The small French village of Les Ezies-de-Tayac surrounds the tenth Gideon Oliver mystery, in which academic rivalry over the nature of man results in a series of murders and an increasing number of bones. The Institut de Prehistoire forms the backdrop for a debate over prehistoric man -- was he primitive or attuned to art and beauty? And are the academic stakes in the debate sufficient cause for murder? The aging, yet horny, Oliver, with the frequent aid of his park ranger wife Julie and FBI friend, John Lau, takes another case.  (FRN605, $7.99)

A Gideon Oliver Mystery