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Gideon Oliver #18
Switcheroo
The Skeleton Detective is back.
A cold case dating from the 1960s draws forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver to the Channel Islands decades later to shine a light on the mysterious connection between two men who died there on the same night.
Swapped as young boys by their fathers during the Nazi occupation, wealthy Roddy Carlisle and middle-class George Skinner had some readjusting to do after the war ended—but their lives remained linked through work, trouble with the law, and finally, it would seem, through murder.
Nobody expects that Gideon’s modern-day investigation will turn up fresh bodies. But old bones tell many tales, and the Skeleton Detective has to be at his sharpest to piece together the truth before the body count mounts still higher.
Declared “a series that never disappoints” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Gideon Oliver mystery series is for fans of Agatha Christie and Kathy Reichs.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2016
252 people are currently reading
953 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Elkins
54 books338 followersAaron J. Elkins, AKA Aaron Elkins (born Brooklyn July 24, 1935) is an American mystery writer. He is best known for his series of novels featuring forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver—the 'skeleton detective'. The fourth Oliver book, Old Bones, received the 1988 Edgar Award for Best Novel. As Oliver is a world-renowned authority, he travels around the world and each book is set in a different and often exotic locale.
In another series, the protagonist is museum curator Chris Norgren, an expert in Northern Renaissance art.
One of his stand-alone thrillers, Loot deals with art stolen by the Nazis and introduces protagonist Dr. Benjamin Revere.
With his wife, Charlotte Elkins, he has also co-written a series of golf mysteries about LPGA member Lee Ofsted. They shared an Agatha Award for their short story "Nice Gorilla".
Aaron and Charlotte live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
Japanese: アーロン エルキンズ
Series:
* Lee Ofsted (with Charlotte Elkins)
Series contributed to:
* Malice Domestic
In another series, the protagonist is museum curator Chris Norgren, an expert in Northern Renaissance art.
One of his stand-alone thrillers, Loot deals with art stolen by the Nazis and introduces protagonist Dr. Benjamin Revere.
With his wife, Charlotte Elkins, he has also co-written a series of golf mysteries about LPGA member Lee Ofsted. They shared an Agatha Award for their short story "Nice Gorilla".
Aaron and Charlotte live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
Japanese: アーロン エルキンズ
Series:
* Lee Ofsted (with Charlotte Elkins)
Series contributed to:
* Malice Domestic
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
July 30, 2023
What I like about this series, is a reader does not necessarily HAVE to read them in order. I am sure the most devote fan would insist the series be read in order but I enjoy muddling about choosing what Country I want to delve into. Each and every time I read a novel, I feel right at home in the couple's loving relationship.
Gideon Oliver and his lovable wife are simply adorable. I love their interactions, their ability to support one another professionally, emotionally, and intellectually. Julia's work as a National Park Ranger Administrator must be as dry and dull to Gideon as to her with his own work with old ancient bones. Yet, they both outwardly and enthusiastically try to engage an interest in one anothers work. They also enjoy each others company in leisure and cuisine.
This time, they are on Jersey, a Channel Island. Once again, Aaron Elkins does a wonderful job. His WW2 lesson inspired me to read more about the German occupation. To note, both the Isle of Jersey and the Isle of Guernsey were the ONLY British territories to be occupied by Germany. His descriptions of Jersey, its land, architectures, people and culture gave me a realistic feel of the island. I almost wanted to pick up stakes and move there.
I am recommending this one for my Mystery Book World Challenge. I am NOT including Jersey as part of the UK because despite being a British Crown Dependency, the Channel Islands are described as "self governing".
Gideon Oliver and his lovable wife are simply adorable. I love their interactions, their ability to support one another professionally, emotionally, and intellectually. Julia's work as a National Park Ranger Administrator must be as dry and dull to Gideon as to her with his own work with old ancient bones. Yet, they both outwardly and enthusiastically try to engage an interest in one anothers work. They also enjoy each others company in leisure and cuisine.
This time, they are on Jersey, a Channel Island. Once again, Aaron Elkins does a wonderful job. His WW2 lesson inspired me to read more about the German occupation. To note, both the Isle of Jersey and the Isle of Guernsey were the ONLY British territories to be occupied by Germany. His descriptions of Jersey, its land, architectures, people and culture gave me a realistic feel of the island. I almost wanted to pick up stakes and move there.
I am recommending this one for my Mystery Book World Challenge. I am NOT including Jersey as part of the UK because despite being a British Crown Dependency, the Channel Islands are described as "self governing".
February 16, 2016
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Aaron Elkins, and Thomas & Mercer Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book, which allows me to provide you with this review.
Elkins brings back his famed Skeleton Detective, Dr. Gideon Oliver, for another zany and highly entertaining case. When asked to investigate a cold case from the 1960s, Oliver jumps at the opportunity to head over to the Channel Islands. Once there, the tale of two linked by a common past comes to life, especially as they were discovered on the same day. As Oliver examines the bones left behind, he begins to poke holes in the original forensic findings and unravels a mystery that dates back to the time of the Nazi Occupation, involving young Roddy Carlisle and George Skinner. Using simple forensics and genetics, Oliver opens a chasm that causes new bodies to emerge and leaves those in Jersey wondering who is next to face the murderer's wrath, as family members of both men posit how their ancestors died and what sinister motive could explain it all. Elkins offers up another of his interesting forensic pieces, using a quaint backdrop and some returning characters to pave the way to a successful mystery.
Before Jefferson Bass and Kathy Reichs made their marks, Aaron Elkins had the monopoly on good forensic anthropology mysteries. His stories utilise a loose set of characters, some of whom reappear, but others who make their presence known in a single mystery. While they are well-crafted and succinct, they do not probe as deeply into the case as other authors of the same genre. I have also found that readers of Elkins' works, particularly the Gideon Oliver novels, must suspend chronology in order to fit the stories together. I know I have made this complaint when I read the series consecutively, in the past, but when Elkins seeks to use dates to place the characters in a certain timeframe, one cannot ignore the placement of chronology listed in some of the early novels, making Gideon an impossible forty-two, or his well-developed backstory possible. Still, the story is light and seems to flow effectively, perfect for a short read on holiday or over a rainy/snowy weekend.
Kudos, Mr. Elkins for another interesting mystery. I hope others enjoy your books as much as I have come to do over the years.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Elkins brings back his famed Skeleton Detective, Dr. Gideon Oliver, for another zany and highly entertaining case. When asked to investigate a cold case from the 1960s, Oliver jumps at the opportunity to head over to the Channel Islands. Once there, the tale of two linked by a common past comes to life, especially as they were discovered on the same day. As Oliver examines the bones left behind, he begins to poke holes in the original forensic findings and unravels a mystery that dates back to the time of the Nazi Occupation, involving young Roddy Carlisle and George Skinner. Using simple forensics and genetics, Oliver opens a chasm that causes new bodies to emerge and leaves those in Jersey wondering who is next to face the murderer's wrath, as family members of both men posit how their ancestors died and what sinister motive could explain it all. Elkins offers up another of his interesting forensic pieces, using a quaint backdrop and some returning characters to pave the way to a successful mystery.
