


When Agatha Christie was the world's most popular author, the whodunit consisted largely of a puzzle wherein the reader was challenged to come up with the solution before reaching the final pages. Today, the emphasis is on shock rather than surprise, and the eccentric sleuth of yesteryear has been all but offed by the maniacal serial killer. But there remains a stubborn handful of writers who continue to labor in that gentler genre. Among them, no one does it better than Aaron Elkins. The San Diego Union Tribune.
A pleasure . . . sit back and enjoy . . . while wallowing in all that deliciously obscure and newly learned information." USA Today
The pleasure of . . . reading lies not in resolution but in investigation, and Elkins keeps things moving with plenty of local atmosphere, compelling characterization, and a refreshingly low level of violence. Natural History Magazine.
"Elkins always presents a rich buffet of fascinating scientific facts . . . Learned and entertaining." Booklist