Bøger af Aaron Elkins

The ';shrewd, witty and self-deprecating forensic anthropologist' travels to Tahiti to sniff out crime at a coffee plantation (Publishers Weekly). The dead man is the manager of Tahiti's Paradise Coffee Plantation, producer of the most expensive coffee bean in the world, the winey, luscious Blue Devil. Nothing tangible points to foul play behind his fall from a cliff, but FBI agent John Lau, a relative of the coffee growing family, has his suspicions. What he needs is evidence, and who better to provide it than his friend, anthropologist Gideon Oliver, the Skeleton Detective? Gideon is willing to help, but surprisinglyand suspiciouslyboth the police and the other family members refuse to okay an exhumation order. As a result, Gideon, to his surprise and against his better judgment, finds himself sneaking into a graveyard under cover of night with John, a flashlight, and a shovelnot exactly up to the professional standards of the world's most famous forensic anthropologist, but necessary under the circumstances. Gideon prefers his bones ancient, dry, and dusty, but the body he must examine had lain in the tropical sun for a week before it was found and then buried native styleshallow, with no casketso it is not exactly his . . . well, cup of tea. But it is not the state of the remains that bothers him the most, it is the deeper human ugliness that his examination uncovers: subtle clues that do indeed point to foul play, to mistaken identity, and to a murderous conspiracy that may have percolated through the family for decadesand brewed a taste for murder. Twenty Blue Devils is the 9th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

';A headlong plunge into dark places and dark minds' from the Edgar Awardwinning author of the Gideon Oliver Mysteries (Statesman Journal). Pete Simon's all-American life was everything he ever wanted: a good home, a satisfying career, and a marriage still strong and loving after nearly twenty years. But in the days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, everything is about to change. It starts with the appearance of an old man at his door, ranting madly about money, death, and forgiveness. The man is a stranger to Petebut not to his wife, Lily. Only later does the truth come out. The unwelcome visitor was Lily's father, who she had claimed died during World War II in their native France, executed by the Nazis. The next day, he truly is dead, his savagely beaten body washed up in a nearby marshand Lily disappears, leaving behind only a brief, enigmatic note asking Pete not to look for her. Now, with a business card from an antiques dealer in Barcelona as his only lead, Pete sets out on a twisted and perilous journey that will carry him to places where the hideous crimes of the Nazis remain fresh in the minds of those who cannot forget... or forgive. But each door Pete opens leads him deeper into a painful and shocking past that threatens everything he holds most dear. And suddenly he has become more than a confused and distraught husband; the bitter truths that he uncovers one by one in the search for Lily now make himand herthe targets of desperate, dangerous men and their terrifying vengeance.

The French police call on the Skeleton Detective when a dog digs up some human bones: ';Terrific' Publishers Weekly Les Eyzies de Tayac is known for three things: pte de fois gras, truffles, and prehistoric remains. The little village, in fact, is the headquarters of the prestigious Institute de Prehistoire, which studies the abundant local fossils. But when a pet dog emerges from a nearby cave carrying parts of a human skeletonby no means a fossilized oneChief Inspector Lucien Anatole Joly puts in a call to his old friend, Gideon Oliver, the famed ';Skeleton Detective.' Once Gideon arrives, murder piles on murder, puzzle on puzzle, and twist follows twist in a series of unexpected events that threaten to tear the once sober, dignified Institut apart. It takes a bizarre and startling forensic breakthrough by Gideon to bring to an end a trail of deception thirty five thousand years in the making. Skeleton Dance is the 10th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A notorious French art dealer is murdered in this ';thoroughly entertaining' mystery by the Edgar Awardwinning author of the Gideon Oliver series (Kirkus Reviews). It is a headline making story: the discovery of a previously unknown Rembrandt. Rene Vachey, the iconoclastic art dealer who claims to have uncovered it, wants to make a gift of it to the Seattle Art Museum, but curator Chris Norgren is wary. Vachey is notorious in art circles for perpetrating scandalous shams; not for profit but for the sheer fun of embarrassing the elite and snobbish ';experts' of the art establishment. And thanks to the web of strings attached to Vachey's donation (e.g., no scientific testing permitted), even Rembrandt expert Chris is uncertain as to whether or not the painting is authentic. His doubts multiply when he goes to Dijon to examine it and finds himself in the middle of a host of controversies of which Vachey is the devilish focus. But there is no doubt that the bullet soon found in Vachey's head is authentic. And there is no telling how much time Chris has to find the truth about the ';masterpiece'and the murderbefore he finds himself painted into a corner by a shrewd and villainous murderer. 1993 Nero Award, given by the Nero Wolfe Society/the Wolfe Pack for literary excellence in the mystery genre.