Before Jefferson Bass and Kathy Reichs made their marks, Aaron Elkins had the monopoly on good forensic anthropology mysteries. His stories utilise a loose set of characters, some of whom reappear, but others who make their presence known in a single mystery. While they are well-crafted and succinct, they do not probe as deeply into the case as other authors of the same genre. I have also found that readers of Elkins' works, particularly the Gideon Oliver novels, must suspend chronology in order to fit the stories together. I know I have made this complaint when I read the series consecutively, in the past, but when Elkins seeks to use dates to place the characters in a certain timeframe, one cannot ignore the placement of chronology listed in some of the early novels, making Gideon an impossible forty-two, or his well-developed backstory possible. Still, the story is light and seems to flow effectively, perfect for a short read on holiday or over a rainy/snowy weekend.
Kudos, Mr. Elkins for another interesting mystery. I hope others enjoy your books as much as I have come to do over the years.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
February 22, 2016
Switcheroo is not your garden variety cozy mystery. It is a unique hybrid that falls somewhere between a cozy and a procedural. Like a cozy, there is little violence and a more relaxed atmosphere, like a procedural the lead (Gideon Oliver) is a professional (a forensic anthropologist) who applies scientific methods systematically to solve crimes.
As a forensic anthropologist, Gideon Oliver’s speciality is drawing information from old bones. This ability is particularly useful in solving cold cases. But there are always those willing to kill to keep the secrets of the past hidden.
Switcheroo starts with an intriguing premise. An affluent couple convinces their poor relatives who are evacuating to the mainland to take their son, a weaker boy who may not survive the deprivations of occupation, in the place of their own. An agreement was sworn, money exchanged hands, and after the end of the war, the boys were returned to their respective families. Years later, the young men are suspected of embezzlement and other nefarious business dealings. They disappear, but not long after, one is discovered dead, shot through the heart. The other is suspected of the murder, but then his bones are found in the tar pit along with those of a coconspirator. Gideon, his wife, and his friend John are invited to Jersey to view the remains and shed some light on the past.
Aaron Elkins does a superb job in making forensic anthropology understandable for the lay reader. The science is fascinating, and bones do not have the same “ick” factor that fresh bodies do. Gideon and Julia have a wonderful, mutually supportive relationship that is a joy to observe. I also liked DCI Clapper, who may not be the most politic in his wording, but who appreciates good sense and dedication regardless of sex, background, or color.
Switcheroo makes for a refreshing change from garden variety cozies. The blend of cold case, science, and present crime make for a delectable read.
5/5
I received a copy of Switcheroo from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
As a forensic anthropologist, Gideon Oliver’s speciality is drawing information from old bones. This ability is particularly useful in solving cold cases. But there are always those willing to kill to keep the secrets of the past hidden.
Switcheroo starts with an intriguing premise. An affluent couple convinces their poor relatives who are evacuating to the mainland to take their son, a weaker boy who may not survive the deprivations of occupation, in the place of their own. An agreement was sworn, money exchanged hands, and after the end of the war, the boys were returned to their respective families. Years later, the young men are suspected of embezzlement and other nefarious business dealings. They disappear, but not long after, one is discovered dead, shot through the heart. The other is suspected of the murder, but then his bones are found in the tar pit along with those of a coconspirator. Gideon, his wife, and his friend John are invited to Jersey to view the remains and shed some light on the past.
Aaron Elkins does a superb job in making forensic anthropology understandable for the lay reader. The science is fascinating, and bones do not have the same “ick” factor that fresh bodies do. Gideon and Julia have a wonderful, mutually supportive relationship that is a joy to observe. I also liked DCI Clapper, who may not be the most politic in his wording, but who appreciates good sense and dedication regardless of sex, background, or color.
Switcheroo makes for a refreshing change from garden variety cozies. The blend of cold case, science, and present crime make for a delectable read.
5/5
I received a copy of Switcheroo from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
January 25, 2016
Over the years, I have read several Gideon Oliver books (and other books by the author and his wife), but they have never been a must read. When I see one, I'll pick it up, read it and enjoy it. So, why isn't the series a must read? I think it's because it's so low key for a traditional mystery. There are no highs and lows (at least in the books I've read) in terms of action and danger. It's more what I would expect from a cozy.
That said, I liked Switcheroo especially how the first 5 chapters set up the background for the murder. I didn't know anything that happened in Jersey during WW II and how the British government screwed their own people and it made me curious to read more.
As pretty much all the books I've read in the series, somehow John hitches along though he doesn't really help Gideon out. Julie is there too, but as I recall as typical, she doesn't play an important role either. It's primarily Gideon, the man who requested he come to Jersey and an old acquaintance who happens to be the top cop on the island.
So, I think if you've liked the other Gideon books, you'll like this one too, but don't expect anything new or exciting.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
That said, I liked Switcheroo especially how the first 5 chapters set up the background for the murder. I didn't know anything that happened in Jersey during WW II and how the British government screwed their own people and it made me curious to read more.
As pretty much all the books I've read in the series, somehow John hitches along though he doesn't really help Gideon out. Julie is there too, but as I recall as typical, she doesn't play an important role either. It's primarily Gideon, the man who requested he come to Jersey and an old acquaintance who happens to be the top cop on the island.
So, I think if you've liked the other Gideon books, you'll like this one too, but don't expect anything new or exciting.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
July 17, 2025
Enjoyed this series but unfortunately this is the last book.
October 4, 2020
Loved this book as it had all the elements I delight in finding in one story. Just four of the Gideon Oliver books are available through Kindle Unlimited and one was a lemon. I was excited from the first chapter of this book to find the foundation of the murder mystery would be the occupation of German military forces during WWII of the Channel Islands.
Gideon's wife Julie is also invited to Jersey to assist as well as enjoy a holiday in this picturesque setting. Her presence always adds to the liveliness of what could be called the dry business of studying bones. This book is so good I just don't want to spoil it for anyone else. If you like collaborative work by joining intelligent police with scientists and add a good measure of well described natural scenes joined with example of a happily married couple this book should please.
The title refers to the switching of children (two boys) agreed to by two couples for the duration of the occupation. What may have seemed a good idea at the time leads to murder to be revealed by scientific evidence...no surprise.
Kindle Unlimited
Gideon's wife Julie is also invited to Jersey to assist as well as enjoy a holiday in this picturesque setting. Her presence always adds to the liveliness of what could be called the dry business of studying bones. This book is so good I just don't want to spoil it for anyone else. If you like collaborative work by joining intelligent police with scientists and add a good measure of well described natural scenes joined with example of a happily married couple this book should please.
The title refers to the switching of children (two boys) agreed to by two couples for the duration of the occupation. What may have seemed a good idea at the time leads to murder to be revealed by scientific evidence...no surprise.
Kindle Unlimited
April 5, 2016
This Gideon Oliver mystery at first follows the fate of two small boys who are swapped when their parents reach an agreement. One set can leave Jersey just ahead of the Nazi occupation and they are persuaded (with money) to bring away the sickly young son of a wealthy family. Their little boy, a much stronger type, remains on the island and is reared as the son of the rich family. After the war, of course, all has to be revisited and straightened out but the families don't talk about the matter.
In modern times, the eponymous forensic scientist arrives at the invitation of a friend, taking time from a conference in Spain. He and his wife see the sights, which include, for them, a box of bones pulled from a tar pit. Whose are the bones, and what happened to cause the death or deaths? The earlier story gradually blends to the present day one and we see the echoes down the years of the swap.
