"well thought out mystery"

Off the coast of Cornwell England lies the Isles of Scilly thought to be the home of King Arthur. Forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver, known as the bone doctor, travels to St. Mary's where his wife is presenting a research paper on the environment for $50,000 donated by the owner of Star Castle, Vasily Kozlov. The eccentric Russian likes to gather people with different opinions and see them argue. Oliver is looking forward to visit Neolithic sites and the last thing on his mind is getting involved in another murder case.

When the curator from the museum asks him to look at some old bones, Oliver agrees and is shocked to find a human bone that was sawed off the body. Using a cadaver dog, the police and Oliver find much of the rest of the body and the bone doctor is able to say that the victim was a guest who stayed at Star Castle a few years ago but then sent a fax stating he wasn't coming back. When a second guest is killed Oliver is certain that the two murders are linked and he studies the bones hoping that they will give him clues as to the identity of the killer.

In spite of the dark side of his profession, the protagonist is a happy go lucky person thankful that he has found a second chance at love with Julie after his first wife died from cancer. Like bestselling author Kelly Reich's heroine Aaron Elkin's hero is able to read the bones well enough to give the police an accurate account of how the victim died. Like Temperance, Oliver goes above the call of duty and investigates the case in his own manner with amazing results. UNNATURAL SELECTION is a well thought out mystery and the killer is the last person anyone would expect.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 18, 2006

Summary

The EdgarŽ Award-winning author of Where There's a Will returns with another bonechilling mystery starring "Skeleton Detective" Gideon Oliver.

Forensics professor Gideon Oliver accompanies his wife to the Isles of Scilly, which dot the sea like an emerald necklace thirty miles off the Cornwall coast. Julie's been invited here by Russian expatriate Vasily Kozlov, scientist, millionaire, and eccentric. At his home, Star Castle, he regularly hosts a consortium of guests with differing opinions—which makes for some very heated arguments.

While Julie's stuck indoors, Gideon looks forward to puttering around the Neolithic sites nearby. But before day one is through, a newer bone turns up—this tibia is only a few years old—and all signs point to murder. And just as Gideon and the local law puzzle over the bone's origin, another murder happens at Star Castle. Could it just be bad luck, two murders within a couple of years? Or do Kozlov's lively debates have a way of turning deadly?