An Edgar Awardwinning mystery featuring the forensic anthropologist hailed as ';a likable, down-to-earth, cerebral sleuth'from the author of Switcheroo (Chicago Tribune).';With the roar of thunder and the speed of a galloping horse comes the tide to Mont St. Michel,' goes the old nursery song. So when the aged patriarch of the du Rocher family falls victim to the perilous tide, even the old man's family accepts the verdict of accidental drowning.But too quickly, this ';accident' is followed by a bizarre discovery in the ancient du Rocher chateau: a human skeleton, wrapped in butcher paper, beneath the old stone flooring. Professor Gideon Oliver, lecturing on forensic anthropology at nearby St. Malo, is asked to examine the bones. He quickly demonstrates why he is known as the ';Skeleton Detective,' providing the police with forensic details that lead them to conclude that these are the remains of a Nazi officer believed to have been murdered in the area during the Occupation. Or are they? Gideon himself has his doubts. Then, when another of the current du Rochers diesthis time via cyanide poisoninghis doubts solidify into a single certainty: Someone wants old secrets to stay buried . . . and is perfectly willing to eradicate the meddlesome American to make that happen. Voted one of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century, and featuring ';a thrilling final scene,' Old Bones will captivate fans of Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen as well as readers of Aaron Elkins's popular Alix London series (Publishers Weekly). Old Bones is the 4th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

The Skeleton Detective puzzles over the theft of an ancient bit of boneand a student's murderin this novel by the Edgar Awardwinning author of Switcheroo. Anthropology professor Gideon Oliver would prefer to keep his mind on his beautiful new bride Julie during their English honeymoon, but one intrusive question will not stop nagging at him: Who would want to steal a thirty thousand year old parieto occipital calvarial fragment? Yet someone has lifted this chunk of prehistoric human skull from a musty museum in Dorchester. Then, thirty miles away, an archaeology student is murdered, increasing tension and suspicion at a dig that had already seethed with suspicion, rivalry, and mistrust. Could there be a connection between a hot bone and a cold blooded murder? Gideon is called on by the police to apply the unique skills for which the media have named him ';the Skeleton Detective,' and he reluctantly agrees. Before he is done, his sleuthing will lead him to another murder and willin the most literal and terrifying manner imaginablesic the dogs on him, putting Gideon himself, and Julie as well, in mortal danger . . .Murder in the Queen's Armes is a suspenseful, fun-filled whodunit by the author of the Alix London and Chris Norgren seriesa celebrated master who ';thoroughly understands the art of the murder mystery' (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Murder in the Queen's Armes is the 3rd book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

The forensic anthropologist wonders who would steal the bones of a deceased colleagueand why: ';A likable, down-to-earth, cerebral sleuth.' Chicago Tribune There is not much left of the irascible Albert Evan Jasper, ';dean of American forensic anthropologists,' after his demise in a fiery car crash. But in accord with his wishes, his remainsa few charred bits of boneare installed in an Oregon museum to create a fascinating if macabre exhibit. All agree that it is a fitting end for a great forensic scientistuntil what is left of him disappears in the midst of the biannual meeting (a.k.a., the ';bone bash and weenie roast') of the august WAFAthe Western Association of Forensic Anthropologistsin nearby Bend, Oregon. Like his fellow attendees, Gideon Oliverthe Skeleton Detectiveis baffled. Only the WAFA attendees could possibly have made off with the remains, but who in the world would steal something like that? And why? All had an opportunity, but who had a motive? Soon enough, the discovery of another body in a nearby shallow grave will bring to the fore a deeper, more urgent mystery, and when one of the current attendees is found dead in his cabin, all hell breaks loose. Gideon Oliver is now faced with the most difficult challenge of his careerunmasking a dangerous, brilliant killer who knows every bit as much about forensic science as he does. Or almost. Make No Bones is the 7th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A long-lost painting stolen by the Nazis turns up at a Boston pawnshopand leads to a string of murdersin this ';fast-paced and tightly written thriller' (The Seattle Times). In April 1945, the Nazis, reeling and near defeat, frantically work to hide the huge store of art treasures that Hitler has looted from Europe. Truck convoys loaded with the cultural wealth of the Western world pour in an unending stream into the compound of the vast Altaussee salt mine high in the Austrian Alps. But with the Allies closing in, the vaunted efficiency of the Nazis has broken down. At Altaussee, all is tumult and confusion. In the commotion, a single truck, its driver, and its priceless load of masterpieces vanish into a mountain snowstorm. Half a century later, in a seedy Boston pawnshop, ex curator Ben Revere makes a stunning discovery among the piles of junk: a Velazquez from the legendary Lost Truck. But with it come decades of secrets, rancor, and lies, and the few who know of the painting's existence have their lives snuffed out one by one by an unknown assassin. Revere must travel back to the grand cities of Europe to unravel the tangled history of the lost truck and its treasures before fifty years of hatred, greed, and retribution catch up with him.