This book draws upon the location (including the Gerald Durrell animal sanctuary) and history strongly, but emphasises this aspect to the exclusion of much tension or pace. This is why I am not giving a better rating. However if a quiet read and intellectual puzzle about tidily bloodless bones will suit you, you may well find the book a thoroughly absorbing read.
I like the series and have a few more to catch up on but I downloaded a copy of 'Switcheroo' (don't like the title) from Net Galley for an unbiased review, so have read it out of order. Fans of Aaron Elkins will certainly want to see the sleuth on holiday in Jersey.
In modern times, the eponymous forensic scientist arrives at the invitation of a friend, taking time from a conference in Spain. He and his wife see the sights, which include, for them, a box of bones pulled from a tar pit. Whose are the bones, and what happened to cause the death or deaths? The earlier story gradually blends to the present day one and we see the echoes down the years of the swap.
This book draws upon the location (including the Gerald Durrell animal sanctuary) and history strongly, but emphasises this aspect to the exclusion of much tension or pace. This is why I am not giving a better rating. However if a quiet read and intellectual puzzle about tidily bloodless bones will suit you, you may well find the book a thoroughly absorbing read.
I like the series and have a few more to catch up on but I downloaded a copy of 'Switcheroo' (don't like the title) from Net Galley for an unbiased review, so have read it out of order. Fans of Aaron Elkins will certainly want to see the sleuth on holiday in Jersey.
February 16, 2016
*I received this book from NetGalley in return for a fair review.*
My 22nd solo author book by Aaron Elkins (not counting the six I read that he wrote with his wife). And 18th Gideon Oliver book.
Characters
I'll start off by noting something that troubled me at the beginning. Well, the beginning of the Gideon section. This is a series that began some time around 1982. There is a seemingly big point made about how Gideon Oliver is 42 in this book. Reinforced when it is mentioned that his FBI buddy is only one year older. I have some vague idea that both were in that first book, but I could be mistaken.
Fellowship of Fear being that first book. That appeared 34 years ago. Which means that Gideon Oliver was 8 years old in this first book. 8. It is true that there are series wherein the character might age during the run of the series, but at an altered rate. A rate wherein the character, over a 30 year period, might age about . . . oh, 5, 10 years. I understand that fact. It is just . . . I kind of wanted to enter this specific book with an older man, distinguished, respected, experienced. By making him 42 instead of, say, 52 (which still wouldn't work with a series that has been out for 34 years, but still . . .), it kind of undercuts everything that came before.
I do not mean to harp on this specific issue. It just . . . bugged me. Somewhere along the way, though, I allowed myself to take the current series number, 18, divide it by half, and pretend that the series books are about 6 months apart chronologically. Meaning that only 9 years passed from first book to 18th book. Meaning, that 42 might actually work. With that out of the way, I moved past this age issue and continued. (One last point, and probably the real reason I went so long on this issue - I've been reading this series for 26 or so years. To find a guy who was a huge number of years older than me when I started the series, and who, suddenly, I find him to be roughly my own age . . . to find myself in this situation, was kind of horrifying, truthfully).
Right. Other than age, everyone who is a regular, Julie the wife, John the FBI friend, Gideon Oliver the skeleton detective, all operated within the parameters previously set for these series regulars. Nice and comfortbale, in its way. No one grew over the course of the book, no one expanded. Just . . . there. Like a comfortable rock.
The others were detailed enough for their roles. I kind of wonder what it might have been like if Elkins had written more stand alone novels, because some of these 'other' characters he created actually showed some rather neat deeper than expected characterization. Well, at least the ones who were in the beginning of the book.
Mystery/plot
To start with - the book opens in 1940 with some characters wandering around the English Channel Island of Jersey. Stressing, mightily, over the fact that 'Winnie' has given up the islands to the Germans. Winnie being Churchill. The troops have been removed. The islands are left for the Germans to swoop in and take if they want. And they do want.
Apparently the idea of removing civilians hadn't really been a consideration. Until it was. But in a really hurried way. Annoucement came, people had to decide basically immediately if they would leave the island. And one specific family found themselves in a tricky situation. One of the richest people on the island, a Howard Carlisle, if I recall correctly, felt it was his duty to stay his post. Until . . . he remembered his very sickly son. But he remembered too late. After efforts to get his family off the island after registration had closed, Carlisle turned to his brother-in-law. And made a deal. They'd swap kids. Skinner's kid was quite heathy, while his own was sickly. His own wouldn't last an occupation, while George, the Skinner kid, would. So swap.
Book then jumps five years later to 1945 when the Skinner family returned to Jersey island. Then time passed through several news articles, news articles mentioning some issues involving the Roddy Carlisle (that young sickly son) and George Skinner (and a third guy). Then mention of George's death. Then mention of Roddy's body being found. This being roughly 1964 or so.
Book then leaps forward to 2015 to Gideon Oliver and his wife Julie (and friend John) in Spain. As somewhat usual with these types of books, specifically meaning Oliver books, Gideon is at a conference. He is a student, though, and therefore very bored.
An old friend bumps into Gideon, they get to talking, and Rafe Carlisle invites Gideon to come to Jersey to look at some old bones. There is this murder mystery to be solved, a really old one. Gideon jumps at the chance.
And so, Gideon looks at some bones. Julie wanders the island playing tourist. John does . . . um . . . whatever it is John does (seemingly eat everything around him, since he is away from his wife).
The mystery is actually quite interesting. Difficult to mention completley without going into spoiler territory, but there are some things I can mention. In the 1960s, the Carlisle paving company was doing quite well. Then, suddenly, it was found out that some of this success was made through corruption. Plus, there's this embezzelment plot. Charges are going to be brought against two men. When, poof, one of the two men is dead. George Skinner. Suspicion turns to Roddy Carlisle and another man, a really smart fella with maths. Then, five years later, bones are found in the Carlisle tar pits. The police, at the time, decide that it's the two missing men.
This is the mystery Gideon is asked to look into. He goes into it after first noting that there might not be anything he can find out. He is just applying modern forensic science to some bones. Science that didn't exist in the '60s. As kind of expected, he finds more than he personally thought he would, and suddenly causes a chain of events to unfold and shock and aw all.
Overall
I'm rather glad I saw this book on NetGalley. While it is true that I have read every Gideon Oliver book Elkins has put out, and most of his other books as well, it is also true that I haven't exactly enjoyed many of the later Oliver books. And the most recent book I had read by Elkins, A Dangerous Talent, I only gave two stars to. Sure, that's not an Oliver book, but the last bunch of those I gave no more than 3 stars to.
So, again, I'm glad I saw this book on NetGalley. Because I probably would have figured I was done with Elkins. But I did see it on there. And so I took a chance on the book and am quite happy that I did. Because this is actually a rather good book. A four star (out of 5) book.
January 22 2016
My 22nd solo author book by Aaron Elkins (not counting the six I read that he wrote with his wife). And 18th Gideon Oliver book.
Characters
I'll start off by noting something that troubled me at the beginning. Well, the beginning of the Gideon section. This is a series that began some time around 1982. There is a seemingly big point made about how Gideon Oliver is 42 in this book. Reinforced when it is mentioned that his FBI buddy is only one year older. I have some vague idea that both were in that first book, but I could be mistaken.
