Where There's a Will

Gideon Oliver #12

by Aaron Elkins

Acclaimed for a mischievous wit and his intriguing mixture of forensic anthropology and real skull-duggery, Aaron Elkins is one of the best in the business and getting better all the time. Now, the author of Good Blood returns, and so does Gideon Oliver, professor of forensics, who uncovers a deadly family plot of greed and murder in the northern uplands of Hawaii.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Contemporary, Cozy

278 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 5, 2005

About the author

Aaron 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

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really can't mark one of These Gideon Oliver books with one or two stars, but that is my true sentiment toward this book. Call it 2.5 stars. I fall in the minority as I could not embrace the characters, the setting, the mystery. In fact, the mystery kept unwinding like pulling yet another item from a magician's hat.
Hawaii never sounded so unappealing to me and the dialogue was not up to par. I have loved most of these books so much I actually wonder if someone else wrote this one.
John Lau's connection to the group of characters in this story brings Gideon and Julie to the island. Even the descriptions of food turned my stomach. A family conspires to hide truth about a couple of deaths and then there are more.

Loan from Friend (Thank You!)

[Diane Banks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ug, I have loved his books up until this one. It could be that since I live in Hawaii it was not real authentic to me, but I think it was more than that. His other books were rich with scenery you could almost smell and the "bone" clues were not boring. This one I found myself not raptly reading but quickly skipping pages to get to the next whatever. I may be judging harshly but I was truly disappointed and yes I am comparing this to his previous books.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaron Elkins
Where There's a Will
New York: Berkley Prime Crime, 2005
278 pp.
8 May 2022

Two things drew me inexorably to this murder mystery: the author and his author wife live in on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State (not that far from our home) and the murder is set on the Big Island of Hawai'i (not far from where we are, at this moment, staying on Waikiki on O'ahu). There is a rule (I think it is in Leviticus) that one must read murder mysteries set in Hawai'i while vacationing in Hawai'i. There is another rule (promulgated by Sherman Alexie, David Guterson, Frank Herbert, Tom Robbins and Matt Ruff) that novelists who reside in Washington State get extra credit and preference in the check-out line at the bookstore. All of these cosmic vectors combined to impel me to read this book. If the measures of a good mystery are (1) lots of unexpected twists and turns, (2) lots of false leads which go nowhere, and (3) just enough information that a most clever reader might suspect the correct character in the end. All of those requirements are met in this book, as is a good grasp of modern Hawaiian culture and lots of information about forensic anthropology (as it relates to examining bones). There are seventeen other novels in which Dr. Gideon Oliver, the Bone Detective, solves the crime.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver is on vacation wiht his wife Julie and his friend John Lau. John used to work on a cattle ranch in Hawaii and the family he used to wokr for are informed that the remains of their uncles plane, which disappeared over ten years ago, have been found on a remote island. Gideon offers to go along on the recovery effort in case any bones are found. Gideon's discovery changes the whole narrative of what happened 10 years ago. Lots of twists and turns in this one. I like Gideon and plan on reading the rest of this series.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Real Puzzler

This one had a twist in it I *totally* did not expect! Took by surprise - the entire ending did. There wasn’t as much Gideon in this one as I’d have hoped, but man, he sure gets around on all sorts of exotic vacations and jobs.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh the names were hard to read in my head which made it kinda difficult to read. Didn’t hate it, but wouldn’t recommend to my friends

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elkins returns with another 'family-based' mystery, with ties to a young John Lau. When the remains of an old man are found in a fire, his family (and the police) investigate before discovering what appears to be professional hitmen connections and the case is laid to rest,. The man's brother is presumed killed in a plane crash that same night, though neither the body or the plane ever appear. When the wreckage of the plane is discovered and Dr. Gideon Oliver just happens to be in Hawaii on vacation, he is asked to investigate, and agrees. What he finds will turn not only the story on its head, but leave the family wondering what the real story behind the murder and plane crash might be. Oliver works with John Lau and one of the local authorities to piece it all together, but the more they poke around, the less it all makes sense. One of the most chin rubbing of the Gideon Oliver books in the series to date, it will have readers shaking their heads through to the end.

Elkins does a masterful job at presenting another familial case to readers, his third in twelve novels. The interaction of the various characters will leave the reader drawing parallels to their own family and makes the dialogue all the more interesting. With his trademark teachable moments and witty one-liners, Elkins keedps the reader on their toes and begging for more.

Kudos Dr. Elkins. What have you in store for us in lucky novel #13?!

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gideon goes to Hawaii to visit with his FBI friend, John, who grew up there. They are scheduled to stay at the ranch where John worked as a teenager, which was founded and run in the 50s by three Swedish former sailors and their sister.

The sister is the only one of that generation still living, but just as John and Gideon arrive, news reaches them that the airplane one of the brothers was last seen in has been discovered in a lagoon across the Pacific.

The family asks Gideon to go with John and recover any remains there may be, although after 10 years everyone is doubtful there will be anything left by the fishes.

Of course there is just enough evidence to make life miserable for everyone from the family members to John to the local police force. There are also a lot of confusing twists and turns. Luckily, Gideon never ends up in physical danger (for a change). I pretty much knew who the "bad guy" was from the git-go, but this was a fun book to read anyway, just to try to figure out WHAT was going on!!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gideon Oliver, invited to visit a ranch on Hawaii, gets caught up in a 10 year old missing person/possible murder case. He, of course, does the amazing by identifying a person from only a foot. The problem is there is too little time spent with the bones for a forensic detective. This just seemed to be a churning out of an old formula. While, Gideon, his wife, and John Lau are nice enough, this just seems to go through the motions. Read one of the earlier books in this series for the real fun.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two things I really like about the Gideon Oliver series: the anthropology that often gets worked into the plots, and the set of likable characters and the relationships between them. This one didn't feature a lot of anthropology, but it did have Gideon and his FBI agent friend, John Lau, working in more of a partnership than I'd seen before. And of course the plot was fun and well-crafted, as usual.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where There's a Will by Aaron Elkins.

