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MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S ARMES
by Aaron Elkins
Berkley, October 2005
256 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0425206386


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Gideon Oliver is on his honeymoon with his new wife Julie. They are spending several weeks in England, where they hope to enjoy themselves and spend time exploring.

In Dorchester, Oliver takes a day to visit his colleague at a nearby dig. Nate Marcus has some unusual ideas about the Iron Age and archeology in Britain. Few of his ideas are accepted by the current archaeological trends or studies but he refuses to give up his theories. His dig is being investigated by an academic review to make sure that everything is running properly.

While he and Oliver are not close friends, Oliver feels a duty to check in on him. Marcus has a find that he cannot wait to share with the world and has little time for niceties. Oliver does not know what to do about the situation as Marcus refuses to listen to his words of warning.

With the disappearance of a graduate student working at the dig, he is worried that all is not as it should be. In addition, the discovery of a corpse several weeks later foretells an unhappy ending for many. Oliver must remain on his toes in order to solve the disappearances, discover the truth about the discovery and enjoy time with his wife.

Like all of the books in this series, MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S ARMES deals with dead bodies, archeology and police work. While Gideon Oliver is a college professor dealing with skeletons and ancient history, he spends a lot of time involved in mysteries regarding the present rather than the past. He works in an academic setting; yet, spends a large portion of his time outside his office and lab. In addition, he frequently works with either the police or the FBI as he lives up to his nickname as 'the skeleton detective.'

Gideon Oliver is a detective in which any fan of medium boiled mysteries can delight. He does work with gritty dirty things but fresh bodies scare him. As far as he is concerned, he would have nothing to do with a fresh corpse as they are messy and smell. He does not swear and discusses his skeletons in such academic terms that they do not seem to be real bodies. This series works hard at keeping some of the more gruesome details and descriptions of fresh murder victims from the reader.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, December 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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