Twenty Blue Devils

by Aaron Elkins

Book Overview

The "shrewd, witty and self-deprecating forensic anthropologist" travels to Tahiti to sniff out crime at a coffee plantation (Publishers Weekly). The dead man is the manager of Tahiti's Paradise... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892964677
• ISBN13: 9780892964673
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Bone Up On Gourmet Coffee

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.

Quite a fun 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.

Another Winner

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.

Great stuff again from Elkins.

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.

Excellent brain-teaser!

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.