Review: Switcheroo

Switcheroo by Aaron Elkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Switcheroo is the 18th book in the Skeleton Detective series by Aaron Elkins. It is the first of Elkins books that I have read and I was mildly surprised to find that it stood alone perfectly well. I was expecting to have some difficulty navigating the back story of the well-established characters but that didn't happen.

Gideon Oliver is a forensic anthropologist. He and his wife Julie, and a friend John Lau (an FBI agent) are attending a forensics conference in Spain. Bored by the offerings of the last few days of the conference, when Rafe, a fellow conference attendee. offers Gideon and company the opportunity to investigate a decades-old mystery he jumps at the chance.

The bones in question have been stored in Rafe's garage on the Channel Islands for the past 50 years. Fifty years ago, one man was found dead and two men disappeared. Bones were found in a local tar pit several years later and it was assumed that the cases were connected, but they were never solved. The bones found in the tar pit could belong to Rafe's father but nobody knows for sure. During the course of the investigation, Gideon discovers some interesting truths which lead to a twist and then ultimately the resolution of this cozy mystery.

At the start of the book, the author describes what happened between two of the families who live on the island as they prepare for occupation by the Germans during the war. It is very interesting and is a little window into history. It also ties into the case, but we don't find out exactly how until the big reveal.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more action. Gideon and his wife didn't do anything more exciting than go to the zoo. The FBI agent, John, spent most of his time as a foil for Gideon to prove his brilliance. I didn't realize that this was a cozy mystery series, I've been spoiled by other authors who feature forensic anthropologists and forensic pathologists as detectives. My disappointment is my own fault. This is an 18 book series which started in the 1980's. I should have done a little more research instead of making assumptions.

Having said that, the book was well crafted and well plotted. The solution wasn't immediately obvious (at least to me) and I enjoyed following along with Gideon as he investigated. Character studies were well done, I could absolutely picture Rafe in his smoking jacket and ascot as a slightly shabby aristocrat. Interior and exterior scenery and architecture were also well described without being mired in excessive detail. The science didn't have any glaring mistakes and seemed well researched.

I liked this book, I'm not sure if I'll go back and search for the preceding seventeen volumes but I probably wouldn't hesitate to pick one up if I come across it in a bookstore.

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