Good Blood
By Aaron Elkins
Reviewed by Carol Wood

Any mystery writer will tell you, that one of the key ingredients in a mystery, is the body. A standard rule is you have to have a dead body within the first three pages or your reader is going to lose interest. That being said, there are always people that are going to break the rules and still become successful writers.

In Good Blood, Aaron Elkins doesn't let the body arrive until page 22! That's right. You read that sentence correctly. The dead body or bodies don't appear till you are 22 pages into this gripping novel. And not a lot of writers can get away with that, but Aaron Elkins makes you wait for it, makes you savor every word.

The story begins 30 years before it actually starts. Aaron has set up a wonderful backdrop of Italian villas and villains. You become so completely involved in your character's history before you ever get to any murder scenes that there are a few people that you want to see die before you hit that 22 page mark. But this doesn't mean his bad characters are all bad. Aaron let's you see their human side too, and that makes it feel all the more real.

The bone detective, Gideon Oliver arrives via a vacation with his wife. And of course he's bored and really wants something to distract him. And then it arrives, old bones are uncovered. I love how he knows enough Italian to keep silent. And the sarcastic remarks and humor that pass between them are so like a married couple.

It's just so satisfying.