This is the second in the Gideon Oliver series by Aaron Elkins. I read the first book last year and wasn't really sure how I felt about it so I wanted to give the series a second chance. Am I glad I did?...ehhh.
Here are the positives of the book for me. As a former Anthropology student (my BA is in Anthro) I do enjoy all the anthropological references and I don't even mind that they come in the form of really big words that I have to sometimes stop and think about. I am a big fan of the Bones TV series, more so then the books they are based on, and this series reminds me of a Bones unplugged. It's nice to remember a time pre-computers, pre-cell phones and pre-internet however....
...it's also very distracting at times and I find myself frustrated by the lack of those technologies, which I assume says something revealing about me but we won't dive into my psyche just now. This leads me into the dislikes of the series. First off I am not connecting with the main character at all. I don't see much depth to the man and the small glimmers we get just aren't enough to make me want more. Also, in this book he "falls in love" with the lead female within about ohhh 30 seconds and it really irritated me. And she went right along with him! I mean I am all for love at first sight but gimme a break. One minute he's talking about her chunky physic and comparing her to the love of his life, his deceased wife, and the next he's whispering "I love you" in her ear. Ugh! The mystery itself was kind of non-existant. I figured most of it out half way through the book. It really read more like one of my action/adventure books minus the action part.
So what am I rating this book. Well, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I would say it was firmly a 2.5 star book meaning it was just ok. Will I continue the series? I think I may give it another try. I am curious to see if my opinion changes as it gets closer to the 21st century and some technology is applied. It's not a keeper book for me and it will probably be a few months before I go for the 3rd book but it does deserve at least one more try I suppose.
If you are interested in this series I would recommend starting with book one Fellowship of Fear. In my opinion it was a much better story all around than this installment.
Happy Reading!
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