Part of Gideon Oliver, book 10
First published 2001
Professor Gideon Oliver arrives in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, a French village famous for foie gras and prehistoric fossils. The Chief Inspector calls him when a local dog emerges from a cave carrying pieces of a human skeleton. The bones belong to someone recently buried, not an ancient specimen. Oliver specializes in forensic anthropology, so he begins examining the remains. More murders follow his arrival in this scientific community centered around the Institut de Prehistoire. Eminent researchers study fossils here, but they also argue and compete. Oliver searches for answers about the skeleton and discovers a pattern of violence. His investigation leads him into the private conflicts of the academic world. The trail connects recent deaths to ancient deception spanning forty millennia. Greed drives the crimes that pile up around him. Oliver must solve murders that bridge prehistoric times and the present day.
Genres: fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, detective, academic
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: France, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
Period: Prehistoric, Present Day
341 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon