SKELETON DANCE

Morrow, 2000

Professor Gideon Oliver knows bones. That's why the mild-mannered sometime-investigator is the forensic specialist called upon by his old friend Chief Inspector Lucien Joly in Les Eyzies when a local dog emerges from a nearby cave carrying parts of a human skeleton--and one not interred all that long ago at that.

Once Gideon gets into the act, murder piles on murder, puzzle on puzzle, and surprise upon electrifying surprise, in a series of unexpected events that threaten to tear the once-sober, dignified institute apart. In the end, it takes a startling and bizarre forensic breakthrough by Gideon to bring an end to a trail of death, greed, and deception nearly forty thousand years in the making.

WHERE TO BUY: BOOKSTORES

THE INDEPENDENT MYSTERY BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION

These are the bookstores that keep the mystery alive and well. They know and love mysteries and thrillers as no one else does, and they deserve your support. Find your local independents here.

WHERE TO BUY: ONLINE

Amazon and Barnes & Noble

--The New York Times Book Review

"Absorbing and fun . . . an enjoyable and educational romp."

--The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"An ancient mystery tied to modern villainy; a cast of wacky eccentrics; a sunny protagonist; and more cool facts about forensic pathology than . . . well, than you can shake a bone at."

-The Seattle Times

"(An) enthralling novel . . . highly readable, intelligently plotted, and painstakingly researched."

--The Dallas Morning News

"Skeleton Dance is an informative and enjoyable look at our collective family tree, nuts and all."

--The San Francisco Chronicle

"Mischievous wit, fascinating erudition, juicy (but never mean-spirited) academic gossip and a gorgeous setting redolent with Gitanes and goose liver combine to make this mystery an especially delectable treat."

--Publishers Weekly (starred review)