This is a tale of two brothers. Magnus and Torkel Torkelsson. They quarreled often over the running and management of their ranch in Hawaii. One of their most severe quarrels turns to murder. But...which brother was murdered and how would his murder affect the rest of the family and their inheritance?

This is by far one of the best in the Gideon Oliver series. The ending will astound you!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gem from one of my favorite little mystery writers. No sex, no violence and always well crafted, Elkins is a master of his genre.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Edition to the series

[Gloria Mccracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent installment of an excellent series.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There's a family plot unfolding in the northern uplands of Hawaii -- on the magnificent 11,000-acre spread of ranching heir Axel Torkelson. After going missing ten years ago, the small private plane of Axel's uncle Magnus has finally been found in a remote lagoon, hundreds of miles south of the Big Island. So too have Magnus's few and scattered skeletal remains, exhumed by divers and now handed over to the only man who can fit together the pieces of this mystery.

"What forensic detective Gideon Oliver is discovering could shake the Torkelson family tree to its very roots. But this time his work is yielding more questions about the past than answers. Questions about the long-ago execution-style murder of Magnus's brother ... about a deadly dispute between rival ranching syndicates ... about a mysterious will that benefits -- as well as incriminates -- its heirs ... and most disturbing of all: questions as to the true identity of the corpse in the lagoon. But if it isn't Uncle Magnus ...

"As lie upon lie is revealed, as secret upon secret is exposed, Gideon's only hope is to let the bones of the dead condemn the living -- before the living takes revenge.
~~front flap

This one was really convoluted! The plot thickens as each layer is examined and discarded, right to the end. Two brothers and two sisters, and Aunt Daphne, the sister of Magnus and Torkel ... do they all know? Does only one of them know? If so, which one? This book will keep you guessing all the way through to a very satisfactory denouement.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful mystery by Aaron Elkins in his classic series about the forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver and his policeman friend John Lau. Set in the Hawaiian Islands the mystery deals with events that happened 10 years earlier involving old friends of John's, the Torkelson family, who have been covering up what happened to two of the Torkelson brothers, the death of one and the long missing other one thought to have died in a plane crash somewhere in the Pacific. When the plane is found by divers, Gideon is enlisted to examine the bones to determine the identity. It's a convoluted story (My 97 year old Mother said there was TMI), but ultimately it all came together in a satisfying, surprise ending.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten years ago Torkel Torkelson was killed and his brother Magnus barely escaped with his life. But the small plane with Magnus and his pilot disappeared somewhere over the Pacific. Now, it has been found. And Gideon just happens to visiting the Torkelsons with his friend John Lau. So when one of them asks him if he'd be willing to identify any bones the salvage company finds, he agrees. It seems so simple. Even with only a woman's jawbone and a man's foot, they match what is known of the two missing people? Or do they? Naturally Gideon once again finds himself in the midst of a convoluted mystery — a mystery that is reaching out its tentacles even now. Excellent, hard to put down, with a lovely spice of humor. Highly recommended.

[Moira L. Mefein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again more twists than a country dirt road

Great fun with another winning mystery from Aaron Elkins. His Gideon Oliver books each stand alone as an excellent read. However, they are equally delightful when read in order. Each plot is inventive, each character memorable. The locales are presented in such a way that you can smell the pine trees, see and smell the flowers, and feel the car bump along a rough road. Personally, I cannot wait to read another Gideon Oliver tale.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book #12 in the Gideon Oliver (the Bone Detective) mystery series. Completely surprised at the ending. Only problem I had with it was when he referred to Jersey cows as beef cows. I grew up on a dairy farm and Jersey cows are dairy cows. Other than that a great book. Still amazed by the ending.

[Phil Ellenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed

The best part of the story is free tour of Hawaii and its big island. The plot as Elkins invariably are was. really fascinating. If you read his books you become a fan of his characters.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the series! I had an inkling of how it was going to end...then I did not, then I did....but the entire ending was just not what I was expecting at all! Loved every page!! Great series.

[Irene Michlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as usual. Gideon is injected into this case in a very heavy-handed way, and most characters are not compelling. Reminded me about his other weak book set in Hawaii, about the coffee growers.

[Michelle Scott Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've missed these old favorites.
Quick easy read, good puzzle, interesting people.
Not deep, but good reading.

[Michael Quillin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time it's an Hawaian cattle ranch.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot but the motivation for murder is well, the characters mostly two-dimensional. Good puzzle.

[Cyndi Berve]

Another Gideon Oliver, set in Hawaii. Perfect read for cold, snowy days in CO.

[Sheila Hultgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running out of these great mysteries.

I have a couple left to read. Fast reads. Great mysteries. Plus I've learned alot. Good series to read one after another.

[Donna Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good tale by Aaron Elkins. Gideon Oliver and Julia head for Hawaii to sort out a murder or murders in a prominent family.
Less one one star for an abrupt ending that was left to narration.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has one of the twistiest plots I can recall.

[Jlnpeacock Peacock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not as enjoyable as some of his others as the plot had numerous twists that did not necessarily add to the story line.