Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Dying on the Vine (A Gideon Oliver Mystery) (edition 2012)by Aaron Elkins (Author)
Work InformationDying on the Vine by Aaron Elkins
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. "It was the unwavering custom of Pietro Cubbiddu, patriarch of Tuscany's Villa Antica wine empire, to take a solitary month-long sabbatical at the end of the early grape harvest, leaving the winery i8n the trusted hands of his three sons. His wife, Nola, would drive him to an isolated mountain cabin in the Apennines and return for him a month later, bringing him back to his family and business. "So it went for almost a decade -- until the year came when neither of them returned. Months later, a hiker in the Apennines stumbles on their skeletal remains. The carabinieri investigate and release their findings: they are dealing with a murder-suicide. The evidence makes it clear that Pietro Cubbiddu shot and killed his wife and then himself. The likely motive: his discovery that Nola had been having an affair. "Not long afterward, Gideon Oliver and his wife, Julie, are in Tuscany visiting their friends, the Cubbiddu offspring. The renowned Skeleton Detective is asked to reexamine the bones. When he does, he reluctantly concludes that the carabinieri, competent though they may be, have gotten almost everything wrong. Whatever it was that happened in the mountains, a murder-suicide it was not. "Soon Gideon finds himself in a morass of family antipathies, conflicts, and mistrust, to say nothing of the local carabinieri's resentment. And when yet another Cubbiddu relation meets an unlikely end, it becomes bone-chillingly clear that the killer if far from finished ..." front flap Another whacking good mystery for the Skeleton Detective, and his pal John Lau. The family can't believe that Pietro would kill his wife, but then maybe he found out that his wife was having an affair, and Barbagia honor would require him to kill her and shoot himself. The plot thickens more and more as Gideon discovers that the murder-suicide scenario isn't correct, and while he and John eat their way across Tuscany, they begin to sort out a timeline that breaks the case wide open. Elkins knows how to write a mystery novel just as well as his hero, Dr. Gideon Oliver, knows how to evaluate a battered skeleton: very well. He's also been doing it for a long time, which means that many of us have gotten familiar with and fond of Dr. Oliver and the other regular characters in the series. This time, my pleasure in reading had more to do with Dr. Oliver's company and with other elements in the novel than with the mystery per se. That, for me at least, was less than gripping. But the setting -- a winery in Tuscany --was enchanting, the new characters were sharply drawn and entertaining, the family drama was engrossing, and the whole thing was a pleasant way to spend an evening. Another classic Skeleton Detective story - the bones are interesting, the sneaky setup is quite good. And Gideon figures out all the details, but it's Julie who puts them together into something that makes sense. Lots of food descriptions, too, as usual. Not exciting, but perfect for a rainy day when I didn't feel up to much. Synopsis: Gideon, along with wife and cohorts, is giving a seminar in Florence, Italy. He examines some bones and completely disagrees with the conclusions drawn by the Carabinieri. He also finds that the bones belong to the mother of the owners of a winery he is visiting. Review: This really reminded me of our trip to Tuscany. The characterizations of the winery owners, the police and the older Italians are right on point. The story was interesting, but I suspected 'who done it' relatively early on. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesGideon Oliver (17)
In Tuscany visiting friends with his wife, Gideon Oliver is asked to reexamine the bones of a couple whose deaths were ruled a murder-suicide. His findings do not agree with those of the Italian police. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
Some parts of the investigation held very interesting information, but in other parts the plot got just a little bit too cute, and I thought the final chapter was not very satisfactory at all, and had the feeling of being written far too hastily. ( )