Fellowship of Fear being that first book. That appeared 34 years ago. Which means that Gideon Oliver was 8 years old in this first book. 8. It is true that there are series wherein the character might age during the run of the series, but at an altered rate. A rate wherein the character, over a 30 year period, might age about . . . oh, 5, 10 years. I understand that fact. It is just . . . I kind of wanted to enter this specific book with an older man, distinguished, respected, experienced. By making him 42 instead of, say, 52 (which still wouldn't work with a series that has been out for 34 years, but still . . .), it kind of undercuts everything that came before.
I do not mean to harp on this specific issue. It just . . . bugged me. Somewhere along the way, though, I allowed myself to take the current series number, 18, divide it by half, and pretend that the series books are about 6 months apart chronologically. Meaning that only 9 years passed from first book to 18th book. Meaning, that 42 might actually work. With that out of the way, I moved past this age issue and continued. (One last point, and probably the real reason I went so long on this issue - I've been reading this series for 26 or so years. To find a guy who was a huge number of years older than me when I started the series, and who, suddenly, I find him to be roughly my own age . . . to find myself in this situation, was kind of horrifying, truthfully).
Right. Other than age, everyone who is a regular, Julie the wife, John the FBI friend, Gideon Oliver the skeleton detective, all operated within the parameters previously set for these series regulars. Nice and comfortbale, in its way. No one grew over the course of the book, no one expanded. Just . . . there. Like a comfortable rock.
The others were detailed enough for their roles. I kind of wonder what it might have been like if Elkins had written more stand alone novels, because some of these 'other' characters he created actually showed some rather neat deeper than expected characterization. Well, at least the ones who were in the beginning of the book.
Mystery/plot
To start with - the book opens in 1940 with some characters wandering around the English Channel Island of Jersey. Stressing, mightily, over the fact that 'Winnie' has given up the islands to the Germans. Winnie being Churchill. The troops have been removed. The islands are left for the Germans to swoop in and take if they want. And they do want.
Apparently the idea of removing civilians hadn't really been a consideration. Until it was. But in a really hurried way. Annoucement came, people had to decide basically immediately if they would leave the island. And one specific family found themselves in a tricky situation. One of the richest people on the island, a Howard Carlisle, if I recall correctly, felt it was his duty to stay his post. Until . . . he remembered his very sickly son. But he remembered too late. After efforts to get his family off the island after registration had closed, Carlisle turned to his brother-in-law. And made a deal. They'd swap kids. Skinner's kid was quite heathy, while his own was sickly. His own wouldn't last an occupation, while George, the Skinner kid, would. So swap.
Book then jumps five years later to 1945 when the Skinner family returned to Jersey island. Then time passed through several news articles, news articles mentioning some issues involving the Roddy Carlisle (that young sickly son) and George Skinner (and a third guy). Then mention of George's death. Then mention of Roddy's body being found. This being roughly 1964 or so.
Book then leaps forward to 2015 to Gideon Oliver and his wife Julie (and friend John) in Spain. As somewhat usual with these types of books, specifically meaning Oliver books, Gideon is at a conference. He is a student, though, and therefore very bored.
An old friend bumps into Gideon, they get to talking, and Rafe Carlisle invites Gideon to come to Jersey to look at some old bones. There is this murder mystery to be solved, a really old one. Gideon jumps at the chance.
And so, Gideon looks at some bones. Julie wanders the island playing tourist. John does . . . um . . . whatever it is John does (seemingly eat everything around him, since he is away from his wife).
The mystery is actually quite interesting. Difficult to mention completley without going into spoiler territory, but there are some things I can mention. In the 1960s, the Carlisle paving company was doing quite well. Then, suddenly, it was found out that some of this success was made through corruption. Plus, there's this embezzelment plot. Charges are going to be brought against two men. When, poof, one of the two men is dead. George Skinner. Suspicion turns to Roddy Carlisle and another man, a really smart fella with maths. Then, five years later, bones are found in the Carlisle tar pits. The police, at the time, decide that it's the two missing men.
This is the mystery Gideon is asked to look into. He goes into it after first noting that there might not be anything he can find out. He is just applying modern forensic science to some bones. Science that didn't exist in the '60s. As kind of expected, he finds more than he personally thought he would, and suddenly causes a chain of events to unfold and shock and aw all.
Overall
I'm rather glad I saw this book on NetGalley. While it is true that I have read every Gideon Oliver book Elkins has put out, and most of his other books as well, it is also true that I haven't exactly enjoyed many of the later Oliver books. And the most recent book I had read by Elkins, A Dangerous Talent, I only gave two stars to. Sure, that's not an Oliver book, but the last bunch of those I gave no more than 3 stars to.
So, again, I'm glad I saw this book on NetGalley. Because I probably would have figured I was done with Elkins. But I did see it on there. And so I took a chance on the book and am quite happy that I did. Because this is actually a rather good book. A four star (out of 5) book.
January 22 2016
May 17, 2017
3.5 stars Aaron Elkins is back with another Gideon Oliver mystery, the first in almost four years, and it’s a good one. Take a pair of children switched as toddlers, a 50-year-old murder, two sets of bones found in a tar pit. Throw in a public servant with family ties to all of the above, an expert on bones, and a fresh murder, and what begins as a more-or-less academic investigation turns into a convoluted mystery with roots in the past and a decided foot in the present.
When it comes to forensic anthropology, Elkins really knows his stuff. . . as well he should, being a former professor of anthropology himself (not unlike his fictional detective.) It never ceases to amaze me what Gideon can figure out from a few fragments of what was once a human being. But Gideon is not just a skeleton detective. He’s observant, intelligent, and he never stops trying to figure things out when they don’t fit together, whether the pieces are bones or other clues.
Unlike many mysteries (and most cozies), Elkins doesn’t focus on one or two POV characters as they try to solve the mystery. Instead, the narrative, while remaining in third-person-limited, jumps from one character to another as the scenes change, always focusing on to or by whom the action is occurring at the time: Gideon; Rafe, the jovial, debonair Jersey Senator who asks Gideon to investigate a cold case that’s rather close to home; Rafe’s cousin Abbott Skinner; Mike Clapper, the chief detective inspector; a pair police detectives; and of course, some of the major players in the past. This serves two purposes: it gives the reader a clear if potentially biased view of important events, and it cuts down on explanations, interrogations, and reports — you see what unfolds instead of being told about it through dialog.
Of course, what you see is only what Elkins wants you to see. And he may withhold some information from you — but that information is usually of three types: things Gideon doesn’t know or wouldn’t have any way of knowing about, forensic information that only Gideon would know, and Gideon’s own thoughts based on his observations. Actually, you do get a fair bit of the latter, and Elkins shares many tidbits of forensic anthropology as Gideon explains or relates them to someone else, which he does with an endearing delight in surprising people and a lovably professorial air. It’s not unlike hearing Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes explain their thought processes, though Gideon is less fussy and eccentric than Poirot and much warmer and more human than Holmes. But Elkins generally withholds a few strategic pieces of information — a very few.
The point is that you have most of the clues, if you’ve been observant — but perhaps not quite all of them. It makes solving the crime yourself possible, but not easy, which is exactly what I want in a mystery. And in this novel, Elkins succeeded in snowing me completely; I didn’t solve either the cold case or the subsequent modern murder correctly. (I did get a couple of details right, though, including something to do with the title, Switcheroo.)
The characters are, by and large, engaging, and I enjoyed spending a few hours renewing my acquaintance with Gideon, John, Julie, and another character who show up unexpectedly from a previous book. Some of the secondary characters are “types”, but well-drawn ones, particularly abrasive Miranda and an ancient solicitor, Jouvet. Above all, I enjoyed the mystery, which initially appeared fairly straightforward and rapidly became less so.
