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Murder in the Queen's Armes
Murder in the Queen's Armes
Murder in the Queen's Armes
Ebook268 pages4 hours

Murder in the Queen's Armes

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The Skeleton Detective puzzles over the theft of an ancient bit of bone—and a student’s murder—in this novel by the Edgar Award–winning author of Switcheroo.

Anthropology professor Gideon Oliver would prefer to keep his mind on his beautiful new bride Julie during their English honeymoon, but one intrusive question will not stop nagging at him: Who would want to steal a thirty‑thousand‑year‑old parieto‑occipital calvarial fragment?

Yet someone has lifted this chunk of prehistoric human skull from a musty museum in Dorchester. Then, thirty miles away, an archaeology student is murdered, increasing tension and suspicion at a dig that had already seethed with suspicion, rivalry, and mistrust. Could there be a connection between a hot bone and a cold‑blooded murder? Gideon is called on by the police to apply the unique skills for which the media have named him “the Skeleton Detective,” and he reluctantly agrees. Before he is done, his sleuthing will lead him to another murder and will—in the most literal and terrifying manner imaginable—sic the dogs on him, putting Gideon himself, and Julie as well, in mortal danger . . .

Murder in the Queen’s Armes is a suspenseful, fun-filled whodunit by the author of the Alix London and Chris Norgren series—a celebrated master who “thoroughly understands the art of the murder mystery” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Murder in the Queen’s Armes is the 3rd book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.


 
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 1, 2014
ISBN9781497610033
Author

Aaron Elkins

Aaron Elkins’s mysteries and thrillers have earned him an Edgar, an Agatha, a Nero Wolfe Award, and a Malice Domestic Lifetime Achievement Award. His nonfiction works have appeared in Smithsonian magazine, the New York Times magazine, and Writer’s Digest. A former anthropology professor, Elkins is known for starting the forensic-mystery genre with his 1982 novel, Fellowship of Fear. He currently serves as the anthropological consultant for the Olympic Peninsula Cold Case Task Force in Washington State. Elkins lives in Washington with his wife, Charlotte—his occasional collaborator—who is also an Agatha winner.

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Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    very good
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fun one. I really like Abe - any story with him in it is neat. There are several scary bits though - the dog, in particular. I _know_ he gets away (there are lots more books in the series!) but it doesn't feel like he's going to. And why does Gideon never scar? His nose is broken but that was before the first book, and he's had some major damage to his face since then (in this book, among others) but no one ever mentions scars on his face...Also, it's a _very_ convoluted mystery. Motives galore, and the real one shows up very sideways and gets explained very late. Weird and wonderful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    While in southern England on his honeymoon, anthropologist Gideon Oliver pays a courtesy call on colleagues at a nearby archaeological dig. The dig's leader hints about a major find, but refuses to reveal any details to Gideon. Several days later, the local police request Gideon's expert assistance in identifying a body recovered from the sea. Gideon begins to suspect a connection between the corpse and the strange goings-on at the dig.I visited several of the places mentioned in the book during the years I lived in England, and I enjoyed revisiting that part of the world in the pages of this book. The explanation of the mystery was logical, but more convoluted than perhaps it needed to be.

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Murder in the Queen's Armes - Aaron Elkins

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