Customer Reviews

Twenty Blue Devils

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I always enjoy Gideon Oliver mysteries. The puzzles are always cleverly constructed and full of intriguing details. They also benefit from a nice touch of humor. "Twenty Blue Devils" is no exception. The mystery revolves around a family-run coffee business in Tahiti. Gideon has to figure out the meaning of some curious details on corpses and skeletons to prove that a murder has actually been committed, and then to figure out who's guilty of what. Followers of the Gideon Oliver series will remember that Gideon started as a bachelor, and his sidekick was John Lau, friend and local FBI agent. Then Gideon met and married Julie, and she has increasingly generally become the principal sidekick. John's role has diminished accordingly. This isn't a problem. Julie is a satisfactory character. Sometimes you might miss John, though. I did, anyway. In "Twenty Blue Devils" John makes a nice comeback. It is his family that owns the coffee business, and it is through him that Gideon gets involved in the case. Altogether, this is one of those books that keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. I always hesitate to give mysteries a five-star rating. In my opinion, few can match Christie and Doyle for plot and characterization. They are my standard. Among current writers, however, Elkins is one of my favorites. And "Twenty Blue Devils" is one of his better tales. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

I always like a mystery book which is built the old-fashioned way. There's a corpse, and someone's got to figure out who it is and why they're dead. When you've got the Hugh Grant of dectives, Gideon Oliver, along for the ride, you know you're going to have more twists and turns then a a maze. I liked Twenty Blue Devils, because it was engaging and had some interesting characters. A lot of the questions brought up by the corpse's skeleton were fascintating, and of course, the coffee had appeal to a Seattlite. Elkins is a very intelligent and detailed writer, who plots out a phenomenal mysteries that you just don't want to put down.

Aaron Elkins writes superb mysteries the old fashioned way. He actually has a puzzle in each of his novels!! Along with his intriguing and well thought out puzzles, he also has nice characters, exotic locals and humorous quips. Read them all.

I admit this ninth installment started out slow for me after the Pele letters. All the coffee trivia was losing my interest. But I know I adore Elkins' Gideon Oliver books so I kept reading. Once Gideon & John dug up that body, I was HOOKED! What a page-turner from there on in - intelligent, crisp, exciting, atmospheric, Bravo! I really loved the ending with Nelson & John. I was smiling big smiles reading it.
I've been making my way, in order, through Aaron Elkins' Gideon Oliver mysteries since May 2006. I honestly state that I have thoroughly enjoyed them ALL. Each book makes me feel like I learn a little bit more about that slice of the world. And I get to escape a little bit while enjoying them.

I just loved this one, as did my husband. Akin to the Patricia Cornwell series (as a previous reviewer said, with the flesh off the bones), but with more humor and humanity. I agree he should stick with these and shelve the golf stories, although I read them too because I'm quite a fan. The Chris Norgren novels are great too, but the Gideon Oliver books are what he does best. My favorite can't-put-it-down series.

Aaron Elkins has done it again! His Skeleton Detective Gideon Oliver ferrets out yet another tangled web of bodies and murder in Tahiti. This time the plot is thick with the smell of coffee, "the Mob", and Star Trek allusions. A very entertaining and absorbing mystery. I heartily recommend it to fans of Elkins, and other physical and forensic anthropologists.

Aaron Elkins has written some of the best forensic material in his area (comparable to the best of Patricia Cornwall but the flesh is off the bones). Twenty Blue Devils is an apparent attempt to bring the world of bones (anicient history?) into the modern era (something he has attempted before with some success by freezing the bones and otherwise creating situations in which the flesh has quickly released from the bony anatomy). In this most recent novel, however, he attempts to wed the real life of his principal character with the history of bones and the current Seattle fixation with coffee in its various forms. The end result is quite a bit of fun for Elkins readers (especially the interaction with the recurring Hawaian character) and for his Seattle fans. I will not comment on how the expresso industry will react

This book provided an inside view into the worlds of coffee and forensic science with a few twists to perk up the senses of the most jaded mystery afficionado. An excellent read, one that will keep you turning page after page to determine who-dun-it

This is another fascinating forensic mystery in Elkins' Gideon Oliver series. Considering how I dislike gory stories, I am always surprised how much fun and interesting the forensic details are in his books. Really, Aaron should stay away from those boring golf mysteries with his wife and stick to the bones!

This book is fairly standard Elkins material, but personally disappointing to me in the shallow treatment of Tahiti, where the novel is supposedly set. Not at all true to life as it is lived on Tahiti, the coffee plantation should have been sited on the Big Island, where this kind of coffee growing is done. While some coffee is grown in Tahiti, most of the local coffee comes from the Austral Islands, and is not a premium product. The author only spent a week in Tahiti (I spoke to him at a fund-raising auction- we were interested because we had lived down there for several months on two occasions). Readers wanting to get some idea of daily life on Tahiti will not find it here.