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    Twenty Blue Devils
    Twenty Blue Devils
    Twenty Blue Devils
    Audiobook8 hours

    Twenty Blue Devils

    Written by Aaron Elkins

    Narrated by Joel Richards

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The dead man is the manager of Tahiti's Paradise Coffee Plantation, producer of the most expensive coffee bean in the world, the winey, luscious Blue Devil. Nothing tangible points to foul play behind his fall from a cliff, but FBI agent John Lau, a relative of the coffee growing family, has his suspicions. What he needs is evidence, and who better to provide it than his friend, anthropologist Gideon Oliver, the Skeleton Detective? Gideon is willing to help, but surprisingly-and suspiciously-both the police and the other family members refuse to okay an exhumation order. As a result, Gideon, to his surprise and against his better judgment, finds himself sneaking into a graveyard under cover of night with John, a flashlight, and a shovel.

    Gideon prefers his bones ancient, dry, and dusty, but the body he must examine had lain in the tropical sun for a week before it was found and then buried native style-shallow, with no casket-so it is not exactly his . . . well, cup of tea. But it is not the state of the remains that bothers him the most, it is the deeper human ugliness that his examination uncovers: subtle clues that do indeed point to foul play, to mistaken identity, and to a murderous conspiracy that may have percolated through the family for decades-and brewed a taste for murder.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 30, 2019
    ISBN9781977337559
    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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    Reviews for Twenty Blue Devils

    3.5/5

    69 ratings5 reviews

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    • 4/5
      FBI agent John Lau has a dead body he wants Gideon the “Skeleton Detective” to examine. This isn’t for an FBI case but rather for his family. Brian Scott, operations manager of the Druett/Lau family coffee bean farm in Tahiti, has been found dead on while camping on Raiatea, a barely populated island 100 miles from Tahiti. What concerns John is this isn’t the first life threatening occurrence that had happened to Brian in the past months, and now Brian is dead. A relaxing read for murder mystery fans.
    • 4/5
      Elkins continues his fascinating and fun adventures of Gideon Oliver this time in Tahiti. The scientific detail, the descriptions of place, the cuisine, and the mystery all make an excellent murder mystery novel. Now I really want to visit Tahiti, especially for the ubiquitous scent of tropical Tahitian flowers! I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      "The dead man is the manager of Tahiti's Paradise Coffee plantation, producer of the most expensive coffee bean in the world -- the winey, luscious Blue Devil. His fall from a cliff is the latest accident is a string of mishaps, and although nothing tangible points to foul play, FBI agent John Lau has his suspicions. What he needs is evidence -- and the best forensic expert in the business, his friend anthropologist Gideon Oliver, the Skeleton Detective."Gideon likes his java strong and his bones ancient, dry, and dusty. But the body he must examine had lain in the tropical sun for a week before it was found, and then buried native-style, without a casket. If this case is not exactly Gideon's cup of ... well, tea, it is not the state of the remains that bothers him. It's the real human ugliness he suspects he'll soon unearth."To make matters worse, Gideon finds trouble in paradise: a most unwelcoming local police commandant, a strange reluctance by the Blue Devil owners to uncover any wrong-doing, and the lack of an exhumation order. Sneaking into a graveyard with a shovel and flashlight isn't his idea of a professional analysis. And what he finds six feet under will prove the ultimate test of his skills: a subtle clue that points to foul play, and bones so puzzling that they have Gideon stumped ... for a while. Now Gideon must cut to the heart of a crime to find the motive that may have percolated through a family for decades -- and brewed a taste for murder."~~front & back flapsAs John is trying to talk Gideon into digging up the grave themselves (what could possibly go wrong ...?) Gideon thinks: "Hehad done some damnfool things in his time, a rather high percentage of them at John's instigation ..." One of my all time favorite sentences! "... and he was sincerely afraid of getting himself talked into another." And it was even funnier when the cop caught them ...This is a whacking god story, imho because of the interplay and affection between John & Gideon. They're chalk and cheese, but between them they always solve their cases. I don't think Mr. Elkins is writing this series any longer, which breaks my heart.
    • 5/5
      Eh, I read it too quickly. But right now I'm really enjoying the entire series. (I've checked out pretty much every book the library owns.) But I really like the personal connections in this book, and Nelson at the end was great. I loved that scene. And the conclusion of the coffee. Mysterious enough? I highly recommend it.
    • 3/5
      The "Skeleton Detective" finds himself in Tahiti, investigating the death of the manager of the plantation that produces the world's most expensive coffee. Typical of the series: a brisk narrative, enlivened with humor and with snippets of forensic information. In this one, FBI agent John Lau makes a welcome appearance.