Fiction for Skelephiles: Aaron Elkins

I happened across one of those donation racks of books in the mall the other day: suggested donation = $1 per book, proceeds to go to the hospital. And among all the battered romance novels and thrillers of dubious quality I found two novels by Aaron Elkins.

Elkins is one of the few mystery writers whose books I regularly look for every time I go to a used book store, and I'd given up finding any new ones. I had begun to think he'd stopped writing any in the Gideon Oliver series sometime in the late 90s. The two I found were from the 2004 and 2005, so obviously I was mistaken.

Elkins' Gideon Oliver books are about a forensic anthropologist who, in helping the FBI in a few cases, became known as "The Skeleton Detective." Most of the books are fairly short, and very readable. Though I've only read one Kathy Reichs "Temperance Brennan" novels (the first one), so I can't really judge, I find Elkins' characters and writing style much more engaging. And there's lots of great bone science in them, but presented in a generally seamless manner.

So here's the complete list of Gideon Oliver novels, in order. I've included Amazon links in case you feel like book shopping--any money I make from Amazon affiliate sales will, I solemnly swear, go into buying more bone books to review.

• Fellowship of Fear (1982) - buy from amazon
• The Dark Place (1983) - buy from amazon
• Murder in the Queen's Armes (1985) - buy from amazon
• Old Bones (1987) - buy from amazon
• Curses! (1989) - buy from amazon
• Icy Clutches (1990) - buy from amazon
• Make No Bones (1991) - buy from amazon
• Dead Men's Hearts (1994) - buy from amazon
• Twenty Blue Devils (1997) - buy from amazon
• Skeleton Dance (2000) - buy from amazon
• Good Blood (2004) - buy from amazon
• Where There's a Will (2005) - buy from amazon
• Unnatural Selection (2006) - buy from amazon
• Little Tiny Teeth (2007) - buy from amazon
• Uneasy Relations (2008) - buy from amazon
• Skull Duggery (2009) - buy from amazon

I'm reading Good Blood right now. So far I'm finding it a little slower to get into than previous Gideon Oliver books, but it's been a while since I read any. I expect things will pick up once some bones are found.