Good Blood (Ulverscroft Large Print) - Hardcover

Aaron Elkins

3.98

1,009 ratings by Goodreads

9781846174407: Good Blood (Ulverscroft Large Print)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846174406 ISBN 13: 9781846174407

Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd, 2006

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It was supposed to be a much-needed Italian holiday for the renowned professor of anthropology, Gideon Oliver. True, his wife, Julie, is there to help their friend Phil run a guided tour, but Gideon himself is looking forward to a few days R and R. So when Phil invites the couple to his wealthy family's idyllic island in Lake Maggiore, the Olivers accept with enthusiasm. But the breathtaking view and sumptuous food come at a price. When some bones are unearthed in the locality, Colonel Caravale of the local carabinieri calls on Gideon's expertise. Learning that his host's son has been kidnapped, Gideon sets out to identify the bones-and along the way, exposes some extraordinary deceptions that lay bare the malignant, long-hidden secrets at the dark heart of a highborn family.

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About the Author:

Aaron Elkins is an Edgar Award winner and he lives with his wife, Charlotte, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

From Publishers Weekly:

Set in the charming village of Stresa on Italy's Lake Maggiore, Elkins's 11th mystery to feature Gideon Oliver (after 2000's Edgar-winning Skeleton Dance) shows the forensic anthropologist in fine form. Oliver's half-Italian friend Phil Boyajian decides to combine a visit to relatives with a tour he's organizing, and invites Oliver and his wife to come along. As fate would have it—and Elkins is so good at acknowledging mystery conventions, often tongue-in-cheek—Phil's cousin, the bratty Achille de Grazia, has just been kidnapped. The local official, Colonnello Tullio Caravale, doesn't welcome Oliver's advice until an old set of bones turns up. Caravale, in a gently presented but highly amusing detail, admits that he once spent six hours classifying bones only to be told they were not human but rabbit. He's willing, therefore, to accept Oliver's expert help, and their evolving relationship is nicely evoked. The bones are identified as belonging to the kidnapped boy's grandfather, who was presumed dead in a sailing accident 10 years earlier. Clearly the two crimes are related, and the most likely suspects are the eccentric members of the de Grazia family, who live on a private island in a life of supreme physical ease but excruciating psychological discomfort. The distinct personalities of the de Grazias and other characters are sketched with great efficiency and precision. That alone would keep a reader's interest, but the forensic facts Elkins chooses to include and the brisk pace of the plot make for a total success.
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