Customer Reviews

Fellowship of Fear

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This is the first in a series of books featuring Professor Gideon Oliver, a physical anthropologist who gets involved in solving crimes by piecing together evidence from bone fragments. The author's background in the field of anthropology certainly gives his character and the many scientific "factoids" the ring of authenticity. (Makes me wonder why I found the subject so boring in college!)

In this story, Oliver sets out to teach some anthropology courses at a series of military bases in Europe--a nice break from his normal teaching routine, as well as an opportunity to travel around some interesting places.
However, as soon as he arrives in Germany, his hotel room is searched and he is physically attacked. This is just the start of his troubles, as various arms of NATO security (who don't tell each other what they are doing) get him enmeshed in an attempt to discover a traitor among the faculty who is somehow getting secret information from military bases to the Russian KGB. (This story takes place more than 20 years ago.) The KGB is just as misinformed as the NATO guys, and the plot starts to take on a Keystone Cops affect--except there is a lot of mayhem and murder involved here. It's a good read--not great literature, but an absorbing and competently written book.

I like Gideon Oliver, professor of Anthropology, a great deal after reading this book. He's a little bit of a nerd -- but his ability to distinguish the bone structure of a Scandanavian vs. a Russian proves to be an handy skill.

The book is set in early 1980's Europe in the NATO military community (Heidleberg, Sicily and Madrid) and is full of cold war skulldugery -- but with a sense of humor and even a little romance.

The writing is better than average for a first book and I'll be keeping my eyes open for a copy of the next book in the series.

This is Mr. Elkins first mystery novel with the investigative "bone detective" Gideon Oliver. Gideon becomes bait as ruthless people try to obtain valuable information. Watch as Gideon narrowly escapes death several times at the hands of ruthless yet bungling terrorist types. As a physical anthropologist, Gideon uses his powers of detection using bones and bone fragments to literally save his life.

This book is very entertaining and I think you will enjoy it.

This introduction to Gideon Oliver is a bit unusual when compared to the others in the series. First, it's much more of a spy thriller than the typical mysteries requiring the expertise of the esteemed Skeleton Detective. Written in the 80s, with the Cold War in full force, this first outing begins with Gideon in Heidelberg, Germany as the University's new visiting fellow. Two men search and surprise Gideon in his room, starting an inquiry involving the NATO Security Directorate and the possibility of espionage. The NSD then recruits Gideon to report on any unusual activities on the American Army bases in Europe, which he has been assigned to teach. In what seems like mistaken identity, Gideon survives one life-threatening incident after another, totally ignorant of why certain people want him dead. The book's strength is the way everything is neatly wrapped up in the end. However, Gideon's character will seem more malleable and almost unrecognizable to readers of his later adventures.

This book leads off one of the best written contemporary series of light detective mysteries, starring an amateur sleuth. The leading, man, so to speak, is Gideon Oliver, Professor of Anthropology, student of evolutionary anatomy, master of bones. Elkins has paired with his wife, Charlotte, in authoring quite readable books, but here, on his own, he manages to give us a protagonist of whom we want to see more and stories which hold our interest without too visible blood spillage, violence, depravity, and other nastiness, which some (often first rate) series manifest. Of the Gideon Oliver books I have read, with more on hand for future relaxation, this is about average in quality. Professor Oliver Gideon is a Professor abroad on a contract to teach at various military bases in Europe. He is also a widower not yet through with grieving for his lost wife. On both scores he finds adventure, doubt, and ultimate satisfaction. Why is someone searching his room? Why have attempts been made on his life? Were they truly that or just accidents magnified by his distorted imagination? What is it the authorities really want him to do on behalf of American security operations? Why has someone stole his socks out of his room? Is Jane going to like him, awkward as he has become, in the give and take of the romantic chase?
The action is steady, the story and characters sufficiently drawn for the story's purpose, the humor intrinsic to the story-line, and the mystery not burdensome to penetrate, so that we have fine, light reading for the lunch table, bus, train or plane, or a comfortable chair ignoring the family's taste in television programs.

This is the first book of Aaron Elkins' "Skeleton Detective" series, and sleuth Gideon Oliver, abroad in Europe, gets bashed about quite a bit. (Beating up the detective is one of Elkins' favorite tactics in his series about museum curator Chris Norgren.) As the first novel with a new protagonist, it's a slightly uneasy mixture of spy thriller and forensic anthropology, but it's fun to read, and a pleasure to meet Oliver's sidekick, Hawaiian cop John Lau, for the first time. Elkins doesn't telegraph his intentions, and the showdown is well-handled.

Fellowship of Fear was Aaron Elkins' first mystery, and it is still a favorite of mine. It is an entertaining mix of the warped but deadly logic of the spy and counter-spy business, scientific insights, and a bit of romance, all in an unusual setting --- Europe as experienced by American military personnel. Particularly appealing is the way the protagonist, Gideon Oliver, is able to use a mix of scientific knowledge and diverse personal experience to survive being an unwitting pawn in a deadly mess. And Elkins gives a chilling instance of what can happen when safeguards break down in the security business.

Got it because I had started somewhere in the middle of this series and wanted to read the first book. You see where the characters develope but of course the further along in the series you get the better they all become. Nice to see how he meets John though.

Anyone who reads Aaron Elkins will enjoy this book. It should also attract new readers. He's a fun read.

I've got three of these Dr. Gideon Oliver books on the Kindle, and enjoyed them all. Two of them, including this one, have only minor typos in a couple of places - run on paragraphs, a couple of words where the OCR didn't pick the words apart properly, etc. So from the "reading on a Kindle" standpoint, I'd say just one pinch short of excellent.

I had read other books in the Oliver series before finding this one, so it was a bit of a surprise to find it more of a "spy thriller" than anything else. And in one sense I found the ineptitude of the KGB and the CIA a bit ridiculous...but then, you know, I got to thinking.... considering how inept the ATA is at their very important job - and how they're *continued* to be allowed to be inept ....I got to thinking that Elkins portrayal of this ineptitude wasn't so much ridiculous as all too probable.

An enjoyable book.