON DANCE, is an intriguing story that will entertain fans with its red herrings turning it into a difficult puzzler. The story line is slower than the Edgar Award winning OLD BONES although the novel remains fun to read. Action gurus should pass, but anyone who relishes a cerebral mystery will gain much pleasure from Aaron Elkins' latest who-done-it.

SKELETON DANCE is the tenth Gideon Oliver mystery Aaron Elkins has written. I've read all ten. I guess that makes me a fan. This one finds Gideon and Julie in the south of France on a trip that was intended to be part vacation and part research excursion for a book Gideon plans to write. It seems a dog has turned up some not-so-old human bones from a prehistoric site in the area. Police Inspector Joly asks Gideon to examine the bones for clues.

Like all the other books in this series, Elkins manages to make the examination of a few bones fascinating. There is always some unique bit of information to be gleaned by the trained eye. On the other hand, these aren't the most intriguing mysteries ever. Sometimes the "surprising" developments aren't all that surprising. The clues are clever and the writing is witty, though. Gideon and Julie are familiar, easy-to-like characters and Elkins infuses the stories with a wry sense of humor. The result is a story that keeps the reader entertained and wanting to see what happens next. Even if it only confirms what you thought.

I always hesitate to give a Gideon Oliver mystery five stars. These stories aren't really on a par with a classic creation like Sherlock Holmes. Of the light mysteries currently being written, however, these are among my favorites. I look forward to each one and always enjoy them. Inevitably, though, I have enjoyed some more than others. In my opinion, SKELETON DANCE is one of the better ones.

As an archaeologist (formerly physical anthropologist) I was an avid reader of Elkin's books until I picked up a copy of this one. The main reason for the writing of this book seems to have been to get Gideon Oliver together with Julie, the forest ranger. Otherwise, it is poorly researched and unbelievable. Oliver manages to teach himself a non-Indo-European language in a matter of a few nights by studying a printed book? The archaeological references are just plain wrong, and the abilities of the physical anthropologist are over exagerated (always the case to a certain extent in his books, but usually the story makes up for it). His treatment of the Native Americans is offensive and stereotypical. Reading this book, and then Dead Men's Hearts in rapid succession was enough to turn me off of Elkin's books for several years.

I liked this book because it takes place in the rain forest and that is where I live. I thought that Aaron Elkins described everything in a way that made you think, and kept you going. I am not a big reader and I wanted to read on. It made me want to know more about what was going to happen, and what clues they were going to find next. This book gives you a good idea of what the rain forest is like. It makes you wonder if things are out there that we don't know about. I also found it interesting how Gideon Oliver could tell you so much information about someone by just looking at a single bone. I really like how the book kept you going right up tile the vary end. They talked about a atlatl and how it could have been used as a weapon. I found it interesting so I built one, and found that it was a very affective tool. I never did master the atlatl but I see how it is used to throw a spear twice as far than by hand. There really wasn't anything I didn't like about this book.

From reading this book I think Elkins is an outstanding writer. I have read only a couple books in my life, but reading this book was very interesting, knowing that the book took place around here where I live on the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington.

The part that interested me the most was when Gideon Oliver, a bone detective, got called to look at some bones from a murder that had happened years ago. Gideon and Julie Tendler, a park ranger, go on a six- mile hike in the Olympic National Park where a man named Louis Zander found a spear which they thought could've been the murder weapon. That chapter interested me because it had lots of action in it.

In a way this book is a love story, too, because Gideon falls in love with Julie. That's the main reason he stayed and took the case.

Some parts of the book were confusing because of some of the words the characters used, but overall I thought the book was very well-detailed. I think it was an outstanding book, and I hope Elkins comes out with another book about the Olympic National Park.