Because Gideon is an internationally-renowned expert (the “Skeleton Detective”), he lectures at conferences all over the world, and is frequently called in to consult on local cases, often cold cases or old bodies only recently discovered. This gives Elkins plenty of opportunity to vary the setting from book to book, which is a plus in my eyes. And Elkins clearly does his research. . . which is a minus. In recent books, there has been far too much information given about each location in which the Olivers find themselves. Detailed descriptions of the scene of a murder are of course important, as are evocative depictions of the general locale as it affects the case and/or the people involved in it. But Elkin’s novels sometimes feel as though they’d swallowed a guidebook and are attempting to regurgitate it whole. For instance, at the beginning of Switcheroo, Gideon, Julie, and John are in Spain for a conference, where they meet Rafe. The locale is less important than the fact that they meet him and he eventually suggests that Gideon take a look at some bones found in a tar pit on the isle of Jersey. Yet we are treated to detailed descriptions of the town, its sights and history, the restaurants, and the food, none of which has any relevance to the case or the story. I’m sure it’s all intended to give local color and flavor (literally), but it ends up feeling like unnecessary padding.
I also felt the pacing was off in this story. The exposition of the backstory which takes place in the first chapter is interesting, but the pace falters in chapter 2 when we’re with the Olivers in Spain, and doesn’t really pick up speed again until some time after they arrive in Jersey. All in all, I think the book would have benefited from a tighter narrative.
I’ve been reading this series since I first discovered it in the 1990s at my local library, and despite that last mini-rant, I’ve been enjoying it just as long. I do have to wonder: why don’t Gideon, his wife Julie, and his friend and colleague John Lau ever seem to age? The first book was published in 1982, and I think Gideon was already in his late thirties or early forties then. Now he’s (still) only 42. I wish I knew his secret! Alas, it’s a side benefit of a fictional existence, and hence not one I’ll ever experience. . . but I’ll continue reading the books as long as Elkins keeps writing them.
If you’ve never read a Gideon Oliver book, you can really dive in at any point. Switcheroo is as good a place as any, but you might want to try the Edgar Award-winning Old Bones as well. Either way, you’re in for an interesting and entertainingly educational read.
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie and/or forensic-science crime shows.
Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
When it comes to forensic anthropology, Elkins really knows his stuff. . . as well he should, being a former professor of anthropology himself (not unlike his fictional detective.) It never ceases to amaze me what Gideon can figure out from a few fragments of what was once a human being. But Gideon is not just a skeleton detective. He’s observant, intelligent, and he never stops trying to figure things out when they don’t fit together, whether the pieces are bones or other clues.
Unlike many mysteries (and most cozies), Elkins doesn’t focus on one or two POV characters as they try to solve the mystery. Instead, the narrative, while remaining in third-person-limited, jumps from one character to another as the scenes change, always focusing on to or by whom the action is occurring at the time: Gideon; Rafe, the jovial, debonair Jersey Senator who asks Gideon to investigate a cold case that’s rather close to home; Rafe’s cousin Abbott Skinner; Mike Clapper, the chief detective inspector; a pair police detectives; and of course, some of the major players in the past. This serves two purposes: it gives the reader a clear if potentially biased view of important events, and it cuts down on explanations, interrogations, and reports — you see what unfolds instead of being told about it through dialog.
Of course, what you see is only what Elkins wants you to see. And he may withhold some information from you — but that information is usually of three types: things Gideon doesn’t know or wouldn’t have any way of knowing about, forensic information that only Gideon would know, and Gideon’s own thoughts based on his observations. Actually, you do get a fair bit of the latter, and Elkins shares many tidbits of forensic anthropology as Gideon explains or relates them to someone else, which he does with an endearing delight in surprising people and a lovably professorial air. It’s not unlike hearing Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes explain their thought processes, though Gideon is less fussy and eccentric than Poirot and much warmer and more human than Holmes. But Elkins generally withholds a few strategic pieces of information — a very few.
The point is that you have most of the clues, if you’ve been observant — but perhaps not quite all of them. It makes solving the crime yourself possible, but not easy, which is exactly what I want in a mystery. And in this novel, Elkins succeeded in snowing me completely; I didn’t solve either the cold case or the subsequent modern murder correctly. (I did get a couple of details right, though, including something to do with the title, Switcheroo.)
The characters are, by and large, engaging, and I enjoyed spending a few hours renewing my acquaintance with Gideon, John, Julie, and another character who show up unexpectedly from a previous book. Some of the secondary characters are “types”, but well-drawn ones, particularly abrasive Miranda and an ancient solicitor, Jouvet. Above all, I enjoyed the mystery, which initially appeared fairly straightforward and rapidly became less so.
Because Gideon is an internationally-renowned expert (the “Skeleton Detective”), he lectures at conferences all over the world, and is frequently called in to consult on local cases, often cold cases or old bodies only recently discovered. This gives Elkins plenty of opportunity to vary the setting from book to book, which is a plus in my eyes. And Elkins clearly does his research. . . which is a minus. In recent books, there has been far too much information given about each location in which the Olivers find themselves. Detailed descriptions of the scene of a murder are of course important, as are evocative depictions of the general locale as it affects the case and/or the people involved in it. But Elkin’s novels sometimes feel as though they’d swallowed a guidebook and are attempting to regurgitate it whole. For instance, at the beginning of Switcheroo, Gideon, Julie, and John are in Spain for a conference, where they meet Rafe. The locale is less important than the fact that they meet him and he eventually suggests that Gideon take a look at some bones found in a tar pit on the isle of Jersey. Yet we are treated to detailed descriptions of the town, its sights and history, the restaurants, and the food, none of which has any relevance to the case or the story. I’m sure it’s all intended to give local color and flavor (literally), but it ends up feeling like unnecessary padding.
I also felt the pacing was off in this story. The exposition of the backstory which takes place in the first chapter is interesting, but the pace falters in chapter 2 when we’re with the Olivers in Spain, and doesn’t really pick up speed again until some time after they arrive in Jersey. All in all, I think the book would have benefited from a tighter narrative.
I’ve been reading this series since I first discovered it in the 1990s at my local library, and despite that last mini-rant, I’ve been enjoying it just as long. I do have to wonder: why don’t Gideon, his wife Julie, and his friend and colleague John Lau ever seem to age? The first book was published in 1982, and I think Gideon was already in his late thirties or early forties then. Now he’s (still) only 42. I wish I knew his secret! Alas, it’s a side benefit of a fictional existence, and hence not one I’ll ever experience. . . but I’ll continue reading the books as long as Elkins keeps writing them.
If you’ve never read a Gideon Oliver book, you can really dive in at any point. Switcheroo is as good a place as any, but you might want to try the Edgar Award-winning Old Bones as well. Either way, you’re in for an interesting and entertainingly educational read.
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie and/or forensic-science crime shows.
Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
October 20, 2020
Last, I believe of the series, but first I had ever read. I'd guess that the attraction of the series is the forensic detail. Gideon Oliver knows a lot about a lot of things. He's generally likable, but he, his wife, and FBI friend are rather sketchily drawn. The suspects and victims aren't all that likable. The book opens with a rather odd story about two families who switch toddlers just as the Channel Islands are about to be occupied by the Germans. One family escapes to England and spends the war in relative safety. The other lives under the occupation and the final near starvation that that means. Five years later the seven-year-olds are returned to their birth parents. Then the story moves ahead 20 years to find both these boys, now young men, murdered or missing. Skip ahead 50 years and Gideon Oliver shows up to see if he can solve the cold case murder. I kept waiting for the original switcheroo story to come back into play, which it finally does about 40 pages from the end of the book. I'd say a book for people who love mysteries, but not for people who like more meat to the story than the obvious whodunit plot line.
July 3, 2020
Another good mystery for Gideon Oliver. This one was just a bit disjointed and not everything was solved but still a satisfying ending to a satisfying game mystery.
January 3, 2018
It Grew On Me
Not my usual read, but for my Book Club. I was distracted by all of the insignificant details at first...too many words saying little...but some of those details had meaning. Although a murder mystery, it wasn’t at all gruesome, but in fact, had moments of humor. By the end, I enjoyed the book much more than I first thought I would. (Except for the last couple of paragraphs, which I found pretty trite.)
Not my usual read, but for my Book Club. I was distracted by all of the insignificant details at first...too many words saying little...but some of those details had meaning. Although a murder mystery, it wasn’t at all gruesome, but in fact, had moments of humor. By the end, I enjoyed the book much more than I first thought I would. (Except for the last couple of paragraphs, which I found pretty trite.)
March 3, 2017
Aaron Elkins is one of my favorite, fun to read, mystery authors. All of his mysteries are light, easy to read, with well crafted plots.
Switcheroo is a particularly good example of Elkins work because he develops the plot around the Jersey Island and incorporates some WWII history into the story. Moreover, an old character from a previous mystery gets reintroduced.
I dislike spoilers so all I will say at this point is that if you like nice, well written murder mysteries, this is an excellent one. Who knows, you might fall in love with a new author?
Switcheroo is a particularly good example of Elkins work because he develops the plot around the Jersey Island and incorporates some WWII history into the story. Moreover, an old character from a previous mystery gets reintroduced.
I dislike spoilers so all I will say at this point is that if you like nice, well written murder mysteries, this is an excellent one. Who knows, you might fall in love with a new author?
August 16, 2016
The first Gideon Oliver novel, The Fellowship of Fear, came out in 1982 which would have made me a junior in college. Now in my AARP years, I have read the latest installment to the Gideon Oliver series, Switcheroo, and even though I have aged, Gideon Oliver has not. Elkins originally started the series as a thriller with Gideon’s life always in jeopardy, but about half way into the series it changed over to being a cozy mystery. I am not really a fan of cozy mysteries but I make an exception for the Gideon Oliver series because I love to hear about the forensic physical anthropological findings that Gideon finds and there is plenty of that in Switcheroo.
The story begins just before the occupation of the Channel Island of Jersey by the Nazis in 1940. Mass evacuation of the islands were occurring, but only a limited number of the inhabitants could be evacuated. Which leads us to Howard Carlisle, a wealthy citizen of the Island of Jersey, who out of pride, chose to stay behind instead of evacuating to England. However, he didn’t take into consideration his family members especially his young two year old son, Roddy, who was not of good health. Unfortunately Carlisle realized too late that the boy would most likely not survive the hardships of the occupation. Desperate to get Roddy on the ship to England, he made a deal with his brother-in-law, William ‘Willie’ Skinner, to swap his son Roddy with Skinner’s two year old son, George. To keep the swap under wraps, Roddy would take on the identity of George and George the identity of Roddy until the war ended and they could hopefully make the switch back.
Both Roddy and George survived and even worked closely with each other over the years until the early 1960s when both men turned up suspiciously dead. How both men died was unclear and a cold case was shelved away. Now we come to present day with Gideon Oliver receiving a request from Roddy’s son, Rafe, to inspect the supposed bones of his father to see if Oliver could get any insights into a crime that happened over fifty years ago. Of course, when Gideon comes on the scene, a whole can of worms is opened.
Overall, this is a fun cozy mystery with a bit of history and some interesting forensics thrown in to boot. Gideon is once again joined by his lovely wife, Julie, and FBI agent, John Lau, who fans of the series will recognize from many of the previous novels. I do have to warn you though, if you are on a diet, BEWARE, as there is a whole lot of discussion on the various culinary delicacies being ingested by our sleuthing friends. Being calorie deprived myself these days, I found it sometimes difficult to get past these passages. For the most part this is a standalone novel, but if you would like more background on Gideon’s relationship with John Lau read the Fellowship of Fear and if you are interested in how Julie hooked up with Gideon, check out The Dark Place.
I would like to thank NetGalley for my Advance Reader Copy of Switcheroo.
If you are interested in learning more about the Gideon Oliver Series check it out on my blog A-Thrill-A-Week
The story begins just before the occupation of the Channel Island of Jersey by the Nazis in 1940. Mass evacuation of the islands were occurring, but only a limited number of the inhabitants could be evacuated. Which leads us to Howard Carlisle, a wealthy citizen of the Island of Jersey, who out of pride, chose to stay behind instead of evacuating to England. However, he didn’t take into consideration his family members especially his young two year old son, Roddy, who was not of good health. Unfortunately Carlisle realized too late that the boy would most likely not survive the hardships of the occupation. Desperate to get Roddy on the ship to England, he made a deal with his brother-in-law, William ‘Willie’ Skinner, to swap his son Roddy with Skinner’s two year old son, George. To keep the swap under wraps, Roddy would take on the identity of George and George the identity of Roddy until the war ended and they could hopefully make the switch back.
Both Roddy and George survived and even worked closely with each other over the years until the early 1960s when both men turned up suspiciously dead. How both men died was unclear and a cold case was shelved away. Now we come to present day with Gideon Oliver receiving a request from Roddy’s son, Rafe, to inspect the supposed bones of his father to see if Oliver could get any insights into a crime that happened over fifty years ago. Of course, when Gideon comes on the scene, a whole can of worms is opened.
Overall, this is a fun cozy mystery with a bit of history and some interesting forensics thrown in to boot. Gideon is once again joined by his lovely wife, Julie, and FBI agent, John Lau, who fans of the series will recognize from many of the previous novels. I do have to warn you though, if you are on a diet, BEWARE, as there is a whole lot of discussion on the various culinary delicacies being ingested by our sleuthing friends. Being calorie deprived myself these days, I found it sometimes difficult to get past these passages. For the most part this is a standalone novel, but if you would like more background on Gideon’s relationship with John Lau read the Fellowship of Fear and if you are interested in how Julie hooked up with Gideon, check out The Dark Place.
I would like to thank NetGalley for my Advance Reader Copy of Switcheroo.
If you are interested in learning more about the Gideon Oliver Series check it out on my blog A-Thrill-A-Week
May 11, 2021
The novel begins Jack Higgins-style, in the Nazi era on the Channel Island of Jersey. The events that occurred then are the set up for the rest of the book which is set in the present. So far so good. The problem is that the rest of the book is so much filler. Usually a mystery book is loaded with detective work, but this one is loaded with every single meal the characters ate, detailed descriptions of rooms they passed through including the upholstery on the furniture, etc. The pace is so very, very leisurely that the bones are not introduced until halfway through, and even then, after unpacking them Gideon Oliver decides he'd rather go out for a stroll rather than look at them, despite the fact that he had traveled to Jersey explicitly to examine them. The characters are somewhat appealing, and the mystery itself is nicely convoluted, but the resolution is fudged. This was the last of the Gideon Oliver books and it shows.
