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Latest Reads - Where There’s a Will (Aaron Elkins)
- Sherry Ickes
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
At this point, you may be wondering if you've already seen a book review on an Aaron Elkin's book. Well, dear fellow reader or writer...you would be correct. As Aaron Elkins is one of my favorite authors, I've been catching up on some of the ones I've missed in his Gideon Oliver Mysteries. And this one was my next read after Dying on the Vine. (Yes, I realize that I'm reading them out of order, but if you won't tell, no one will find out!)
So without any more delay, take a peek at what I thought of the twelfth mystery for this forensic anthropologist.
First, My Own Synopsis of the Book:
While on vacation in Hawaii, Gideon Oliver and his friend John Lau, an FBI agent, visit with some ranch owners that John has known since he was a teenager; back when he used to work on their farm. It doesn't take long, however, for their plans of relaxation before Gideon’s wife, Julie, joins them, to take a dive for the worst upon the discovery of a crashed plane site. Their upended vacation soon turns personal as a connection to the farm, from ten years ago, finds the duo hip-deep in the middle of a complicated mystery.
A decade beforehand, the farm had once belonged to three family members: Torkel, Magnus, and Dagmar. The official story states that one night, unknown people attacked the farm, and killed Magnus; while Torkel ended up escaping in a plane with the pilot, Claudia, and they were never heard from again.
After the will had been followed, dividing the large farm amongst the surviving family members, suspicion is now risen over whether it was done correctly. With so many questions swirling around in the air, including the identity of whose body is really in the plane, Gideon Oliver is tasked with living up to his nickname, as the Skeleton Detective, in order to find out the truth from a waterlogged pile of bones.
My Thoughts on the Mystery:
For me, Aaron Elkins delivered another solid mystery filled with interesting twists and turns as the story moved along. Though in this particular novel, I find that Gideon was both right and wrong at the same time, I would still highly recommend this one to any reader, or writer, fascinated with what we can learn from mere bones. Each time I read one of his books, I'm always surprised at what the Skeleton Detective can glean of the dead's past lives and occupations. With well-developed characters that play off of one another in dynamic ways, I can't wait to read the next installment!
Once again, as in past mysteries of this series, the police are competent. However, as I previously alluded to in the above paragraph, the case was closed incorrectly for understandable reasons.
If you would like to find out more about this author, and his books, feel free to click on the following links below:
Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to chatting up another "Latest Reads" with you very shortly. Enjoy your books!
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