Dry Bones

By: Peter May

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

What happened to Jacques Gaillard? The brilliant teacher at the École Nationale d’Administration, who trained some of France’s best and brightest as future prime ministers and presidents, vanished ten years ago, presumably from Paris. This ten-year-old mystery inspires a bet—one that Enzo Macleod, a biologist teaching in Toulouse, France, instead of pursuing a brilliant career in forensics back home in Scotland, can ill afford to lose. The wager is that Enzo can find out what happened to Jacques Gaillard by applying new science to a cold case.

Enzo goes to Paris to meet journalist Roger Raffin, the author of a book on seven celebrated unsolved murders, the assumption being that Gaillard is dead. He needs Raffin’s notes, and armed with these, he begins his quest. It quickly has him touring landmarks such as the Paris catacombs and a château in Champagne, digging up relics and bones. Then Enzo finds the actual head of Jacques Gaillard. The artifacts buried with the skull set him to interpreting the clues they provide and following in someone’s footsteps—maybe more than one someone—seeking the rest of Gaillard’s remains and reviewing some ancient and recent history. As with any quest, it’s as much discovery as detection, and Enzo, despite all his missteps, proves to be an ace investigator, scientific and intuitive, who definitely meets his goals.

Peter May is a Scottish television screenwriter, novelist, and crime writer. He has won several literary awards for his novels.

©2006 Peter May (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This travelogue-cum-murder mystery makes for a fun puzzle.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“A thoroughly engaging puzzle.” ( Library Journal)

I thoroughly enjoy a good murder mystery.

And this one didn't let med down. I was a bit put off in the beginning as I had the impression that it was a historical book and it is not, but that was my own mind/memory that was to blame there.

I really like the voice (and skills) of Simon Vance as he always seem to bring his A game.

I remember thinking of Crimson Rivers whole reading this as they are both set in france and are similar in genre.

Motive didn't live up to the crime

I enjoyed Dry Bones, until the end. Enzo McCleod, a former forensic scientist now living in France, is investigating a cold case disappearance as part of a bet. The hunt for the body and the killer in several French locales is fast paced, intriguing, and holds the listener's interest. The motive for the killing, however, is a stretch and doesn't justify the elaborate scavenger hunt on which McCleod is led. And the final scenes where McCleod goes to meet the killer were so over the top I almost laughed. I can't say much more without spoilers. I would have given the book five stars until near the end.

The story is set in France so it is to be expected that French place names are used. For me, the overuse of French names for education and government organizations and buildings (most never explained) led to some confusion. I wasn't always sure where McCleod was. My biggest annoyance, however, was the constant use of the French word for living room: séjour. It is the only French noun used throughout the book and there seems to be no reason for it. McCleod has a bedroom, why couldn't he have a living room.

Simon Vance, as always, does a wonderful job. There are a mix of accents in the story and he handles them well. McCleod is a Scot living in France.

suspenseful & in lighting

Well written kept me interested, and intrigued enjoyed it alot. I love mysteries. Enjoy, I did.

a solid listen

Narrator did well with the Scottish accent and the story held my interest. This author has a fascination with women's breast which was a bit off-putting.

A twisted plot with clues galore

A combination of mystery and thriller that kept my interest from the start. I'll be listening to more in this series.

Interesting twist on a mystery series

The setting of the story in France was fun. The intrigue of discovering clues was well done. Characters in the story were interesting. The plot was great had me guessing to the end.

Our hero grew more unlikeable as the book went on

No spoilers here.

The story was a good idea. It just wasn't carried out very well. When I realized I was sticking with this book solely to find out whodunit, I began to wonder if it was worth it.

I didn't like the main character. He had become less likable (or admirable, maybe?) as the book went on. His assistant was continually sexually objectified and left as a flat 2-dimensional person in spite of the amount of text given over to her. (...Quite an accomplishment!)

After I left a sex scene (described in technical detail) behind (that I'm pretty sure was intended to be passionate), I began to question why I was still sticking with this book.

I finally gave up when I was about 80% through the book. The characters and the mystery weren't good enough to hold me. I have read much better at Audible and I knew I had much better waiting for me in my library. As I've been writing this, I realized how many points of logic had to be ignored to stay with the story that I'm surprised I didn't give up sooner.

Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

Terrific

Great story. Reader a bit hard to understand at times with a heavy French accent.

Interesting concept for a series.

Would you listen to Dry Bones again? Why?

Yes, Dry Bones is based upon one of seven murders documented by Roger Raffin, a journalist within the series. Much of the foundation for the main character, Enzo Macleod and other supporting characters is disclosed in this first book.

What other book might you compare Dry Bones to and why?

Dry Bones is a mystery that relies on the insight and intelligence of the main character, Enzo Macleod to put together the clues in order to solve the mystery. However, I personally questioned whether that would have happened without the help of Nicole and Charlotte.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

I like Simon Vance as a narrator but I had to start the audiobook over twice because I wasn't able to distinguish between Macleod and another male character with a Scottish accent. A lot of the places, French description and wine connoisseur lingo was lost on me.

Any additional comments?

Enzo is a likable main character but does seem to spend a lot of time stumbling around drunk or running around like the proverbial, "chicken with it's head cut off". The underline plot of this story was very good, the motivation behind the murder of Jacques Gaillard did seem ridiculous given the extent of the cover up.

thoughtful Mystery

What did you love best about Dry Bones?

a cold case story where each clue was important

What did you like best about this story?

best was the dry bit of humor that showed up at unexpected times

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

yes and again he does a great read

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Any additional comments?

A little far fetched at times, but forgivable