Explanation of the problem with the mystery:
I had ruled out the character who later turned out to be the killer because he lacked motive. When he was revealed to be the murderer, the motive given was to protect his inheritance which came from his grandfather through his father. The inheritance was supposed to be at risk because the killer's father was not the biological son of the grandfather. But that would have been the case only if the grandparents had died intestate, and Elkins made no reference to such an event. To the contrary the book makes it very clear that the grandparents were not the type to have died without having left a will. These people were wealthy and had their own personal lawyer, and their is no doubt that they would have left both their unofficial son and their biological son provided for, whether in the form of outright bequeaths, trusts, or some other legal instrument. I'm not saying that there might not have been legal wrangling later -- after all we're talking family here lol - but the motive that the book presented for the murder was conjured out of thin air.
Explanation of the problem with the mystery:
I had ruled out the character who later turned out to be the killer because he lacked motive. When he was revealed to be the murderer, the motive given was to protect his inheritance which came from his grandfather through his father. The inheritance was supposed to be at risk because the killer's father was not the biological son of the grandfather. But that would have been the case only if the grandparents had died intestate, and Elkins made no reference to such an event. To the contrary the book makes it very clear that the grandparents were not the type to have died without having left a will. These people were wealthy and had their own personal lawyer, and their is no doubt that they would have left both their unofficial son and their biological son provided for, whether in the form of outright bequeaths, trusts, or some other legal instrument. I'm not saying that there might not have been legal wrangling later -- after all we're talking family here lol - but the motive that the book presented for the murder was conjured out of thin air.
February 20, 2016
Formulaic and boring. I enjoyed "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" very much, so I can understand why Mr. Elkins would be inspired to use this as a basis for his mystery. But there was not much of a mystery, it had little to do with bones or even very much to do with Gideon Oliver (and nothing to do with John Lau or Julie), the plot expositions were cumbersome and the resolution very abrupt. This was a very disappointing entry in the series.
May 25, 2016
This book was a unique whodunit in that the murders span generations and no one person could have committed the murders. The clues dropped along the way slowly put the story together. In the end, it was interesting to understand the thought process of how the character figured it all out.
I would even label this a cozy mystery.
I would even label this a cozy mystery.
May 4, 2022
The series seems to be going downhill. Enjoyed the story but not as much as usual. The main story is far too convoluted. The wrong man is arrested in the climax and Gideon just doesn't seem to care. The narrator has changed both Gideon and John's voices in a bad way. Good enough as it stands but definitely not a re-read.
February 19, 2022
Disappointing
The beginning of the book starts out promising enough with a story set during WWII. But there is little mystery and hardly any of Gideon's usual bone expertise. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying. Only read if you can do it for free with Kindle Unlimited.
The beginning of the book starts out promising enough with a story set during WWII. But there is little mystery and hardly any of Gideon's usual bone expertise. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying. Only read if you can do it for free with Kindle Unlimited.
February 10, 2016
This is the first Skeleton Detective book that I have read and it made me want to start the collection from the beginning. A good crime book that kept me hooked. Would recommend
June 10, 2019
Lackluster.
June 25, 2022
I quite enjoy these Gideon Oliver mysteries because of his profession in physical anthropology. In his view, "forensic anthropologists had a unique and immense responsibility: they were the last representatives of the dead, their final voice, and all too often in forensic cases, their last chance at receiving justice, in this world at any rate." The writing is perhaps a bit stuffy and pedantic at times, but Dr. Bones' tendency to be a know-it-all is tempered by his wife and FBI friend who make fun of his depth of knowledge on everything. However, I really do like that very depth of knowledge about bones. For instance, "the body's long bones--legs, arms, clavicles, and ribs--grow not only by getting longer from the center outward but by laying on new cartilaginous material at both ends: these are the epiphyses. . . . With time--a lot of time--the cartilage ossifies and becomes permanently fused to the shaft of the bone, at which point the bone has finished growing. And when the last epiphysis has fused to the last shaft, . . . that's when we've finished growing too." It's that little fact that help him determine the age of the deceased individual whose bones were recovered from a tar pit 25 years after death, and was a factor in determining that the few bones he had were from one individual, not two as previously determined. In all these books, it is the stuff about the bones and what they can tell about the individual when he was alive that fascinates me.
I also was intrigued with the setting on Jersey Island. The story begins during World War II when Churchill decided that England could not defend the tiny Channel Islands that were closer to France than England. They gave the populace three days to decide if they wanted to evacuate and those left behind then lived for five years under the foot of the Nazis. One well-heeled influential family, the Carlisles, decided they would stick it out but immediately after the sign-up had passed realized that their sickly two-year-old Roddy had a poor chance of surviving the war deprivations of an occupation. When trying to change the rules and convince the authorities to let them on the evacuation ships doesn't work, Howard Carlisle convinces his lower-class brother-in-law, George Skinner, to switch children for the duration of the war. He convincing included bribes of money and land ownership and the rationale that their healthy son would be okay. "We'll take care of him as if he were our own." Both children and parents did make it through the war, and it was interesting to see the effects of nature versus nurture in the forming of their character in those five years. That switcheroo is the basis of the story years later when Dr. Oliver enters the picture. "Their lives remained linked through work, trouble with the law, and finally, it would seem, through murder." It's a fun cold case mystery for Gideon to solve, if he can.
I was tickled with another historical snippet that Gideon happened to know: Charles II sheltered on Jersey island during on of the many political upheavals in the English monarchies. In gratitude for their help, he deeded them a strip of land in the Americas--which became New Jersey.
I also was intrigued with the setting on Jersey Island. The story begins during World War II when Churchill decided that England could not defend the tiny Channel Islands that were closer to France than England. They gave the populace three days to decide if they wanted to evacuate and those left behind then lived for five years under the foot of the Nazis. One well-heeled influential family, the Carlisles, decided they would stick it out but immediately after the sign-up had passed realized that their sickly two-year-old Roddy had a poor chance of surviving the war deprivations of an occupation. When trying to change the rules and convince the authorities to let them on the evacuation ships doesn't work, Howard Carlisle convinces his lower-class brother-in-law, George Skinner, to switch children for the duration of the war. He convincing included bribes of money and land ownership and the rationale that their healthy son would be okay. "We'll take care of him as if he were our own." Both children and parents did make it through the war, and it was interesting to see the effects of nature versus nurture in the forming of their character in those five years. That switcheroo is the basis of the story years later when Dr. Oliver enters the picture. "Their lives remained linked through work, trouble with the law, and finally, it would seem, through murder." It's a fun cold case mystery for Gideon to solve, if he can.
I was tickled with another historical snippet that Gideon happened to know: Charles II sheltered on Jersey island during on of the many political upheavals in the English monarchies. In gratitude for their help, he deeded them a strip of land in the Americas--which became New Jersey.
May 14, 2019
"The Skeleton Detective is back.
"A cold case dating from the 1960s draws forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver to the Channel Islands decades later to shine a light on the mysterious connection between two men who died there on the same night.
"Swapped as young boys by their fathers during the Nazi occupation, wealthy Roddy Carlisle and middle-class George Skinner had some readjusting to do after the war ended -- but their lives remained linked through work, trouble with the law, and finally, it would seem, through murder.