Edgar Awardwinning series: On a trip to Glacier Bay, Alaska, the Skeleton Detective pursues a cold-hearted killer who buries evidence in an avalanche. Gideon Oliver expects to be amicably bored when he takes on the role of ';accompanying spouse' at a lodge in the magnificent wild country of Glacier Bay, Alaska, where his forest ranger wife, Julie, is attending a conference. But it turns out to be exactly his cup of tea. There is another group at the lodge: six scientists on a memorial journey to the site of a thirty year old glacial avalanche that killed three of their colleagues. Their leader is TV's most popular science personality, the unctuous M. Audley Tremaine, who is the sole survivor of the fatal avalanche. But he does not survive long and is soon found hanged in his room. If that is not upsetting enough, shocked hikers discover human bones emerging from the foot of the glacierare they the shattered remains of the three who died, finally seeing daylight after their two mile, three decade journey within the glacial flow? When the FBI seeks expert help, everyone agrees how fortunate it is that Dr. Oliver, the famed Skeleton Detective, is on the scene. Everybody, that is, but the person who wants ancient history to stay that wayand who believes that murder is the surest way to keep the past buried. Icy Clutches is the 6th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

First in the Edgar Awardwinning series ';that never disappoints,' featuring the forensic anthropologist known as the Skeleton Detective (The Philadelphia Inquirer). When anthropology professor Gideon Oliver is offered a teaching fellowship at US military bases in Germany, Sicily, Spain, and Holland, he wastes no time accepting. Stimulating courses to teach, a decent stipend, all expenses paid, plenty of interesting European travel . . . What's not to like? It does not take him long to find out. On his first night, he is forced to fend off two desperate, black clad men who have invaded his Heidelberg hotel room with intent to kill. And then there are a few trivial details that the recruiting agency forgot to mentionsuch as the fact that the two previous holders of the fellowship both met with mysterious ends. From there, it is all downhill. Gideon finds himself the target in an unfamiliar game for which no one has bothered to give him the rules. What he does have is his own considerable intellect and his remarkable forensic skills. He will need them, for he is playing for some fairly high stakes: the security of Western Europe. Fellowship of Fear is the 1st book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

An American museum curator in Berlin must find a fake paintingand a real killerin this mystery from the Edgar Awardwinning author of Switcheroo. Chris Norgren, museum curator and Renaissance art expert, heads to Berlin to assist in mounting a sensational exhibit: The Plundered Pasttwenty priceless Old Masters looted by the Nazis, thought for decades to be lost forever, and only recently rediscovered. But things quickly get out of hand when Chris's patrician, fastidious boss, after sensing a forgery in the lot, turns up dead the very next dayon the steps of a dismal Frankfurt brothel, of all places. Now, Chris faces a daunting task: finding a counterfeit artwork among the masterpiecesand an all-too-real killer whose sights are now set on him. A Deceptive Clarity is the first in the Chris Norgren Mysteries by the multiple awardwinning creator of the Gideon Oliver ';Skeleton Detective' novelsa celebrated master who ';thoroughly understands the art of the murder mystery' (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Edgar Awardwinning author: ';A cunning plot, a remarkably appealing hero, some uproariously funny dialogue... a winning combination.' Booklist An ancient skeleton tossed in a garbage dump is the first conundrum to rattle Gideon Oliver when he arrives in Egypt. There to appear in a documentary film, he expects an undemanding week of movie star treatment and a luxurious cruise up the Nile with his wife, Julie. But when Gideon discovers a tantalizing secret in the discarded bonesand violence claims a famous Egyptologist's lifehe is thrust into a spotlight of a different kind. Plying his calipers as the world's foremost forensic anthropologist, Gideon's investigation of the goings on leads him through the back alleys and bazaars of Cairo and deep into the millennia old tombs of the Valley of the Kings. As the puzzle is painstakingly pieced together, Gideon will find that the identifying traits of a cunning killer are the same now as they were in the time of the pyramids: greed without guilt, lies without conscience . . . and murder without remorse. Dead Men's Hearts is the 8th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

On an archeological excavation in Mexico, the Skeleton Detective must solve an ancient riddle and a modern murder: ';A series that never disappoints.' Philadelphia Inquirer Mayan ruins in the Yucatn . . . a secret room in a tomb . . . age old skeletons. To anthropologist Gideon Oliver, the renowned Skeleton Detective, the invitation to join the archaeological excavation of Tlaloc promises two months of paradise on Earth. That is, until an ancient series of Mayan curses against desecrators of the site is unearthed. When the first one comes to pass (';The bloodsucking kinkajou will come freely among them'), it is taken by all as a practical joke. But by the time the fourth one is apparently consummated (';The one called Xecotcavach will pierce their skulls so that their brains spill onto the earth'), nerves have begun to fray and suspicions and discord are mounting. The steamy jungles weigh down on the band of eccentric anthropologists as one by one the curses continue to materialize. It takes Gideon's special talents for deductionalong with the enigmatic insights of Mexico's one and only Mayan Indian inspector of the state judicial policeto resolve an ancient riddle and a modern, murderous mystery. Curses! is the 5th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.