"Nobody expects that Gideon's modern-day investigation will turn up fresh bodies. But old bones tell many tales, and the Skeleton Detective has to be at his sharpest to piece together the truth before the body count mounts still higher."
~~back cover
It took me longer than it usually does to get into this one -- which is evidently the last of the series. But it redeemed itself, as it always does. Written with Aaron Elkins' charming sense of humor ("Henrietta, a large, scowling woman built along the lines of a Laundromat washer-dryer combination, looked like someone who was used to being obeyed."), the plot slowly developed until it was easy for me to identify the killer -- not usually something I'm able to do with this series.
"A cold case dating from the 1960s draws forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver to the Channel Islands decades later to shine a light on the mysterious connection between two men who died there on the same night.
"Swapped as young boys by their fathers during the Nazi occupation, wealthy Roddy Carlisle and middle-class George Skinner had some readjusting to do after the war ended -- but their lives remained linked through work, trouble with the law, and finally, it would seem, through murder.
"Nobody expects that Gideon's modern-day investigation will turn up fresh bodies. But old bones tell many tales, and the Skeleton Detective has to be at his sharpest to piece together the truth before the body count mounts still higher."
~~back cover
It took me longer than it usually does to get into this one -- which is evidently the last of the series. But it redeemed itself, as it always does. Written with Aaron Elkins' charming sense of humor ("Henrietta, a large, scowling woman built along the lines of a Laundromat washer-dryer combination, looked like someone who was used to being obeyed."), the plot slowly developed until it was easy for me to identify the killer -- not usually something I'm able to do with this series.
January 24, 2022
I love the Gideon Oliver series & this is the only book in it I haven't yet read so I was very excited to finally find it. Gideon, his wife Julie, & FBI friend John, are in Spain for conferences in their respective areas of expertise. They meet Rafe, a senator in the Isle of Jersey government, who invites them to join him on Jersey to take a look at some old bone fragments he has in his possession. They happen to be his father's & another man's found in a tar pit on his property 45 years ago & part of a mysteious murder & disappearance 50 years ago. Gideon has been bored by the conference he's attending &, being a forensic osteologist (one who studies bones & interprets them), has been wishing for some bones to study. Little does he realize the chain of events that will begin with his interpretation of the small fragments--leading back to a strange arrangement from WWII Nazi occupied Jersey to another murder while they are visiting, all connected to Rafe's father's murder & the mystery surrounding it. A wonderful story full of interesting information that keeps you guessing. I enjoyed it very much!
May 2, 2018
I've been reading this series since the 80's, along with all of Aaron's (& Charlotte's) other books. I've enjoyed them all, this one more than some of the others.
Some of the other reviewers didn't like that it started in the WW2 era to set up the story. I think that was not only necessary to the story, but a great way to add some actual history to a fictional story. I loved this story, especially (spoiler to follow) with the twist about the boys never having been switched back. While I knew that the switch was going to figure into the modern-day story at some point, I wasn't sure how.
The Gideon Oliver series is part crime novel and part travel book (same can be said for many of the other Elkins books and series as well). That's one of the allures. Gideon travels all over the world on research trips and for conferences and gets involved in cases while there. The reader gets to try to solve the mystery and learn about parts of the world they've probably never been to at the same time.
Love the series, looking forward to anything else from Aaron and/or Charlotte.
Some of the other reviewers didn't like that it started in the WW2 era to set up the story. I think that was not only necessary to the story, but a great way to add some actual history to a fictional story. I loved this story, especially (spoiler to follow) with the twist about the boys never having been switched back. While I knew that the switch was going to figure into the modern-day story at some point, I wasn't sure how.
The Gideon Oliver series is part crime novel and part travel book (same can be said for many of the other Elkins books and series as well). That's one of the allures. Gideon travels all over the world on research trips and for conferences and gets involved in cases while there. The reader gets to try to solve the mystery and learn about parts of the world they've probably never been to at the same time.
Love the series, looking forward to anything else from Aaron and/or Charlotte.
December 1, 2021
A tar pit, bones, crab-gnawings, a senator of the Guernsey bailiwick, a portrait, and three deaths. To anyone who has read THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY the geography and history recounted here will be familiar. And you will know from the start—and the book’s title—what the primary mystery will be. You will even think there can only be one perp--well, maybe two--but when a present-day death occurs, a whole different mystery ensues: is this death a murder, and if so, why? Does it have anything to do with the murders from the 1960s? The solves—of one or perhaps two murders from four decades earlier and of one from a few days ago—rest once again on the expertise wielded by forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver, and the clues are sufficiently cleverly laid that you will have to be very watchful indeed to pick up on them. As to the effects of taking a bullet right through the heart—who knew?
August 3, 2017
I'm proud to say I've read all 18 gideon Oliver mysteries now, in order from the start.
I gave it four stars, because the background, history and setting was so wonderfully enjoyable. But it was more 3 1/2. I was a huge fan of the Guernsey Literary and potato Peel Society too.
But it was super confusing to follow who was who (names and "names"), and the parts I usually LOVE where they're experiencing the local sites, lore and history, seemed more absent and rushed over except food was interjected everywhere which I also usually love but here seemed gratuitous.
And what the heck happened to Randy Campion???
The writing was so good as always, explanations, histories, not a lot of bone detectiv'ing going on in this one though.
I gave it four stars, because the background, history and setting was so wonderfully enjoyable. But it was more 3 1/2. I was a huge fan of the Guernsey Literary and potato Peel Society too.
But it was super confusing to follow who was who (names and "names"), and the parts I usually LOVE where they're experiencing the local sites, lore and history, seemed more absent and rushed over except food was interjected everywhere which I also usually love but here seemed gratuitous.
And what the heck happened to Randy Campion???
The writing was so good as always, explanations, histories, not a lot of bone detectiv'ing going on in this one though.
July 8, 2023
This outing involves Gideon helping solve a complicated decades-old mystery involving bones and what happened on the Channel Islands during World War II when families escaped to England to avoid German occupation.
Book starts in the past and after a couple of chapters jumps forward to Gideon, wife Julie and WA police officer John at an international forensics conference. They meet a Senator from the Channel Islands who invites them home to solve the mystery surrounding his father's death. They go, not realizing they will open the secretes of at least three different families as a result.
Fascinating and just a little sad at the end.
Book starts in the past and after a couple of chapters jumps forward to Gideon, wife Julie and WA police officer John at an international forensics conference. They meet a Senator from the Channel Islands who invites them home to solve the mystery surrounding his father's death. They go, not realizing they will open the secretes of at least three different families as a result.
Fascinating and just a little sad at the end.
March 26, 2020
This latest addition to this series continues its entertaining and educational qualities. It is fun, with the personalities of the sleuth, his wife, and his police officer friend continuing even to this mystery based in England's channel islands. Readers learn the history of the islands, along with details of anthropology that a skillful scientist can learn from fragments of bones, no matter their age. I like this series. Though the mysteries involve violent death, the forensic anthropology, the good humor of the protagonists and the engaging puzzles continue to delight me.
December 26, 2020
Initially I thought this book was captivating but after chapter 3 the book transitions to 20 years later and actually becomes mostly about those new characters (ultimately how they relate to the original characters) when I’d have preferred the initial story. I have read a few others by this author that I though were much better including “A Long Time Coming” which I had really enjoyed. I felt like half the book described the food people were eating and the description of the furniture in the rooms they were in. Sorry but I would skip this one.
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